On Thursday, June 18, 2026, the NEWMAC held its end-of-year meetings, closing out the 2025–2026 academic year. It felt like any other end-of-year gathering, and I was looking forward to connecting with colleagues.

As the meeting concluded, I walked toward the lobby where our reception was being held. Along with my current directors of athletics, the associate and assistant directors in attendance, and staff, I saw faces I hadn’t seen in a long time. Six of my former directors of athletics — five of them from the original group that hired me — were standing there, smiling at me. I was surprised, happy, and confused all at once.

Lynn Oberbillig (Smith College), Laurie Priest (Mount Holyoke), Cathie Schweitzer (Springfield College), Bridget Belgiovine (Wellesley College), Tim Fitzpatrick (U.S. Coast Guard Academy), and Lori Hendricks (Mount Holyoke, now the director at UMass Dartmouth) smiled and approached as I heard “congratulations on fifteen years” coming from behind me.

I also heard from three former directors who could not attend — Julie Soriero (MIT) and John Sutyak (Wheaton), both part of the original group that hired me, along with Gavin Viano (Wheaton) — each extending their congratulations on fifteen years and their regrets at not being there.

Former staff member Missy Kubik was there as well, and it meant a great deal to see her.

I am not someone who likes to be the center of attention, so what happened next was overwhelming, touching, and humbling. Dana Harmon — one of the original directors who hired me, and still leading athletics at WPI today — spoke about me to the group, and I listened. Every word moved me and made me reflect on my time with the NEWMAC.

The directors who hired me fifteen years ago did far more than give me a job. They were mentors who taught me this profession, trusted me, and shaped the administrator — and the person — I am today. So much of what I know, I learned from them. To have them standing in front of me, all these years later, was a gift I will never forget.

When it was my turn to respond to Dana’s remarks, I spoke about my gratitude for the opportunity I was given. About how much it has been, and continues to be, my privilege to have worked with — and to keep working with — such amazing people. I told them how much I appreciated the trust they have placed in me and how much the job means to me. I thanked the original directors who hired me, and I thanked the ones I continue to work with and for.

I love what I do. It has never felt like a day of work in my life. And I know that makes me lucky.

In my fifteen years, I have worked alongside 33 presidents, chancellors, and superintendents, and 25 directors of athletics across our member institutions. Among them, I had the privilege of reporting directly to the following presidents and directors.

The presidents who chaired our Presidents Council: Len Schlesinger (Babson College), Lee Pelton (Emerson College), Lynn Pasquerella (Mount Holyoke College), Mary-Beth Cooper (Springfield College), H. Kim Bottomly (Wellesley College), Dennis Hanno (Wheaton College), Laurie Leshin (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), Stephen Spinelli (Babson College), and Kelli Armstrong (Salve Regina University).

The directors who chaired our Directors Group: Josh MacArthur (Babson College, who chaired the search committee that hired me), Pat Nicol (Emerson College), Laurie Priest (Mount Holyoke College), Bridget Belgiovine (Wellesley College), John Sutyak (Wheaton College), and Dana Harmon (Worcester Polytechnic Institute).

During my interview process, I was asked at an Open Forum of athletic administrators and coaches, if I were to be the next Executive Director, what I was going to do to help us be more like the NESCAC — a conference I deeply respect, and one that most aspire to in Division III. My response was that I wanted to work with the membership to build a unique brand specific to the NEWMAC, one that differentiates us from the other Division III conferences, and one we can say lives up to our philosophy and core values.

Looking back on these fifteen years, I believe we have done that. What strikes me is not what I did, but what we built together. Two five-year strategic plans. A new logo that carries forward the spirit of our original identity — honoring the NEW6 and the NEW8 that came before us. We added football, men's lacrosse, men's volleyball, and an automatic qualifier in women's rowing. We welcomed Emerson College as our eleventh member, Salve Regina University as our twelfth, and Saint Anselm College as our thirteenth. We secured our first media rights deal, with FloSports. When I started, the conference was run by a staff of one and a half. Today that team has more than doubled — a reflection of how far we've come and how much more we're able to do for our members. And together, we made it through COVID — one of the hardest tests our conference, and all of higher education, has ever faced.

None of it was the work of any one person. Every milestone carries the fingerprints of the presidents, directors, staff, coaches, and student-athletes who believed in this conference and gave it their best.

Higher education is in a moment of flux and reflection, and the NEWMAC is poised to continue its hard work supporting our institutional programs and our student-athletes. We do this the way we always have — with difficult conversations, with a look toward the future, with the well-being of our student-athletes as the most important part of every decision we make, with respect and integrity, and with the resolve to remain the preeminent Division III conference in the country.

To everyone who has trusted me — and continues to trust me — to be the NEWMAC Executive Director: thank you. It is a responsibility I carry with pride and never take for granted.

To my staff, who were there to share in the day — thank you. Your dedication and commitment are a big reason for this conference’s success.

To the twelve current directors of athletics — thank you for the gifts, and for the beautiful award. Your thoughtfulness meant more than I can say.

To Dana, along with Craig Poisson (Director of Athletics, Springfield College) and Taylor Teixeira (NEWMAC Associate Executive Director), who organized the celebration in secret over six months — thank you. To look up and see the faces of the people who hired me fifteen years ago, standing there to mark this day, is a memory I will carry for the rest of my career.

And finally, to my daughters: you are my inspiration, and the people I most want to make proud in this world. We have been through it all together, and I could not have done any of it without you.

We are not done yet!



Patrick B. Summers
Executive Director, NEWMAC
  With gratitude to all who were present to share in the day.

Babson College
Mike Lynch – Pamela P. and Brian M. Barefoot Associate Vice President for Athletics and Athletics Advancement
Jake Munick – Associate Athletics Director, Internal Operations
Clark University
Trish Cronin - Director of Athletics and Recreation
U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Donna Koczajowski - Associate A.D. / Health & Phys. Ed. Department Chair
Dan Rose - Director of Athletics and Phys. Ed. / CGAAC Board Member
Emerson College
Erin Brennen - Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Aaron Aaker – Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Operations
G. Anthony Grant - Director of Athletics/DAPER Department Head
Mount Holyoke College
Andrea Ricketts-Preston – Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education / Compliance Officer
Bardee Sadlier - Senior Associate Director of Athletics
Salve Regina University
Bill Villareal – Associate Athletic Director
Smith College
Jess Duff – Associate Athletic Director / Title IX Coordinator
Kristin Hughes - Director of Athletics & Recreation
Springfield College
Craig Poisson - Executive Director of Athletics
Wellesley College
Bethany Ellis – Director of Athletics; Chair of the PERA Department
Katie Gillardi - Senior Associate Director of Athletics & PERA
Wheaton College
Brian Walmsley – Senior Assistant Athletic Director
Lisa Yenush - Director of Athletics & Recreation
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Rusty Eggen – Associate Athletic Director and SID | Sports Information Director
Dana Harmon - Director of Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics
NEWMAC Staff
Kaleigh Putnam – Assistant Director for Championships & Governance
Taylor Teixeira – Associate Executive Director