Dr. Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Trinity College, President
Joanne Berger-Sweeney was inaugurated as the 22nd president of Trinity College on October 26, 2014.
Since becoming president, she has overseen several major accomplishments, including the completion of the college's strategic plan, Summit, which will guide Trinity toward its bicentennial in 2023 and beyond; the creation of the Bantam Network mentoring program for first-year students; the launch of the Campaign for Community, a campus initiative promoting inclusiveness and respect; and the expansion of Trinity's footprint to Constitution Plaza in downtown Hartford.
Additional achievements under Berger-Sweeney's leadership also include the establishment of Trinity's Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct, the founding of the Center for Caribbean Studies at Trinity College, and the college's thriving partnership with edX, one of the world's premier online course platforms. Under Berger-Sweeney's leadership, Trinity College is a key partner in the Hartford/East Hartford Innovation Places Planning Team selected in June 2017 to receive a share of $30 million in state funding to spark economic development and investment in innovation.
Before coming to Trinity, Berger-Sweeney served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University (2010-14), creating the vision and setting the strategic direction for the university's largest school. She managed a broad set of responsibilities, including oversight of undergraduate admissions, athletics, undergraduate and graduate students, the graduate school, communications, and academic and administrative deans. Berger-Sweeney made significant strides in enhancing the strength of the school's faculty and in expanding interdisciplinary programs, including the creation of the Center for Race and Democracy at Tufts, which studies the impact of race on the lives of individuals around the world. In addition, she was deeply involved in the creation of the Bridge to Liberal Arts Success at Tufts (BLAST) program, which aims to provide support for college students from underserved high schools.
Before Tufts, Berger-Sweeney was a member of the Wellesley College faculty, which she joined in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and rose through the ranks to become the Allene Lummis Russell Professor in Neuroscience. Her teaching and research career at Wellesley spanned 13 years prior to being named associate dean in 2004. In that role, she oversaw 20 academic departments and programs in addition to her teaching and research and led initiatives relating to faculty diversity, interdisciplinary programs, and non-tenure-track faculty. She also served as director of Wellesley's Neuroscience Program.
Berger-Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley College and her M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. While working on her Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Berger-Sweeney did the proof of concept work on Razadyne, which went on to be the second-most-used Alzheimer's drug in the world. She completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Health (INSERM) in Paris, France. Berger-Sweeney has authored more than 60 scientific publications and has held grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and numerous private foundations.
Anthony Andino
The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sports (formerly We Coach), Trainer
Anthony Andino has worked in the non-profit sector for almost 15 years. He developed a strong passion for sports through playing basketball on the elite circuits in NYC in high school and in college. During the transition away from playing sports, Anthony went back to serve as a youth counselor in the program he attended as a child. This opportunity led Anthony to be enrolled in the Coaches Across America program with Up2Us sports that allowed him to bring together his love for the sport of basketball and his passion for providing positive and safe experiences for the young people in his community. Through his work as a member of the CHJS National Training Team and the current Youth Programmer at Henry Street Settlement on the Lower East side of NYC, he has helped with the development of coaches and youth workers using his wealth of knowledge as well as his ability to build strong and meaningful relationships to enhance the sport experience of youth across the country.
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Megan Bartlett
The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sports (formerly We Coach), Founder
Megan Bartlett has spent 15 years supporting organizations that use sport to promote youth development, and giving coaches the tools they need to help kids heal. She has co-created innovative coaching initiatives with partners like Nike, the Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Bucks, built capacity with community-based organizations, and has partnered with the Child Trauma Academy to create the Neurosequential Model in Sport. She is the author of A Kids Book about Trauma and co-author of Re-Designing Youth Sports: Change the Game. She speaks regularly on the unique power sport has to promote physical and mental health and essential skills young people need to be successful on and off the field.
Megan has a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology and Sociology from Wesleyan University, where she was captain of the soccer team. She later earned a MA in Urban Policy and Planning from Tufts University while serving as an assistant coach for women's soccer.
Christine Bright
The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sports (formerly We Coach), Lead Consultant and Trainer
Christine Bright has worked in the field of sports-based youth development and coaching for over 10 years. She has coached a variety of sports, age groups and skill levels from introductory to the collegiate level as an assistant women's soccer coach at Colby College. In addition to her work as coach, she has done several years of work with Hardy Girls Healthy Women and their efforts around promoting feminism and activism for young women and gender expansive youth. She has been working with CHJS (formerly We Coach) since its inception and is especially happy to continue to learn and share about the intersections of gender, race, and sport.
Christine received her bachelor of arts degree in Sociology/Anthropology from Middlebury College, where she was captain of the women's soccer team and captain of the track and field team. She earned her MBA from the Heller School for Social Management and Policy at Brandeis University.
Drew Galbraith
Trinity College, Athletics Director/Physical Education Chair
Trinity College appointed Drew Galbraith as director of athletics & chair of physical education on October 19, 2017, and he continues to make a significant impact on Bantam Athletics. Galbraith experience spans 30 years of NCAA Division I, II and III collegiate athletics administration.
At Trinity, Galbraith is responsible for Trinity's 30 varsity teams, over 700 varsity student-athletes, as well as 80 coaches and staff. In addition, he oversees all club and intramural activities and chairs the College's Physical Education Department, which offers dozens of classes each semester and plays a key role in the College's Wellness Curriculum.
The Trinity College Department of Athletics and Physical Education comprises three areas of interest for campus activities: athletics, physical education, and recreation. The department has a strong and storied tradition that prides itself on a broad-based program that sponsors 30 sports—15 men's and 15 women's. Sports have always been a part of the fabric of life at Trinity. Our students have played intercollegiate football for 139 years. In 1856, they created the College's first rowing club. They played their first baseball game against another organized team just three years after the Civil War. They have played basketball since 1896. In 1969, the College became a coeducational institution, and a women's varsity sports program blossomed. The varsity teams compete in the New England Small College Athletic Conference, arguably the toughest NCAA Division III conference in the nation. Bantam teams have captured 26 national titles in eight different sports, including 24 titles in the last 23 years. Trinity has earned 11 NESCAC titles over the past four years and 33 in the past 10 years, tied for third-most in the NESCAC during that span.
In an effort to create a sustainable financial future for the Athletic Department, Galbraith headed athletic fundraising initiatives leading to records for annual giving, new alumni donors and total athletic donors in 2020-21. In addition, the College has secured several new athletic endowments in the past four years. Building on success of athletic facility projects completed in the past decade, Robin L. Sheppard Field was replaced in 2018 and Oosting Gymnasium received a facelift and all new seating in 2019 and a new floor in 2021. Sheppard Field and Jessee/Miller Field received new seating, press box and VIP spaces in 2021. Trinity will showcase campus and its facilities by hosting four NCAA Championships between 2021 and 2025 with Division III Field Hockey (2021), Women's Basketball Final Four (2023), Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four (2024) and Field Hockey (2025) all coming to campus.
Galbraith came to Trinity after 14 years at Dartmouth College, where he was the senior associate director of athletics and executive director of Dartmouth Peak Performance, a program that integrates services and resources to help student-athletes achieve excellence. At Dartmouth, Galbraith helped lead a comprehensive athletics program of 35 varsity teams, 33 club sports, and 24 intramural sports. He served as sport administrator for the Dartmouth Big Green football program, as well as for women's rugby and men's and women's cross country and track and field. Over the years, Galbraith has served as sport administrator for 13 other teams at Dartmouth, overseeing coaches and all aspects of their programs. He also served as a liaison to health professionals who work with student-athletes. Galbraith is active in NCAA committee service, having served previously on the NCAA Academics, Eligibility and Compliance Cabinet, the Division I Administration Cabinet, the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee (4 years), and the NCAA Men's and Women's Skiing Committee (6 years). He chaired the soccer committee for two years and the skiing committee for four years.
Galbraith earned both a bachelor's degree and a law degree from the College of William & Mary. He began his career in media relations and broadcasting at Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined Dartmouth in 2004 as associate director of athletics after serving in compliance roles in the athletics departments at William & Mary and at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Chenel Harris-Smith
Colby College, Head Women's Basketball Coach
Chenel Harris-Smith has been the head women's basketball coach at Colby since the 2019-20 season. She arrived on campus from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was associate head coach.
