Former Helix Baseball Coach Named Commissioner of CIF San Diego Section

Jerry Schniepp, a former baseball coach at Helix Charter High School, has been named commissioner of the CIF San Diego section—making him the head overseer of high school sports in the county.

“I’m excited,” Schniepp said. “The area has so many great students, communities, schools and athletic programs and I am looking forward to working with all of them. We also have many challenges in front of us and it will take the entire section working together to address these.”

In June 1988, Schniepp  coached the Scotties to a 1-0 victory over Santana High School for the section 3A baseball title. A year later, his Highlanders fell 19-15 to Mt. Carmel in the championship game.

Michael Lewis, chair of San Diego Section Board of Managers, made the announcement Monday morning.

 “On behalf of the entire CIF San Diego Section, I would like to congratulate Mr. Schniepp on his selection as commissioner,” said Lewis, an assistant superintendent of the Grossmont Union High School District who once was an assistant principal at Helix.

“Mr. Schniepp was selected from a very talented pool of candidates, but in the end he was the clear choice to lead the San Diego Section.”

As San Diego section commissioner, Schniepp, 48, will oversee sports competition involving 29 school districts and 113 high schools, plus varsity championship playoffs in 22 sports, said the state CIF office. His predecessor, Dennis Ackerman, was paid about $140,000 a year.

Schniepp, who lives in Bonita, has been working most recently as the coordinator of athletics for the Sweetwater Union High School District since 2006, including Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach, and was recently named the 2011 California State Athletic Directors Association Athletic Director of the Year.

Earlier, he was principal in 2006 of Santana High School in Santee and also previously held roles as the director, co-curricular programs for the Grossmont Unified High School District (2004-05), assistant principal for El Cajon Valley and Santana High Schools and was also a teacher (1989-97) at Helix.

He coached at Helix between 1985 and 1997, according to the California Interscholastic Federation, the parent governing body of prep sports.

Schniepp now serves on the CIF-San Diego section’s Executive Committee, Board of Managers, Coordinating Council and is chairman of the High School Sports Officiating Coalition.

He also has roles in the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, California State Athletic Directors Association, San Diego High School Sports Association, California State Coaches Association and Chula Vista Youth Sports Alliance.

Schniepp has a bachelor of arts degree in social science from San Diego State University and holds a master’s  degree in education administration and a single subject teaching credential in social science from National University

Ackerman, commissioner, since 2001, is retiring.

“The commissioner is charged with carrying out the policies of the section Board of Managers and enforcing California Interscholastic Federation rules, including those that govern eligibility, transfers and recruiting,” said the Union-Tribune.

“Schniepp becomes the fifth commissioner in the San Diego Section, which was founded in 1960. He follows Don Clarkson, Kendall Webb, Jan Jessop and Ackerman. Ackerman will remain in office until Oct. 3.”

The CIF San Diego section is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that reported $1.42 million in revenues in 2009, the last year for which tax records are available. (See attached.)

It describes its mission in the Form 990 tax filing as follows:

CIF San Diego serves schools in all of San Diego County and parts of Riverside and Imperial counties, preparing boys and girls for a better tomorrow and working with parents, educators and the community to establish and maintain excellent high school athletic programs that teach values, character and citizenship.