5 questions for new MIAA executive director Dr. Robert Baldwin

He played baseball at Springfield College before returning to his hometown to serve as a physical education teacher and middle school vice principal. He coached the Fairhaven High boys’ basketball team from 1989-2001, when he became the principal at Middleboro High School.

On the eve of his first official day in office, Baldwin answered five questions from the Globe.

Monday is your first day in your new job. What’s the first thing you plan to do when you get to the office in Franklin?

Hit the ground running by building relationships and making connections with everyone in the office and throughout the Commonwealth. In order to best serve the association, I must take the time to listen to those that we serve and then do my best as the executive director to serve those needs.

What is your initial priority for the Fall 2021 season?

To maximize participation in athletic contests in as normal a fashion as possible – safely.

What do you foresee as the potential challenges now that COVID numbers are increasing?

A: If there is anything that has been certain since March 2020, it is uncertainty. We need to continue to set a clear direction and communicate that plan with the knowledge that on a moment’s notice we will have to be agile and change course. The unknown has become much more normal than the known.

If you had to pick your biggest long-term goal for the MIAA, what would it be?

The before-mentioned listening tour will help develop a clear plan to lead the MIAA into the future. However, I am concerned about a leadership pipeline crisis. Who will be our next generation of visionary leaders in our schools and in society in general? I believe the answer lies with our students. It is imperative that we look to increase student membership in co-curricular activities because the lessons learned through participation in student activities not only creates a sense of belonging, but instills the core values inherent in leadership.

By getting more young people into the game, we can expose them to the attributes that make a difference in the lives of others. I have always said to potential leaders, ‘If not you, who?’ We need to identify a future generation of diverse game changers who are prepared to serve the greater good.

How have you prepared for the job over the last month since your hire in July?

I concluded my duties as the Superintendent of the Fairhaven Public Schools on Friday. I have had two instances since being named as the executive director to visit the Franklin offices. Everyone has been extremely gracious and professional. So, I truly enter the offices on Monday with a clean slate, a blank canvas so to speak, in order to listen to all of the constituents that we serve. That information will drive how we serve the association. As you can imagine, I can not wait for this journey to begin!

Coaching chatter

Former Ipswich football coach Kevin Fessette is the new boys’ hockey coach at Danvers. Earlier this month, he joined the football staff as co-head coach with Ryan Nolan. He most recently served as junior varsity hockey coach at Beverly. He replaces Steve Baldassare, who resigned in July . . . Tara DeGirolamo has been promoted from JV coach to girls’ volleyball coach at Mansfield. She is a faculty member at Qualters Middle School. Mansfield also announced Danny Horgan as boys’ cross-country coach and Tim Selmon as assistant athletic director. ... Monomoy has hired Kathryn Andreoli as women’s field hockey coach. ... Michael Murphy, a former football player at Endicott, is now athletic director at Essex Tech, where he has worked as an assistant football coach and teacher. … Russ Steeves has stepped down as the Bishop Fenwick baseball coach after leading his alma mater to Division 3 North championships the last two seasons. He also coached the Crusaders from 2008-11, winning three straight sectional titles. He played on Fenwick’s 1985 state championship team and was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Division 1 signings

Arlington’s Bensley Joseph committed to play men’s basketball at the University of Miami. A 6-foot-1-inch point guard and ESPN’s No. 80 recruit, Joseph is a senior at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. He chose the Hurricanes over Boston College, Georgetown, Marquette, and Providence ... Melrose’s Samantha Dewey, a senior at Brooks School, has signed to play women’s basketball at the University of Illinois. ... Aaron Zenus, who graduated from Masconomet this spring and is spending the upcoming school year at Cushing Academy, has committed to play baseball at Quinnipiac ... Haverhill’s Tom McAndrews, a senior at Phillips Andover, has committed to play baseball at Fordham ... Senior Jacob Jette, a righthanded starter for Franklin, has committed to play baseball at UMass Lowell.

Junior American Legion

Weymouth Post 79 continued its winning ways by capturing the New York/New England Regional Junior American Legion championship with a 5-2 win over Wallingford, Conn., on Aug. 15. Johnny Duddy pitched a complete game and Brian Cahill went 3 for 3 and broke the game open with a two-run triple in the top of the sixth inning in West Haverstraw, N.Y.