Harris-Smith's coaching career has included assistant roles at the University of Arkansas, Stony Brook University, and Binghamton University. As an assistant coach with Binghamton in 2017, Harris-Smith helped the women's basketball team to a new record for season wins, 20, en route to the program's first postseason tournament invitation and victory.
Harris-Smith has a strong record of recruiting student-athletes to highly competitive Division I programs, like the University of Arkansas and Binghamton University, and developing their skills to achieve high levels of athletic success.
She has recruited and/or coached more than a dozen all-conference players during her career, including Binghamton's standout guard Imani Watkins, who was the America East Conference Player of the Year in 2017-2018 and became the school's all-time leading scorer.
As a player, Harris-Smith earned all-conference accolades during her career as a forward at Kent State, where she was team captain during her senior year in 2010-2011. Harris-Smith was also captain of the Trinidad and Tobago national women's basketball team in 2011.
A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Harris-Smith has a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Kent State and a Master's degree in Athletic Leadership from Rider University of New Jersey.
Val Jones
Amherst College, Head Volleyball Coach
Valerie Jones was named the head volleyball coach at Amherst College in 2020 as a 25-year coaching veteran. Bringing a wealth of experience to the Pioneer Valley, Jones has served as the head coach at several National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and Division II programs, most recently at Clark Atlanta University (CAU) in Georgia.
During her two years at CAU, Jones mentored two All-Conference selections and seven All-Academic honorees. Prior to that, she served as head coach of the Division I South Carolina State University program, was the inaugural head coach of the Division I Kennesaw State (Ga.) University team, and spent four years at Joliet Junior (Ill.) College, where she guided the program to a top-10 ranking and back-to-back berths in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region IV championship tournament while also serving as the athletic department's women's athletic coordinator. Before that, Jones was an assistant volleyball coach at Northwestern University, the University of California-Davis and Utah State University. Outside of the collegiate ranks, she guided Whitewater High School (Fayetteville, Ga.) to a 5A State title with a single-season record of 53-3, for which she was named the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association State and Regional Coach of the Year.
A dedicated teacher of the game and member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association since 1998, Jones is also active at the club level and is the current Master Coach for Atlanta Elite Volleyball University. She holds a USA Volleyball 18-National Division Championship title as the head coach of the Tsunami Volleyball Club 18-1 team.
Jones earned a bachelor of science degree in exercise science and sport studies from the University of Tampa and a master's degree in physical education with a focus on sport psychology and counseling from the University of North Dakota.
Kevin Loney
Bowdoin College, Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management
Kevin Loney was named the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management at Bowdoin in the spring of 2021. A 1999 graduate of Dickinson College, Loney had been a football coach for the last 20 years, holding numerous roles at every division of the NCAA.
Most recently, from 2011-13, he was the head coach at Nichols College before coming to Bowdoin in 2015. During his career, he has been an active member of the American Football Coaches Association and the Black Coaches & Administrators Association. Upon arriving at Bowdoin, Loney became a fixture in the campus community, supporting service efforts with Be The Match, Relay for Life and Big-Brother/Big Sister, among numerous others. Administratively, he has served as the Tournament Director for several NCAA Basketball Regionals at Bowdoin and has been an advisor to the Bowdoin Athletes of Color Coalition, as well as a member of the Bowdoin Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and NESCAC Coaches of Color Consortium.
Loney oversees game management operations and coordinates facility scheduling, contracts and event management with outside organizations using Bowdoin athletic facilities, in addition to his continued work with the AoCC and DEI committees on campus. Loney graduated from Dickinson as a Religion major and History minor and attended graduate schools while coaching at Notre Dame and Southern Connecticut State University.
Alexis Mastronardi
Tufts University, Senior Associate Director of Athletics / Senior Woman Administrator
Alexis Mastronardi joined the Tufts Athletics staff in the summer of 2017 as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics / Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). She helps with administering all aspects of the department and managing day-to-day operations. Mastronardi supervises 17 of the Jumbos' varsity sport programs (Men's Soccer, Field Hockey, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's and Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, Softball, Men's and Women's Squash, Men's Golf, Women's Lacrosse and Volleyball), as well as several operational units within the Department of Athletics. In her role as a NESCAC adminstrator, Mastronardi serves as the administrative sport chair for NESCAC Men's and Women's Tennis.
