The WPIAL will soon have a new administrator at the top.
The board on Tuesday accepted WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer’s resignation and voted to promote chief operating officer Vince Sortino to the top spot. The move is effective Dec. 20.
Seltzer, a former assistant superintendent at Chartiers Valley, has worked as executive director since 2022. He’d previously served as president of the WPIAL board.
“Since 2002 when I became an assistant principal at Frew Mill, a lot of my day is giving people bad news,” Seltzer said. “I try to do it in a respectful manner, as respectful as possible. Who’s eligible, who’s not eligible. ‘I’m sorry you missed a deadline.’ After a while, you’re tired of giving people bad news.”
Seltzer, 58, stepped in as executive director three years ago when former director Amy Scheuneman resigned unexpectedly. Once a WPIAL athlete and later a coach, Seltzer provided stability to the league office in a time of change but said he never saw this as a longtime position.
“I never had any aspirations of that,” Seltzer said. “But I enjoy the people I work with. I enjoy the member schools and the student athletes. This allowed me to retire from education and still be a part of education. I’m really humbled by the experience.”
Sortino, 62, will become the league’s sixth full-time executive director after Charles “Ace” Heberling (1976-97), Larry Hanley (1997-06), Tim O’Malley (2006-20), Scheuneman (2020-22) and Seltzer.
Sortino’s contract as chief operating officer designated him as the eventual replacement for Seltzer. Sortino said the WPIAL will seek to hire another administrator in the coming weeks to fill his current role.
This story will be updated.