New athletic director excited for opportunity at Foundation Academy | Observer Preps

After spending more than three decades at her prior school in the Panhandle, packing up and moving to Central Florida was no small decision for Lisa Eaves, the new athletic director for Foundation Academy.

Luckily, Eaves said, there were enough indications from on high that the Winter Garden campus was where she is supposed to be.

“The Lord just kind of answered the (questions I had) and I had a peace about it,” Eaves said. “I just know (Foundation Academy) is where I’m supposed to be.”

Eaves replaces outgoing Athletic Director David Baginski, who had been in the role since 2010, and she already has begun working for the school on a part-time basis. Her full-time start date is June 1.

She joins an athletics program at Foundation that is in a growth mode. As athletic director at the Rocky Bayou Christian School in Niceville for the past eight years, Eaves oversaw the addition of nine middle-school sports and 13 high-school sports.

“It’s exciting to me, because that’s what I did (at Rocky Bayou),” Eaves said. “I’ve learned a lot here, and so I think I’m prepared to do it in a way that’s going to be healthy at Foundation.”

Foundation Academy President David Buckles, who also expressed gratitude for the work Baginski had done while on campus, said Eaves stood out during the school’s search because of her experience and, particularly, her success growing female sports programs.

“Lisa came on our radar with a very strong sports program at her school, and a strong female sports program, and that’s an area where we want to grow,” Buckles said.

Eaves’ prior experience also includes serving as the president of the Panhandle Christian Conference and on the FHSAA’s Athletic Directors Advisory Committee. She has a bachelor’s degree from Southeastern Bible College and a master’s degree from Luther Rice University. 

Already, Eaves has collaborated with school officials to hire a new boys soccer coach — Josh Mansingh, formerly an assistant coach with the team — and she is working to fill the Lions’ opening for a cheerleading coach, also. 

One big change for her will be that, after more than three decades of coaching volleyball, basketball and softball, she will be focused solely on the administrative side of things.

“That’s going to be a little weird for me,” Eaves said. “But I get to coach coaches, and I’m looking forward to being full-time in that role and serving the coaches.”