Prior to joining the Jumbos, Mastronardi's career in athletics administration included a 16-year stint at Emmanuel College, where she served as the Director of Athletics from 2015-17. At Emmanuel, Mastronardi was named the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Executive of the Year, following a vote by her fellow athletic directors across the conference.
In 2001, Mastronardi began working at Emmanuel College as an Assistant AD, assistant women's basketball coach and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee advisor. She was promoted to Associate AD in 2003 and worked in a variety of expanded roles across the department over the next 12 years. In 2015, Emmanuel appointed Mastronardi to serve as the Director of Athletics. In that role, she very successfully directed all aspects of Emmanuel's 16-sport Division III athletics program and helped lead the Saints to their first-ever GNAC Women's Commissioner's Cup in 2016. Mastronardi twice won Emmanuel's college-wide "Staff Unsung Hero Award."
A 1996 Skidmore College graduate with a BA in Government / Law, Mastronardi earned her first master's degree in 1998 from Boston University (Master of Criminal Justice), and then added a second master's degree in 2004 from Emmanuel College (Master of Education in School Administration). While an undergrad at Skidmore, Mastronardi was a two-sport student-athlete in basketball and softball. She was Skidmore's Student-Athlete of the Year in 1996 and a two-time captain, and she still holds Skidmore's single season and career records for assists in women's basketball.
Before making a career switch to intercollegiate athletics, Alexis worked for four years in the criminal justice system for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Suffolk County Sheriff's Department.
Lisa Melendy
Williams College, Director of Athletics
On April 4, 2011, Lisa Melendy was named the Athletic Director at Williams College after serving as the Interim Athletic Director since August 2010, while the College embarked on a nationwide search for an Athletic Director.
Melendy served as the Associate Athletic Director from 1998-2009. She served as the head women's soccer coach from 1985-2001 and has coached women's lacrosse and women's squash during her tenure. During the 2006-07 academic year, Melendy was the Acting Athletic Director for the Ephs.
Under Melendy's direction, the Ephs won the Directors' Cup while she was Acting AD (2006-07), Interim AD and as the AD in 2011, helping extend the Eph streak of Cup wins to 13 straight and 15 out of the 16 awarded.
In her 17 years as the Eph head coach, Melendy compiled an impressive record of 195-55-21 (.758). She recorded 13 consecutive seasons of double figure wins to close out her Williams coaching career.
Under Melendy, the Ephs won the 1989 Northeast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, the 1990 & 1997 ECAC-New England titles and were a NCAA semifinalist in 1999.
Melendy coached 19 All-Americans and one Rhodes Scholar at Williams.
Melendy's primary responsibilities as Associate Athletic Director included compliance, budgetary oversight, championships, faculty evaluations, and departmental policy advising. Melendy has also sat on the Williams Advisory Group on Admissions and Financial Aid and has served as a member of the NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championships Committee.
On a sabbatical leave in 2005, Melendy studied in the University of Massachusetts' Social Justice Department and continues to serve on college and conference-wide committees to increase both diversity and inclusion in athletics.
Joe Miller
Teamworks, General Manager
Joe Miller joined the Teamworks family in August of 2021 as a General Manager. In his current role, he works with athletic departments across D-II, D-III, and NAIA to empower departments and enhance the student-athlete experience. Overseeing all of Teamworks product offerings (Teamworks, INFLCR, & Notemeal), Miller is able to provide solutions for pain points in athletic departments, allowing institutions to streamline their processes, build their brands, and expand their reach. In 2022, he was able to help negotiate the first D-II Conference partnership between the Gulf South Conference & INFLCR.
Prior to joining Teamworks, Miller worked in a variety of roles at Winthrop Intelligence - ranging from Client Success Coordinator to Director of Sales & Marketing. At Winthrop, he was able to build relationships with hundreds of athletic administrators across Division-I and Division-II.
