PIAA chief executive Lombardi to step down at year’s end
Dr. Robert Lombardi, who guided the PIAA through one of its most difficult periods, during the COVID-interrupted 2020 and 2021 scholastic seasons, has announced his retirement after 37 years with the state’s high school athletics governing body.
Lombardi has served as Executive Director since 2012. He is one of the longest-tenured state association administrators in the nation.
Mark Byers, currently the PIAA’s chief operating officer, will take the organization’s top spot when Lombardi officially leaves his post in December.
Lombardi started his career at the PIAA as assistant executive director and, after five years, was promoted to associate executive director.
Under Lombardi’s leadership the organization saw tremendous growth, advancing to the fourth-largest state association in the nation, in terms of student athlete participation.
“On behalf of the entire PIAA Board of Directors, I want to thank Dr. Lombardi for his outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment to student-athletes and interscholastic athletics,” Frank Majikes, PIAA Board President, said in a statement.
“Dr. Lombardi’s positive influence on PIAA and his mentorship of countless colleagues has been invaluable. We wish him a joyous and well-deserved retirement.”
Under Lombardi’s leadership the PIAA saw the expansion of classifications in multiple sports, including football, basketball, baseball, cross county, soccer, and lacrosse.
One of Lombardi’s greatest challenges came in tempering controversies involving athletic-related transfers and the rise to power of private, parochial, and charter schools, which drew the ire of many public school administrators. Under his leadership the PIAA developed the competition formula and tightened transfer rules.
As executive director Lombardi handled bylaw interpretations, strategic planning, fiscal management, office operations, the PIAA Foundation, and legislative affairs.
During his time with the association, Lombardi has also held positions nationally. In 2024 he became the 65th NFHS President, commencing during the 105th NFHS Summer Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. There have been 66 NFHS presidents, and he’s the first from the Keystone State to hold this role. Pennsylvania became a member of the NFHS in 1925.
Prior to becoming president, Lombardi was voted to the NFHS National Board of Directors in July 2021 and in July 2023, he was voted as the president-elect.
He was also chair of the NFHS Officials Education Committee, the Officials Recruitment, Retainment, Training and Evaluation Committee, the Risk Management Committee for Officials, the Coaches and Athletic Administrators Committee, NFHS Soccer Rules Committee and has served a term on the NFHS Basketball Rules Committee.
Before coming to the PIAA Lombardi spent time at the New Mexico Activities Association, first as an intern then on staff.
He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University and later received his doctorate in sports administration from the University of New Mexico in 1994.
Before joining the PIAA, Lombardi was a certified PIAA sports official and a teacher and coach in the Wayne Highlands School District, near the area where he grew up.
