The Hood River County School District (HRCSD) Board of Directors voted to appoint Sean Mailey Hood River Valley High School (HRVHS) interim athletics director for the 2023-24 school year on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in its meeting. Mailey replaces Tom Ames who was serving as the short-term interim athletics director.

Mailey will begin this work appointment at HRVHS in mid-November. 

“We are thrilled to have him on board,” said HRVHS principal, Columba Jones. “Sean brings a wealth of experience and expertise to this role. His journey in education has been a broad one.”

Mailey is the athletics director at Lincoln High School in Portland, Ore. Mailey was the assistant principal and athletics director at Milwaukie High School between 2019 and 2023. He manages facilities and supervises custodial staff. In addition, he manages the budget for each athletic team and hires, evaluates, and retains head coaches of athletic teams. At the high school, Mailey provides discipline/pastoral support for the administrative team. 

For 21 years, Mailey has served in education, including as a special education teacher, social studies teacher, athletic director, principal and vice principal. He has experience teaching history, world history, U.S. history, sociology, government, and economics. 

In addition to his instruction responsibilities, he helped lead at the school-level and district-level on the school district articulation team and lead representative for the social studies department to the curriculum, instruction and assessment committee. Mailey has been a dedicated equity school team leader. 

Mailey has 15 years of coaching experience at the middle school level and high school level. He has coached alpine ski racing, soccer, golf, and baseball.

“I am excited to get a chance to join the Hood River Valley High School community,” said Mailey. “The opportunity to work with your community is an honor and I look forward to getting to know all the student-athletes, coaches, teachers, staff, and parent community. I love working with all aspects of our teams to create a positive environment during the four years our student-athletes get to compete at HRV. Please stop by and introduce yourself or reach out as I would love to hear from all members of our athletic community.”

Mailey earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from University of Oregon (Eugene, Ore.). He earned a Master of Arts in education from Pacific University (Forest Grove, Ore.). Mailed earned his administrative license from Concordia University (Portland, Ore.). 

“Sean has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills, a commitment to student success, and a strong understanding of the balance between academics and athletics,” said Jones. “He has a strong background in fostering a positive and inclusive school culture, promoting the growth of student-athletes, and supporting and developing well-rounded students. Sean’s experience and dedication will be an asset to our athletics department and our overall school environment.”