A native of Winston Salem, North Carolina, Miller earned a bachelor's degree in Sport Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Julie Muller
Stony Brook University and Castleton University, Instructor and 3 Fold Group, Associate
Julie Muller currently serves as an instructor for Stony Brook University in the School of Professional Development, Graduate Coaching Certificate and Higher Education programs and for Castleton University's MS Program in Athletic Leadership. Her courses explore issues in intercollegiate athletics, sport leadership and coaching, wellness and recreation. She also is an Associate with the 3 Fold Group, a consulting team specializing in the small college environment. She has an extensive background in intercollegiate athletics having served as a coach on the Division III level and an administrator on both Division I and III campuses and as a Division III Commissioner. Throughout her career, Muller has worked with institutions of varying profiles, from small private colleges to mid-size and larger public universities and has established a broad working knowledge of the full spectrum of intercollegiate athletics.
In June 2016, Muller retired from her position as the Commissioner of the North Atlantic Conference after completing 11 years of service. Hired as the first full-time Commissioner for the NAC in May of 2005, Muller played an integral role in its growth and development, leading the conference through strategic planning processes and several membership transitions. She recently completed a term on the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force and is a former member of Women Leaders in College Sport Board of Directors and the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interest Committee. Muller served as a member of the Executive Committee of the DIII Commissioners Association and as President from 2013-2015. She was a member of the NCAA Division III Interpretations and Legislation Committee, Women Leaders Nominating Committee and the chair of the NCAA Woman of the Year Committee. She was recognized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference as the 2011 Female Administrator of the Year and by the DIII Commissioners Association with the 10 Year Service Appreciation Award in 2015. Muller was named the 2016 Women Leaders Administrator of the Year in the Association and Organization category.
Muller began her career in college athletics at her alma mater, Fairleigh Dickinson University – Florham, starting as an assistant field hockey coach in 1988 and advancing to the position of Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator and head coach for the Devils. In 2000 she left this position to take on the role of Assistant Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development at Stony Brook University. Muller has a B.S. in Recreation and Leisure Services, a Masters in Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Graduate Certificates in Coaching and Non-Profit Management..
Erin Quinn
Middlebury College, Director of Athletics
Erin Quinn became the Director of Athletics at Middlebury in 2006. During his tenure, he has overseen projects including student life initiatives, and a comprehensive field and building renovation, including planning for and dedication of the 18,000-square-foot Bostwick Family Squash Center and Virtue Field House, a 110,000-square-foot LEED Gold-certified field house.
Quinn is a member of the NACDA and the NESCAC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In 2021, he was named the NACDA Division III Athletics Director of the Year.
Quinn has worked extensively with the Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, including the 2020 series, Leaning Into Discomfort, in which athletes, coaches and others engage in provocative discussions on topics including race and gender equity. The series earned national praise as it was lauded with a 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) ChangeMaker Award.
Under his leadership, Middlebury has captured 12 team National Championships, garnered 24 individual NCAA Champions and 51 team NESCAC titles. Middlebury received the Learfield Directors' Cup in 2012, and has finished in the top 10 in cup standings each full season since Quinn took the helm.
Quinn has been involved in a number of initiatives on the Middlebury campus outside of Athletics. Each winter and summer, he teaches a MiddCORE course, with the topics including leadership, self-awareness, personal development and teaming. Quinn also serves on several mindfulness and wellbeing committees. His work in Mindfulness includes co-chairing Middlebury College's Clifford Symposium, "Fully Present: The Art and Science of Mindful Engagement."
A 1986 graduate of Middlebury with a degree in economics, Quinn was a member of the football team and captain of the squad his senior year.
He began his coaching career at his alma mater, working with the lacrosse and football programs in the year following his graduation. Quinn moved on to Tufts, where he was an assistant coach in lacrosse and football while pursuing his master's degree in teaching. He landed his first head coaching job with the men's lacrosse program at Lake Forest College in Illinois, and held that position for a year before returning to Middlebury in 1990 as an assistant coach in lacrosse and football. In 1991, he was named head coach of the men's lacrosse team, while continuing his football duties.
Quinn directed the men's lacrosse program at Middlebury for 15 seasons finishing with a career record of 202-38 career record in 2006. His .842 winning percentage is third among his peers in the history of Division III men's lacrosse. He led the team to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in an 11-year span, while capturing six NESCAC Championships. His teams won three consecutive NCAA Titles (2000, 2001 and 2002).
