THREE NEW MEXICO OFFICIATING LEADERS RECEIVE NATIONAL AND SECTION AWARDS
The New Mexico Activities Association is proud to announce that three longtime contributors to New Mexico high school athletics have been selected as 2026 recipients of prestigious national and section awards from the National Federation of High Schools Officials Association. Dana Pappas and Land Clark have each been named recipients of the National Contributor Award, recognizing their many years of service, leadership, and lasting impact on high school sports officiating at the state and national levels. In addition, John Vance Lee Sr. of New Mexico has been honored as the Active Official of the Year for Section 6, an award that celebrates excellence, professionalism, and dedication to officiating.
“These honors reflect the commitment, integrity, and passion that Dana, Land, and John have brought to high school athletics for decades,” said NMAA Executive Director Dusty Young. “Their contributions have helped strengthen officiating not only in New Mexico, but across the region and the nation.”
Land Clark, New Mexico
For more than three decades, Land Clark has exemplified the very best qualities of sportsmanship, integrity and commitment to excellence in interscholastic athletics. Beginning his officiating career in 1988, Clark has been a steadfast leader, mentor and ambassador for New Mexico officials and student-athletes alike. His professionalism and unwavering ethical standards have elevated the culture of high school athletics across the state and beyond.
Clark’s long list of achievements reflects a career built on consistency, fairness and a deep respect for the games he serves. He was honored as the New Mexico Official of the Year (1998), received the New Mexico Officials Association Distinguished Service Award (2015), and was inducted into the New Mexico Officials Association Hall of Fame (2021). In recognition of his lifelong impact both locally and nationally, South Sevier High School in Monroe, Utah, inducted him into its Hall of Fame in January 2024.
On the field, Clark’s reputation for integrity and calm authority earned him opportunities at the highest levels of the sport. As a Pac-12 Conference referee and deep wing official, he worked the 2013 BCS National Championship Game and the 2015 Sugar Bowl, the latter serving as a semifinal in the inaugural College Football Playoff. His excellence was further recognized when he joined the NFL in 2018 as a field judge and was promoted to referee in 2020. He has since been assigned to multiple postseason contests, including NFL Wild Card playoff games.
Despite these national achievements, Clark has never forgotten his roots in New Mexico high school athletics. His contributions include officiating numerous state championship games in both football (1994–2000) and basketball (1997–2006), impacting countless student-athletes with his steady leadership and fair play. Beyond the field, Clark continues to serve as a state clinician for the New Mexico Officials Association, dedicating his time each year to developing and mentoring the next generation of officials—ensuring that New Mexico continues to uphold the highest officiating standards.
In his professional life, Clark serves as the Chief Building Official for the City of Albuquerque, further reflecting his commitment to ethical conduct, accountability and public service.
Dana Pappas, NFHS
Pappas joined the NFHS staff in August of 2021 as director of officiating services. She worked directly with the New Mexico Officials Association (NMOA) for the entirety of her 24-year career with the NMAA and was named commissioner of officials in 2004. In 2012, she assumed the additional role of NMAA deputy director.
As commissioner of officials for the NMAA, Pappas was responsible for the training and education programs for more than 1,700 interscholastic sports officials in 10 sports. She also oversaw the assignment of officials for all postseason contests in baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball and wrestling. In addition, Pappas coordinated the NMOA state clinic each summer, which hosts clinicians from across the country and more than 600 officials from across the state.
In addition to her administration of officials, Pappas was the event director for state contests in band and choir, and was the staff liaison for English Expo, Music, Scholastic Publications and Student Council.
Pappas’ involvement in national officiating organizations and relationships with officials and administrators at all levels has been extensive. She is a member of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Board of Directors and is chair of the NASO Recruitment and Retention Committee. She is in her second term as chair of the NFHS Officials Advisory Committee and served four years on the NFHS Officials’ Quarterly Publications Committee.
In addition to speaking at several NFHS and NASO national meetings, Pappas was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Alabama Officials Association State Conference, and, in 2014, the NMOA, under Pappas’ guidance, hosted the NASO Summit. In 2019, Pappas received the NFHS Citation for Officiating.
Pappas is past chairperson of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) and is the current board secretary. She also serves on the board of directors for Battlefields to Ballfields (B2B), the board of directors for Sports Officials Care (SOC), and the Little League Advisory Committee. She is the Program Committee chair for B2B and serves as board secretary for SOC.
Last week, Pappas was selected for induction into the NMAA Hall of Fame. She received the NFHS Citation for Contributions to Officiating in 2019 and was inducted into the New Mexico Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2022. She co-hosts The From A to Zebra Podcast, with Division I Women’s Basketball Referee, Nate Acosta.
Pappas received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Mexico, and she earned her Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) certification from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) in 2010.
SECTION 6 ACTIVE OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
John Vance Lee Sr, New Mexico
John Vance Lee Sr. has been a hall-of-famer in New Mexico for decades, but he hasn’t slowed in the least.
Lee has been a registered track official for more than 40 years, serving as an official at all state track meets — small school and big school — for more than 35 years, including approximately 30 years as head field referee.
He has been a New Mexico Activities Association Hall of Fame member since 2004, served with the New Mexico Officials Association for 35 years, was named New Mexico Activities Association Boys Track Official of the Year in 2008, and received the Administrator of the Year Award from the New Mexico State Student Council in 1999.
