Kent School District Athletic Director Dave Lutes will receive a National Federation of State High School Associations Citation.

Lutes is one of eight high school athletic directors throughout the country selected for the honor, which will be presented at the 47th annual National Athletic Directors Conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 12.

NFHS Citations are presented annually to outstanding athletic directors in recognition of contributions to interscholastic athletics at the local, state and national levels. State associations nominate athletic directors for NFHS Citations and the NFHS Board of Directors approves recipients.

Lutes, a certified athletic administrator, has spent his 40-year education career in the Kent School District, including working as the district’s athletic director for the past 27 years. Since 1977, Lutes has worked in several capacities in Kent schools, including teacher, coach and assistant principal.

Lutes served as the South Puget Sound League Athletic Directors Association treasurer, football commissioner and president. He has also been a West Central District 3 executive board member since 2004 and was president from 2006 to 2008.

From 2000 to 2012, Lutes served on the executive board of the Washington Secondary Schools Athletic Administrators Association, including a term as president. In addition, he has been the class 4A/3A football playoff committee chair since 1991.

Lutes also worked with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association as a member of the Honorary Executive Board, the Planning and Action Committee and the Summer Activities Committee.

Among his honors, Lutes earned the WIAA Gareth Giles Service Award in 2013 and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association State Award of Merit in 2008. He has been athletic director of the year on numerous occasions was inducted into the WSSAAA Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2012.

Lutes has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Washington and earned his principal’s certificate and master’s degree from Central Washington University.