Quinn is a five-time winner of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Division III Coach of the Year award, and earned the College Lacrosse USA Division III National Coach of the Year award in 2001. He also was named NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2004. Quinn was elected to the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2003, and his teams twice won the James "Ace" Adams Sportsmanship Award from the National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association (NIOLA). He was the winner of an outstanding contribution award in 2004, given by the Vermont chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse organization.
Deidre Pierson
Hamilton College, Associate Athletic Director / Senior Woman Administrator
Deidre Pierson was named Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator in August 2021. Pierson most recently coached in the Liberty League for four years, and she has more than 20 years of experience working in the legal, compliance and financial services fields. Pierson, who had been the Continentals' assistant women's basketball coach since September 2020, also serves as the department's NCAA Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee (ADID) and director of compliance.
Prior to joining Hamilton, Pierson worked as a compliance project assistant at Union College from 2017 to 2019. She helped the senior woman administrator with roster management, compiling federal graduation rates and Academic Success Rates (ASR) as a voluntary reporting institution. She also provided risk assessment evaluation on the basketball/volleyball facility to the assistant director of athletics for facilities.
In the spring of 2018, Pierson spearheaded a Capstone sponsorship project with the University at Albany's Athletics Department where she assessed marketing, ticket sales, sponsorship relations and business operations. Pierson was an assistant women's basketball coach at Skidmore College for the 2019-20 season after working at Union in a similar role. She was also Union's assistant women's golf coach and the team's recruiting coordinator.
Pierson is a member of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport and has presented her research on Diversity and Inclusion in Intercollegiate Athletics at annual conferences. She is also a member of the North American Society for Sport Management, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the WeCoach association. She is a current member of the NESCAC Coaches of Color group.
Pierson, who hails from Montreal, Quebec, played college basketball at Division I Boise State University from 1992 to 1996. She was a sophomore point guard on head coach June Daugherty's 1993-94 team that posted a 23-6 record and received an at-large bid to the NCAA championship. The Broncos shared the Big Sky Conference regular season title that season with a 12-2 league record and were nationally ranked. Pierson was a three-time member of the conference's all-academic team.
Pierson graduated from Boise State with a degree in political science and a paralegal studies minor. She has a certificate in continuing education in environmental law and regulations from the University of Washington, and a master's of science in sport management with a concentration in intercollegiate athletics from SUNY Cortland.
Jackie Smith
Connecticut College, Head Women's Basketball Coach
Jackie Smith began her duties as the head women's basketball coach at Connecticut College in August 2018. She also serves as the department's scheduling coordinator and NCAA Representative for Diversity and Inclusion. In her first season, Smith guided the Camels to the program's sixth straight NESCAC Tournament appearance in 2018-19.
Prior to her arrival at Connecticut College, Smith was the top assistant under her longtime mentor Jennifer Rizzotti, a UConn alum and 2013 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, for five seasons at Hartford and George Washington. At George Washington, Smith served as the program's recruiting coordinator while also being heavily involved with the team's scouting, analysis and game strategy for two seasons. She worked directly with the guards and successfully developed two all-conference players, including the MVP of the 2018 Atlantic 10 Tournament. Furthermore, she was the program's admissions, academic and alumni relations liaison. The Colonials most notably advanced to the 2018 NCAA Tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 Conference crown and also qualified for the 2017 WNIT Tournament in her first season.
Smith came to George Washington with Rizzotti after spending three years with her in the same role at Hartford, her alma mater. She served as the recruiting coordinator and marketing liaison while also mentoring five all-conference players and the first-ever America East Sixth Player of the Year.
Before returning to Hartford, Smith began her professional career as an assistant coach for two seasons at Stonehill College. In 2012-13, the Skyhawks finished with a 24-5 overall record, including a 19-3 mark in Northeast 10 Conference action, and advanced to the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
As a student-athlete, Smith was a four-year member and two-time team captain at Hartford from 2007 and 2011. The Hawks won two America East Conference championships, made three NCAA Tournament appearances, and recorded a first-round victory over Syracuse in 2008. She landed on the America East All-Conference Third Team as a junior before leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5) and ranking third in assists (3.5 pg) during her senior season as the squad's starting point guard. She finished her career ranked second in free throw percentage (.815), sixth in 3-point field goals made (107), seventh in assists (292) and eighth in games played (122).
