America East Commissioner Chris Monasch has announced the hiring of Julie Raynor as Director of Operations and Michael Antonaccio as Assistant Director for Communications. Monasch also announced that Daniel Riester has been promoted to Administrative Assistant from administrative intern.
Riester will assist in the conference’s seven officiating bureaus, oversee the newly-created officiating website, and handle other administrative duties for the conference office. He will work closely with the championships and compliance staffs, producing championship handbooks, coordinating data for the National Letter of Intent program, and providing assistance in the initial review of waiver applicants and special assistance fund applicants.
“Dan did an outstanding job for us in his internship last year,” said Monasch. “He is a great fit to assist with our increased role in officiating services to the conference membership.”
Prior to his internship with America East, Riester was a compliance assistance at Boston College for the 2000-01 academic year. Riester also has experience as an assistant with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Mid-American Conference, the South Florida Section of the Pro Golfers Association (PGA) and in the athletics departments of the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Bowling Green in 2000.
Raynor, who has spent the last nine years in an administrative capacity at the University of Connecticut, will serve as the conference’s business manager, coordinate the seven officiating bureaus, assist in the administration of several of America East’s 21 championships, and act as the office manager.
“Julie brings a wealth of experience from Connecticut and the Big East,” said Monasch. “We expect her to be an important part of our team as we continue to improve the services for our member institutions.”
Raynor has served the last two years as Assistant Director of Athletics for Personnel and Administrative Services at Connecticut, where she was a member of Athletic Director Lew Perkins’ senior management team. Prior to that, she was the Associate Director of Administration from 1995-2001 after serving as a graduate assistant in Athletic Administration from 1993-95.
Raynor received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College in 1993 and her master’s degree in athletic administration from Connecticut in 1995. She also completed the Sports Management Institute’s Executive Program in January of 1997.
While at Connecticut, Raynor served on many committees including the Big East Women’s Soccer and Women’s Lacrosse Committees and the UConn Student Fee Advisory Committee.
Antonaccio, formerly the Assistant Sports Information Director at University of Hartford, will oversee the media relations and communications efforts for several of the 21 America East sports, including women’s basketball.
Antonaccio was the Assistant Sports Information Director at Hartford since May, 2001, serving as the primary contact for women’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball and men’s and women’s golf. He was the host Sports Information Director for the 2002 Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Women’s Basketball Championship.
“Mike was an integral part of Hartford’s success in hosting the Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Women’s Basketball Championship,” said Monasch. “He has a familiarity with the member institutions and media markets in the conference. We look forward to his contributions at the conference level.”
A 1996 graduate of the College of Holy Cross with a bachelor’s degree in history, Antonaccio was a four-year letter winner for the Crusaders Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field teams, serving as a co-captain of both teams in 1995-96. He received his Master’s of Science for Teachers Degree in Secondary Social Studies from Pace University in 2000.
Antonaccio, who was an Athletic Media Relations intern at Holy Cross in 2000-2001, will also serve as the America East liaison with several coaches groups and will assist in game management at many of the conference’s 21 championships.