Cambridge, Mass.--   Shonna Brown will assume the role of America East Conference Interim Commissioner effectively immediately, as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning. Brown previously served as America East Associate Commissioner.

"The conference must move forward with its day-to-day business and decision-making and we have the utmost confidence that Shonna will provide stability in the conference office and guide us during this time of change," said Athletic Director's Council Chair and UMBC Athletic Director Dr. Charles Brown.

Mark Huddleston, University of New Hampshire President, will chair the search committee charged with finding a permanent replacement for outgoing commissioner Patrick Nero who George Washington named as its Athletic Director on April 20. The search committee, which will include representatives from all nine member universities, will conduct the search along with the help of an outside consultant. The committee does not have a specific timeline for the hiring of a new commissioner, but hopes to have one in place by either late summer or early fall.

Brown joined America East as Associate Commissioner for Women's Basketball/Administration in September, 2010. She arrived in Cambridge after three years at the NCAA office where she held the position of Assistant Director of Championships. Prior to the NCAA, Brown also spent time at the Patriot League, the Mid-American Conference and University of Southern Mississippi, her alma mater.

Brown is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association (CEFMA), and will begin a five-year term on the Division I Women's Basketball Committee in September.