Former L-P athletic director Dan Le hired as IHSA assistant executive director

Dan Le anticipated staying in his role as La Salle-Peru’s athletics and activities director for the foreseeable future, but an opportunity came about that changed those plans.

Le stepped down at L-P and will become an assistant executive director at the IHSA. His hiring was approved at the IHSA Board of Directors meeting Monday.

“It really seemed like a unique opportunity to be able to serve students and schools across the state in a larger capacity than what I’m currently doing,” Le said.

Le served as L-P’s athletic director for three years.

During that time, he was a recipient of the Illinois Athletic Director’s Association’s New Athletic Director of the Year in 2021 and also served on the IADA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.

He was on the IHSA All-State Academic Team selection committee for two years.

“It’s bittersweet to leave,” Le said. “I anticipated being here for a while. I felt like we were able to accomplish some things. I think COVID did slow some of the progression with some of the mitigations and all the guidelines we had to follow over the course of the last three years, but I think we were making some progress as a department. I hope to see the department continue to grow based on the foundation we’ve established in the three years I’ve been here.”

L-P superintendent Steve Wrobleski said L-P’s loss is the IHSA’s gain.

“Dan has been an incredible asset to the school,” Wrobleski said. “I’m excited to see what he’s going to be able to accomplish and do in his time at the IHSA. He’s a shooting star right now. I’m really excited for him.”

Le will join the IHSA staff in July and the sports, activities and initiatives he will oversee will be announced after that.

Le said he anticipates his duties including overseeing certain sports and activities, coordinating their state tournaments and overseeing the rules revisions and advisory committees related to those sports and activities.

“We are excited to welcome Dan Le to the IHSA staff,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said in a news release. “Dan has shown incredible leadership and growth in his time as an athletic and activities director. I have no doubt that his passion for helping young people and his own personal experiences as a student-athlete, coach and administrator will translate to a successful career at the IHSA.”

Before coming to L-P, Le worked for 10 years as a teacher, coach and administrator at Ottawa, from which he graduated in 2002.

“The experiences at Ottawa and L-P have been great,” Le said. “Being able to get administrative experience was really helpful. I was surrounded by some great administrators who helped me grow professionally as a leader and prepared me to be able to administer things on a larger scale.”

Le said he looks forward to playing a role in the IHSA’s mission.

“I really just hope to contribute at the state level,” Le said. “The IHSA’s mission is to enrich the educational experience for students at its member schools, and I just hope to contribute to that and have a positive impact on students across the state.”