Josh Stephenson – Athletic Director, ThunderRidge High School
Josh Stephenson serves as the Athletic Director at ThunderRidge High School, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in education, administration, and athletics at both the secondary and collegiate levels. His career reflects a deep commitment to student success, athletic excellence, and building strong school-community partnerships.
Josh has held leadership roles as a high school principal, assistant principal, district CTE coordinator, and athletic administrator across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and California. In these roles, he has overseen game day operations, tournament coordination, hiring and staffing, scheduling, and compliance with state and national athletic associations. His leadership has included managing large-scale events on local, regional, district, and state levels while also expanding program offerings ranging from Fire Science and Agriculture pathways to service-learning and community engagement initiatives.
A coach and mentor at heart, Josh’s coaching background includes high school and collegiate football and baseball. Over the course of his career, he has coached programs that produced over 100 Division I collegiate athletes, 5 MLB players, and 28 NFL players. His teams have achieved numerous playoff appearances, school records, and state-level recognition and championships. Beyond the wins and accolades, Josh has prioritized building character, resilience, and opportunity for every student-athlete.
In addition to his administrative and coaching accomplishments, Josh has a proven track record of driving student success. He has led schools to significant improvements in graduation rates, expanded college and career readiness pathways, and established programs that connect students to meaningful opportunities both on campus and in the community. His efforts have been recognized with multiple awards, including the Kansas State Department of Education Bronze Star for Post-Secondary Success and Individual Plans of Study, state championships in multiple sports, and national honors for innovative programming.
At ThunderRidge, Josh is dedicated to fostering a culture of excellence, equity, and sportsmanship across all athletic programs. His vision is to ensure that every Grizzly student-athlete benefits from a first-class experience that develops their talents, strengthens their character, and prepares them for future success—whether in athletics, academics, or life.
In his fourth year as the Athletic Director of ThunderRidge, Josh has seen tremendous growth in participation numbers with an average of 1,250 student athletes participating in athletics at the school. In addition, Josh’s tremendous staff of coaches has been recognized as some of the best in Colorado including state coaches of the year, league coaches of the year, and national recognitions. During Josh’s tenure, ThunderRidge has achieved 4 state finals appearances with one state championship and 7 league championships in the Continental League. In addition to serving ThunderRidge, Josh is also a founding member of the CHSAA Girls Flag Football Committee and is the League Commissioner for Football, Flag Football, as well as Boys and Girls Lacrosse.
Outside of his professional role, Josh is passionate about giving back through athletics, mentoring young people, and building lasting connections within the community. He takes great pride in being part of the ThunderRidge family and is committed to making a positive impact on every student-athlete who wears the Grizzlies’ colors.
