With its recent expansion to 25 schools, the Chagrin Valley Conference grew in another way as the league added two assistant commissioners to its staff.
Commissioner Dr. Don Lewis on Wednesday announced the addition of assistant commissioners Rakayla Iwais and Dr. James Perhavec.
“As a league, after we expanded from 22 to 25 schools from Conneaut out to Lutheran West, we felt that with the programs we have going that we needed help at the management level,” Dr. Lewis said. “The assistant commissioners are basically going to be responsible for the middle school and elementary school programs, and they’ll also be assisting me at the high school level in covering events and evaluating officials.”
One assistant commissioner will over the east side schools and the other will focus on the western schools.
In addition to running league meetings, the new assistant commissioners will coordinate programs such as the youth football league and other league-wide events. Both also will work with Commissioner Lewis to secure more corporate sponsors.
Iwais graduated from Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and later earned her Master of Science degree from the University of Kentucky in Kinesiology & Health Promotion.
She currently serves as the Athletics and Special Events Coordinator at the Westlake Recreation Center and as an assistant coach with the Lutheran West girls’ basketball program.
Previously, Iwais was an Athletic Director Intern at Bryan Station High School in Kentucky and a Graduate Assistant with the UK Department of Campus Recreation.
Iwais is a certified OHSAA basketball official.
Dr. Perhavec is a retired oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
He earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees from Case Western Reserve University, where he played golf and basketball. He played his way into the 1970 NCAA golf tournament and played basketball for the school from 1968-1970.
Dr. Perhavec served as an assistant basketball coach at St. Ignatius from 1996-2001 and is a former OHSAA golf rules interpreter. He also served as the Golf Tournament Director at Pine Ridge Country Club.
