04/18/2024
By Julie Chen

The university is preparing to launch a national search for UMass Lowell’s next athletic director and I wanted to provide an update to the campus community.

Division I athletics is an essential part of our student recruitment strategy and serves to elevate UMass Lowell’s standing nationally. Our student athletes have demonstrated that they can compete and win at the highest levels while maintaining a strong commitment to academic success.

Our next athletic director will be fortunate to have significant momentum in place to push our women’s and men’s teams and our athletics program to the next level, and continue to grow as a significant part of the UMass Lowell and regional communities.

I have appointed Provost Joe Hartman and Vice Chancellor for Brand, Communications and Creative Strategy bec rollins to serve as co-chairs of our search committee.

Other search committee members are:

  • David Lowy, UMass President’s Office representative
  • Jim Regan, athletics advisory board co-chair and alumnus
  • John Kennedy, athletics advisory board co-chair and alumnus
  • Pouya Afshar, faculty athletics representative and associate professor, department of art and design
  • Winnie Wu, interim chair and associate professor, department of physical therapy and kinesiology
  • Bertie Greer, dean, Manning School of Business
  • Norm Bazin, men’s hockey coach, alumnus and former student athlete
  • Shannon LeBlanc, women’s field hockey coach, alumnus and former student athlete
  • Alison Quandt Westgate, associate athletic director for academics and student-athlete services
  • Brenda Evans, dean of student affairs and wellness
  • Nora Baston, alumnae and former student athlete
  • Michael Dubuque, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union
  • Kerry Pucillo, senior director of corporate engagement
  • Emma Hennessy, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee co-president
  • Nhyira Nkansah, Student Athletes of Color Affinity Group representative

Michael Rutherford, associate vice chancellor for human resources will serve as an ex officio member of the committee and lead the engagement with Collegiate Sports Associates (CSA), an industry leading search firm in the athletics space.

CSA has completed 37 Division I AD searches since 2020. In addition, they have the unique experience of partnering with UMass Lowell during the 2022-2023 academic year to conduct an Athletics Program Review and Gap Analysis.

It is our plan to move quickly and name UMass Lowell’s next athletic director by early summer.