Smith earned a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education with a minor in sociology from Hartford in 2011.
Tommy Verdell
Williams College, Associate Athletic Director for Inclusion & Compliance
Tommy Verdell was named the Williams College Associate Athletic Director for Inclusion and Compliance in June 2019.
Verdell came Williams after serving as an assistant athletic director and assistant men's basketball coach at Bates College over a five-year span. He was the head coach of men's basketball and assistant athletic director at Johnson State College for two years as well.
Verdell's primary duties at Williams center around working closely with Admissions and Financial Aid in recruiting and supporting under-represented students that are representative of the broader community, developing recruitment strategies with coaches to broaden pools and increase out-reach to traditionally under-represented populations, and creating and delivering educational programming for teams and department members to create an inclusive environment for faculty, staff, and students. In addition, he will assist the department in recruitment of staff and faculty from under-represented groups.
Verdell also coordinates all compliance requirements for Williams, NESCAC, and the NCAA and he will develop and teach each 6-week long activity classes in physical education.
Verdell is a 2003 graduate of UMass, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in coaching. He completed his Master's degree in coaching and athletic administration at Concordia University Irvine in November of 2018.
Alice Wiercinski
Bowdoin College, Associate Athletic Director / Senior Woman Administrator
In the spring of 2013, Alice Wiercinski joined Bowdoin as the Associate Director of Athletics. In the summer of 2019, she added the title of Senior Woman Administrator.
Wiercinski oversees several athletic programs at the College, serves as a member of the department leadership team and is responsible for athletic department operations including budget oversight, event management and facilities administration and planning.
A 1996 graduate of Yale University, Wiercinski was previously the Associate Athletics Director and Director of Advancement for the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) from 2008-2013. Previously, she served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Colgate University following stints in the Athletic Departments of San Diego State and Brown University.
At UIC, Wiercinski managed the Advancement program within athletics that included major gift development, corporate and foundation giving, annual giving, special development events, and alumni and donor relations. She helped establish the first Athletics Development Leadership Board and also served as the liaison to Athletic Communications and UIC's Office of Public Affairs to publicize and recognize athletic development successes and donor stories.
Prior to joining the UIC staff, Wiercinski spent three years as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Colgate University where she oversaw corporate sponsorship, marketing and promotions, and personnel management for athletics. She also served as the administrative liaison for the faculty liaison program for varsity teams, ECAC Hockey and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. In addition, her duties included the administration and supervision of men's soccer, women's ice hockey, women's lacrosse, men's golf, and men's and women's tennis.
While at Colgate, Wiercinski was appointed to serve as a member of the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee. Wiercinski was a member of the Steering Committee during the school's NCAA re-certification process.
Wiercinski came to Colgate from San Diego State University, where she was the Assistant Director of Marketing and Corporate Sales for the Aztecs. At San Diego State, she oversaw marketing and event management initiatives, group sales and corporate sales. Before joining the Aztecs, she worked at Brown University assisting with sports marketing, advertising and event management for their athletics department.
Denver Williams
Trinity College, Assistant Football Coach (Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers)
Denver Williams began his 14th year on the Trinity staff as wide receivers coach in 2021 and boasts 19 years of coaching experience at the Division II and III levels. He also serves as the team's recruiting coordinator and handles the Bantam kick return and punt return units. Trinity wide receivers have received All-NESCAC honors 15 times under Williams' tutelage, including 11 in the last nine seasons. Most recently, Koby Schofer '20 graduated as Trinity's all-time leader in touchdown receptions with 23.
Williams played for Youngstown State University where his team won the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship in 1997. An All-State running back at Cadiz High School and a 2012 inductee into the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, Williams holds the school's record for rushing yards as well as several state records for track and field. Williams has also served as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Ashland University, and the receivers coach, offensive coordinator, and recruiting coordinator at Ohio Northern University. He is an associate professor in the Trinity athletic department and has been a track and field assistant coach for the Bantams. Williams is a member of the Trinity Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
