FWCD Names Ninth Athletic Director

Leigh Block will join the Falcon family as Fort Worth Country Day’s ninth Athletic Director effective July 1, 2021. Block comes from The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia, where he has coached, advised and taught English for 17 years, serving as Athletic Director since 2015. Block began his career, teaching English at Norcross High School in Georgia. For the last 20 years, he has embraced independent school life at Lancaster Country Day School in Pennsylvania and The Walker School. At these schools, he has been an English teacher (since 1994) and basketball coach (since 1995), and has had several administrative roles: English Department Assistant/Co-Chair (1997-2000), Assistant Athletic Director (2005-11) and Athletic Director (2011-present).

“Following a months-long search, a committee of coaches helped identify and attract to campus five dynamic finalists for the position,” said Head of School Eric Lombardi. “Leigh differentiated himself with his proven success leading athletic departments in schools like ours. His success has been the result of an incredible work ethic, humility, communication skills, organization, and, most importantly, heartfelt commitment to kids and coaches.”

Leigh Block will join the Falcon family as Fort Worth Country Day’s ninth Athletic Director effective July 1, 2021.

A graduate of Clemson University, Block holds a BA in Secondary Education, English, and an MA in English from the University of Florida. With 15 years in athletic administration, Block also earned the Certified Master Athletic Administrator designation from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and served as Region President for four years. Three times, his colleagues selected him as Region Athletic Director of the Year.

Some of Block’s proudest moments include that three times in his six-year tenure as Athletic Director, The Walker School won the Region Sportsmanship Award. He will leave The Walker School with the most wins in boys basketball, and also helped to lead the girls team to the state tournament for only the second time in the program's history. “At The Walker School, we want our students to be involved in community service, the arts, athletics — all cornerstones of school life. I see these very same things to be true at Fort Worth Country Day, which is why I was drawn to the School,” Block shared. “If we want students to do that, we need to model that. That’s why I coached the middle school basketball B team the same season I served as a varsity assistant; it’s why I see every play our drama department performs; it’s why I volunteered to swap out one on-level 12th-grade English class a few years ago for two AP literature courses; it’s why, more often than not, I’m selling tickets, working concessions, or running clock at our games. In independent schools, we wear many hats, and I look forward to the many different hats I will wear at FWCD.”

To undertake an interview process during a pandemic is not easy, but it was done in true FWCD fashion — with fortitude and perseverance and an eye for what and who is truly best for the School. “There are a lot of thank yous to disperse. Gratitude most importantly to our Athletic Department members of the search advisory team: DeAnn Hall, Yvonne Igodan, Aimee Jenkins, Lisa Parker, Sil Azevedo, Quinton Davis, Shane Jenke, Michael Settle ’99 and Mike Vincent,” Lombardi noted. “Joining in the process to interview our five finalists were parent representatives, Falcon Club Presidents Kristin and Trey Carmichael and President-elect Andy Edwards, and six members of the FWCD Board of Trustees along with students in the school, led by Elyse Stoltz Dickerson ’93. The group included Malathi Ravi, Merianne Roth, Hugo Del Pozzo, Brian Crumley ’92 and John Brookman ’80.

“I extend a very special thank you to Shelley Rains and James Rains for stepping in — and up to — the Interim Athletic Director roles,” Lombardi continued. “Their commitment, loyalty and love for the Falcons are evident in the work they do each and every day. They have had wonderful success bridging the gap between the School’s ADs.”

An integral part of the FWCD experience is participation in athletics. FWCD Falcons demonstrate a high regard for sportsmanship, effort, health, fitness and school spirit.