After nine months on the job, Bowling Green High School Athletic Director Jonas Smith is resigning to
take on another position elsewhere.
Smith was hired on June 21 to replace Scott Seeliger, who had retired.
Former Bowling Green AD Mike Vannett will fill Smith’s position on an interim basis for the rest of the
school year. He will begin Monday.
“Most of my career has been in urban education,” said Smith, who was in his 21st
year as an athletic director. “This BG AD job is by far the best AD job I’ve ever had. I have an
opportunity to take a new position that I just couldn’t pass up.”
Smith could not say what his new position is, but he did say he is remaining in education. “I’ll still be
working in athletics and extra-curricular activities, but at a different capacity.”
His new job will be announced on Monday.
“My plans were to probably be an AD for about three or four more years and then look at doing something
different in education,” Smith said. “But this opportunity has come to fruition for me, and it’s a great
opportunity for me and my family.
“The people here are first class. The coaches are great. They want to do what’s best for kids.”
Smith came to Bowling Green after serving as the athletic director at Dayton Public since 2005. In April
2015, Smith was named athletic director at Upper Arlington before resigning that June to stay at Dayton.
He had never officially began his position with the school.
Although his time in Bowling Green was short, Smith believes he accomplished a significant amount.
“I believe I was able to change the culture and the mindset of how athletics should be run, meaning doing
what’s best for the student-athletes,” he said.
Since taking the job, Smith also implemented a new athletic handbook, he raised the eligibility criteria
for student-athletes from a 1.7 GPA to a 2.0, and he implemented coaches’ evaluations.
“The time that Jonas was here he did a really good job,” said BG Superintendent Francis Scruci. “He did a
lot of great things. … I think we’ve had another successful year leading up to our spring sports.”
The athletic director’s job is a familiar one for Vannett, who retired in 2013 after serving as the
athletic director at Bowling Green for 23 years.
“Francis and the principal came and asked me if I’d be willing to do this and help them out,” Vannett
said. Vannett, who has been serving as a long-term substitute teacher at the high school, will begin his
interim role on Monday.
“I grew up in Bowling Green, was a longtime AD,” Vannett said. “I have the time right now that I can at
least help them out through the end of the school year and in preparations for the fall until they find
somebody full time.
“For me, that was a no-brainer to help them out.”
