Tommy Marshall joined the GISA Team in 2021 as League Commissioner and he brought with him years of outstanding, highly recognized, and sincerely respected experience.
As an Atlanta native, Tommy coached at the high school level for 8 years in the Atlanta Area. He began his collegiate coaching career at Mars Hill College before returning to his alma mater, Furman University. During this time, he was part of the 1979 Redan State Championship Team and the 1988 Furman University National Championship Team. He served as President of the Furman Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization he continues to serve today. He also served on the Furman University Alumni Board from 2011-2016. After a 17-year high school and college coaching career, in May of 1996, Tommy joined the Marist School staff as Director of Athletics where he served until his retirement in June of 2021, at which time the Marist Track was named the Marshall Track in his honor.
Tommy Marshall’s years of extraordinary dedication to students and his committed service have not gone without notice. He is a member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), is an NIAAA Certified Master Athletic Administrator, and has served on the NIAAA Board from 2008-2010. In recognition of his work at the local, state, and national levels, NIAAA awarded Marshall the 2004 State Award of Merit, the 2009 Citation Award, and the 2012 Distinguished Service Award for outstanding leadership and achievement. Marshall was recently awarded the NIAAA State Award of Merit for Georgia for the second time for the year 2020-21. In 2006 and 2015, Tommy served as President of the Georgia Athletic Directors Association (GADA). He was named the GADA Region Athletic Director of the Year in 1998, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011 and the AAAA State Athletic Director of the Year in 2002 and 2007. Tommy served as Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Region Secretary from 2006-2016 and as 7-AAAA Region President from 2016-2020. Marshall was inducted into the GADA Hall of Fame in the spring of 2015 and was named the 2017 Georgia Tennis Coach of the Year by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). In 2019, GADA presented Tommy with the first annual Bob Stinchcomb Leadership Award for his commitment to developing the role of athletic administrators across the state. He was inducted into the Marist Blue and Gold Circle (Athletic Hall of Fame) in the fall of 2024, and into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame in December of 2024 at the National Conference in Austin, Texas.
Throughout his stellar career, Tommy has exhibited his unwavering commitment to students, as well as his eagerness to serve his colleagues as a mentor in order to provide the best possible leadership for the students of Georgia.
Above all, Tommy Marshall is committed to his faith and family. Tommy and his wife Dana have two married children and five amazing grandchildren.
Tommy’s belief in a continuum of cooperation, communication, and collaboration has served him well and brought him great success. We are indeed fortunate that Tommy Marshall has chosen to begin a new journey with GISA/GIAA, continuing to serve the students and educators of the independent schools of Georgia.
