CSUEB names new Director of Athletics

California State University, East Bay named Joan McDermott the new Director of Athletics last month, following the departure of Sara Lillevand Judd earlier in 2014.

McDermott was one of 74 applicants that applied for the position following Judd’s acceptance of the Director of Recreation position for the city of Piedmont.
“I am from the Bay Area [San Francisco], so it is safe to say that I have always been interested in Cal State East Bay,” McDermott said. “The main reason I am coming to East Bay is because division II athletic director jobs don’t open up much and this is a great opportunity to do what I love in the area that I am from.”

McDermott has held the same position at Metropolitan State University of Denver since 1998 where she was the Director of Athletics for 17 years, and recognized and awarded for her work many times.

“I was excited about the opening at East Bay and I felt like I wanted to get my name in there for consideration,” McDermott said. “I wasn’t sure once I got there [East Bay], but being around the administration and meeting some of the staff and coaches really got me excited.”

Associate vice president of Student Support and Development, Andrea Wilson headed and selected the search committee that included Paul Carpenter, the Chair in the Department of Kinesiology, Marissa Parry Clavin an Associate Athletics Director in Internal Operations, Lisa Cooper the Head Coach of the women’s water polo team, Alan Sue the Head Coach of the men’s and women’s golf teams, and Trey James a Student Athlete on the men’s soccer team.

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics awarded McDermott the Under Armour NCAA Division II Athletics Director of the Year in June 2014 for the second time in her career. McDermott received this award in 2008 and it is based on the overall progress of the athletics program during a calendar year including factors like the success of the teams, graduation rates, and revenue.

Professor Emeritus of Kinesiology, Don Sawyer took over the position on an interim basis at CSUEB following the departure of Lillevand Judd and will maintain that role until McDermott officially begins on April 1.

“We are extremely grateful to Dr. Don Sawyer for his leadership and service as our Interim Director of Athletics,” Stan Hébert, Acting Vice President for Student Affairs said.

McDermott was recently named President of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators and also serves on the Denver Sports Commission board of directors and the NCAA Division II softball committee. The Denver Post named her as one of the top 15 most influential women in Colorado sports.

McDermott held a distinct advantage not just in experience but also with accolades over the other two finalists Stephanie Shrieve-Hawkins and Douglas Hupke. Shrieve-Hawkins is the Assistant Director of Athletics at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga while Hupke is the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at San Francisco State University.

“I think I can help the department grow because we have done that here [Metropolitan State],” McDermott said. “We have done a lot of community partnerships and even some sponsorship things with organizations like Major League Baseball and the Denver Parks and Recreations Department. It is great for the campus to get the community involved.”`