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Annette Johnson, pictured with Superintendent Ronnie Mendenhall, was hired Thursday to serve as the new county athletic director for Stokes County Schools.

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Last week the Stokes County Board of Education hired Annette Johnson as the new county athletic director for Stokes County Schools.

Johnson retired last June from her position as West Stokes athletic director after 30 years with the school system, but she was later approached about working the next few months in a different capacity. Johnson will work part-time as county athletic director for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year. Board Chair Mike Rogers said the position will be evaluated at the end of that five-month trial period to see whether it needs to be carried over into the next school year.

Johnson’s first day on the job will be January 1. Johnson said she will be given several projects to work on over the next few months and will work closely with high school and middle school athletic directors.

The schools already have a “good thing going,” she said. “I’ll be there to help out when questions arise.”

With her extensive time working in the school system, Johnson said, “I feel like I have a good working relationship with all of the schools.”

According to Rogers, Superintendent Ronnie Mendenhall has had to oversee the athletic programs in addition to his regular superintendent duties. Johnson can be an asset to the school system for the remainder of the school year, Rogers explained, especially since the system has several new coaches and athletic directors.

“We felt like they needed an additional asset to draw upon … So this way she is a source for the coaches and athletic directors and principals to call upon in athletic matters,” said Rogers.

Rogers hopes Johnson can help educate parents on how they can get their kids prepared for college athletic scholarships, search for grant funds for athletic projects, and can be a voice for the school system in the newly aligned athletic conferences.

Johnson can also provide insight during discussions over the request for sports programs at the Early College. Rogers said, “We just want to make sure we do the right thing.”

The school board has made a few changes with athletic programs in recent months, including the policy change that all head coach appointments must be approved by the school board. “We wanted to apply a check and balance system,” said Rogers.