Cindy Connelley, Assistant Professor in the School of Education, assumed the position of Athletic Director in December, 2008. She replaces retired Athletic Director Gabby Price (who remains as Head Football Coach) and interim Rick Stephens (who accepted a position out of state). Connelley will focus on athletic facility needs, student-athlete welfare and oversee all athletic programs.

Cindy has extensive NCAA experience as she has served as Head Women’s Basketball coach at NCAA Div I Bucknell University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and NCAA Div II Catawba College. She also was the Head Softball coach at both NCAA Div I Middle Tennessee State University and Tennessee State University; and Assistant Women’s Lacrosse coach at Bucknell University. Connelley also worked with the NCAA Div III University of Maine at Presque Isle softball team while teaching both health and physical education. Other collegiate experiences include scouting for women’s basketball, serving the basketball regional ranking committee, assisting with the design and building of new athletic facilities, carrying the Olympic Sports Festival Torch as one of the youngest NCAA Div I basketball coaches in the country and coaching a future Harlem Globetrotter. She also founded the Southeast Hitting School, and lectured for both basketball and softball nationally and internationally.

Other experience includes K-12 teaching in both public and private school systems in North Carolina, Kentucky and Massachusetts, graduating cum laude from Springfield College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Connelley has coached swimming, track and field, field hockey, tennis, cheerleading, basketball, softball and served as public address announcer for a football program. She chaired the Physical Education Department and served as Aquatic Director at Charlotte Latin School during the construction of the on campus Mecklenburg Aquatic Facility, and served as State chair and site host for South regional field hockey, while directing the track and field events of the Senior Games. Several state championships and Coach of the Year awards were won in field hockey and softball, as were Coach of the Year honors in Western North Carolina 4A basketball. She later served as Athletic Director for Robinson School in Charlotte while working in the physical education department with autistic students. A Master of Education degree was earned from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a doctoral dissertation in Curriculum and Instruction is being completed at Tennessee State University. Teaching at every institution she has coached, Cindy believes that keeping teaching credentials is a priority. “NCAA Div III is the perfect intersection of academics and athletics. The student-athlete should have an interdisciplinary experience and we expect excellence on and off the playing surface. We encourage every student-athlete to participate in campus life, clubs, travel, activities and scholarship, and I marvel at their energy and time management. In service to the university, the athletic program and the student-athletes, my goal is for all of us to fly higher. Husson University is on the move and athletics is part of this movement. This is a dynamic time and I’m grateful to be a part of an extraordinary community”.