BOSTON – The America East Conference Board of Presidents on Tuesday approved details for the conference’s commissioner transition and the search process to identify its next leader. The plan was recommended by the league’s Executive Committee.
The search process will be conducted over the next several weeks. Atlanta-based Parker Executive Search was selected to assist the league with its search. Its role will include the recruitment of candidates and the coordination of the hiring process.
A 10-member search committee featuring one individual from each of the conference’s continuing member institutions and one conference staff member will conduct interviews with select candidates and ultimately recommend the next commissioner to the Board of Presidents. University at Albany President and America East Board of Presidents Chair Havidán Rodríguez, and Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger, a member of the league’s Executive Committee, will serve as co-chairs of the search committee.
“Our conference is well-positioned to attract a diverse and high-quality pool of candidates from which to select our next commissioner,” said Rodríguez. “Parker Executive Search’s expertise and experience with the search process for leadership positions in college athletics will be a great resource. Furthermore, I have the utmost confidence that our search committee, comprised of individuals from the membership, will identify the individual best suited to lead the conference to continued excellence.”
Amy Huchthausen announced on June 8 her decision to step down from the role she has held for nearly 10 years (full announcement). Huchthausen’s final day in a full-time capacity as commissioner will be July 31 before she transitions to a special advisor role until the position is filled.
Starting August 1, America East Senior Associate Commissioner for Internal Operations/SWA, Kate Bergstrom, will assume the role of Interim Commissioner until a new commissioner begins. Bergstrom, who oversees the conference’s finances and general operations, will be entering her seventh year as a member of the conference staff this fall.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST CONFERENCE
The America East is a premier NCAA Division I athletic conference whose mission centers around its commitment to building the complete student-athlete through its #3Pillars: Academic Achievement, Athletic Excellence and Leadership, On and Off the Field. Academically, America East student-athletes have collectively averaged over a 3.0 grade-point average for 16 straight years and boast several Academic All-Americans and NCAA Elite 90 winners. Athletically, the league’s success has been highlighted by the greatest upset in NCAA men’s basketball tournament history (UMBC, 2018), individual national champions in track & field and deep NCAA championship runs, including final four berths in field hockey (UAlbany, 2014), men’s soccer (UMBC, 2014) and men’s lacrosse (UAlbany, 2018) as well as a College World Series appearance (Stony Brook, 2012). In the leadership area, America East is unrivaled, serving as trailblazers in the areas of diversity and inclusion by way of its #SpreadRespect initiative and in prioritizing mental health through its #BetterTogether campaign.
The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field. One of the most comprehensive Division I conferences in the country and progressive in its approach to its more than 3,400 student-athletes, America East recognizes champions in each of its 18 sports. Based centrally within the geographic footprint of its member institutions with the conference office located in Boston, America East consists of 10 member institutions spanning from the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the United States including: University at Albany, Binghamton University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, UMass Lowell, University of New Hampshire, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com or follow the America East Conference on Twitter @AmericaEast.
- #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -