Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union names Erin Gerlich executive director
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union named its successor to former executive director Jean Berger on Thursday.
Erin Gerlich, who served in other roles with the union before her promotion, was named the new executive director of the IGHSAU.
“I am deeply honored to be selected as the next IGHSAU executive director,” Gerlich said in a statement released by the IGHSAU. “I am committed to leading the organization toward continued success. In my new position, I look forward to championing the growth and empowerment of female athletes across Iowa.”
She previously held the position of associate director and sport administrator within the Union. In those roles, she served as the head of emerging sports and new projects, led sports medicine coordination efforts and was the administrator for wrestling and tennis, according to an IGHSAU release.
Gerlich played a large part in introducing girls wrestling to Iowa. She earned the Charlotte Bailey Award – honoring an individual who made significant efforts for the advancement of girls wrestling in Iowa – from the Iowa Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association in 2023.
She also won the AAU Wrestling Women’s Empowerment Award.
Gerlich served as president of the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association from 2022-23, making her the first female to hold the position.
The Panora native will officially assume her new role on June 8.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa native Erin Gerlich named executive director of IGHSAU
