NMAA Executive Director Sally Marquez to retire, Associate Director Dusty Young to take over

The executive director of the state’s governing body for high school athletics announced her retirement on Thursday.

Sally Marquez, 62, who has been the face of the New Mexico Activities Association for the last 12 years, will vacate the position at the end of the month.

Her right hand throughout her tenure with the NMAA, Associate Director Dusty Young, will become the new executive director, as the NMAA board of directors accepted the transition at the top at an emergency board meeting Thursday morning.

Marquez has been circling retirement for quite some time, and finally made the decision recently to step down.

Marquez spent 20 years with the NMAA, which regulates interscholastic activities, including high school sports, in the state.

She started as an associate director, and was the assistant executive director from July 2011 until she ascended to the executive director role in September of 2012.

She was with Rio Rancho Public Schools for the six years prior to 2004, as a teacher, dean of students, assistant director and director of personnel.

She spent 14 years as a teacher and coach in New Mexico, Texas and Virginia.

Marquez was the sixth executive director in the NMAA’’s history, and when she took the job, she was one of only three women who held that position in the country.

She succeeded Gary Tripp, who recently returned to the NMAA fold as a member of the current board of directors.

Marquez once was a star multi-sport athlete at Manzano, graduated from the University of New Mexico and earned a masters degree from Virginia Tech.

Young has largely handled much of the NMAA’s matters and he is the organization’s point man for football.

This story will be updated.