SPRINGFIELD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Vice President of Operations
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President for Institutional Advancement
Job Titles:
- President and CEO of New York Daily News
As a student at Springfield College, Branwen Smith-King was heavily involved in the battle for gender equality in athletics and Title IX funding. She stayed true to her passions, and in her career, she served for 18 years as the head women's track and field coach and 15 years as assistant director of athletics at Tufts University. Originally from Bermuda, Smith-King moved back there to work for the Bermuda Olympic Association as the secretary general. She was a member of the Bermuda national track and field junior and senior teams from 1971 to 1979 and won gold for Bermuda at the 1971 Caribbean Free Trade Association Games.
Job Titles:
- Consultant on Diversity
- Vice President for Inclusion and Community Engagement
In July 2015, Calvin R. Hill, PhD, joined Springfield College as the vice president for inclusion and community engagement. The vice president's responsibilities include promoting diversity and inclusion among all constituents of the College, and connecting and promoting the College's resources to area communities.
Hill comes to Springfield College with more than 20 years of experience in higher education. Most recently he's served as the university diversity and inclusion officer for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. Prior, Hill developed strong ties to higher education in Massachusetts working as assistant to the president and director of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Opportunity at Worcester State University. He also has served as associate provost and chief diversity officer for MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston and assistant dean and director of diversity programs at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Hill is a consultant on diversity issues and presents nationally on issues of inclusion, where he focuses primarily on providing equal access to educational opportunities for underrepresented populations.
Job Titles:
- Founder and President of Royce Carlton, Inc
Carlton Sedgeley is founder and president of Royce Carlton, Inc., which represents nationally known figures who are available for speaking engagements.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Athletics
Craig Poisson, DPE was named the Springfield College Director of Athletics, on April 15, 2015. Poisson took on the role with more than two decades of athletics administration experience, spending the previous 19 years as a member of the Springfield College Athletics staff and professor of physical education. Poisson was previously the senior associate director of athletics at Springfield College since 2007.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Nurse Educator / Baystate Medical Center
Harold Amos earned a master's degree and a PhD in the Division of Medical Services at Harvard University, the first African American to earn a doctoral degree from that division. He later served as a faculty member at Harvard Medical School for almost 50 years. Amos was well known for his work in animal cell culture, bacterial metabolism and virology, specializing in cell metabolism, including its effects on gene expression. In 1988, he became professor emeritus and then the first African American to head a department at Harvard Medical School. After retirement, he became the first national director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Minority Medical Faculty Development Program, which was later renamed the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program.
Hickory Hall is known for its unique, circular architectural style, which stands out from all the other more traditional square- or rectangular-shaped brick buildings on campus. Inside, the majority of the building consists of classrooms for a wide variety of programs. The first floor also is the location for the dean's office for the School of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Graduate Education, Grants, and Sponsored Research.
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Secretary
- Trustee
- Vice President
James Frank was the first African-American NCAA president. Frank also served as the commissioner of the South Western Athletic Conference from 1983 to his retirement in 1998.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Principal Officer / the Hollenbach Group, LLC
James Naismith was a graduate student and instructor when he invented the game of basketball at Springfield College in 1891. Naismith was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of fame in 1972 and received an honorary degree from the College in 1910.
Jeff Blatnick was an Olympic wrestling gold medalist. Blatnick was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987, and received an honorary Doctor of Humanics that same year.
John Cena is a philanthropist, actor, and pro wrestler with the WWE who has granted nearly 600 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the most wishes granted by a single individual. In 2018, Cena received the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award in recognition of his leadership as a philanthropist. A center on the Springfield College football team, Cena was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
- Trustee
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing
Justin Zook is a gold medalist U.S. Paralympic Games swimmer. He has taken home gold in the 100 meter backstroke S10 three times-in 2004 in London, 2008 in Beijing, and 2004 in Athens.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Secretary
- Vice President and General Counsel, Board of Trustees Secretary
I love my role because as general counsel, I'm able to create pragmatic, creative solutions for Springfield College's needs in supporting its mission while staying within legal and ethical boundaries.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Treasurer
- Trustee
- Ex Officio / Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Vice President for Finance and Administration
Locklin is home to faculty offices and classrooms for several different academic programs, including health sciences, business management, counseling, human services, and psychology. The lower level of this building is where the campus post office and print shop are located.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Officers Team
- Vice Chair
Marilyn Bevans has earned a number of firsts in her life. She was a champion marathon runner with several impressive accomplishments to her credit, including becoming the first Black American female to win the Maryland Marathon in 1977. In that same year at the Boston Marathon, she became the first Black American female to earn a medal, taking second place. Two years earlier at the Boston Marathon, Bevans became the first Black American female to finish the marathon in under three hours (2:55:52). She felt that running gave her a sense of pride and self-esteem.
Job Titles:
- PROVOST and VICE PRESIDENT for ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Job Titles:
- President
- Trustee
- Ex Officio / President
Mary-Beth A. Cooper has served as president of Springfield College in Massachusetts since 2013. President Cooper serves on the President's Council of the NCAA and the boards of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, Council of Independent Colleges, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Educare Springfield, DevelopSpringfield, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation.
Cooper earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware, a Master of Education from the University of Georgia, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Rochester, a Doctor of Philosophy in education administration from Michigan State University, and a Doctor of Management from Case Western Reserve University.
Nancy Darsch was an assistant coach for two U.S. women's basketball Olympic gold medal teams-the first in 1984 and the second in 1996. She also has served as a head coach and assistant coach for WNBA teams. Darsch was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Job Titles:
- Immediate past President and CEO of the YMCA of the USA
Neal Nicoll is the immediate past president and CEO of the YMCA of the USA. Nicoll stepped down from the role, which he's held since 2006, at the end of 2014. He took on the role of president emeritus in 2015.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer / Greif, Inc. ( Retired
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer
Sonya Lamonakis is a professional heavyweight boxer and, in December 2014, she became the International Boxing Organization's female heavyweight world champion. Lamonakis is the no. 1 ranked female heavyweight in the United States and is tied for no. 3 in the Women's International Boxing Association.
Job Titles:
- First and Only Female Athletic Director
Sue Peterson Lubow was the first and only female athletic director at a U.S. federal service academy. She spent 25 years in that role for the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. Lubow was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- President / MedShadow Foundation
Tom Waddell founded the Gay Games in 1982. The Gay Games is an all inclusive, international athletic and culture event held every four years. He was an infectious disease specialist and provided medical service for many years in Africa, Asia, and Saudi Arabia. He placed sixth out of 33 competitors in the decathlon at the 1968 Olympics. Waddell was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
Tony DiCicco coached the U.S. women's soccer team from 1994 to 1999, leading the team to an Olympic gold medal win in 1996. DiCicco was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the Officers Team
- Trustee