November 9, 2009
Noreen Morris Named Commissioner of Northeast Conference
Somerset, NJ -- The Northeast Conference has
named Noreen Morris as Commissioner, it was announced today by Vice
Admiral Paul Gaffney, President of Monmouth University and
President of the NEC Council of Presidents. Morris will
assume her duties with the conference on January 4, 2010.
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| Noreen Morris was named commissioner of the Northeast Conference on Nov. 9, 2009. |
"The Conference is thrilled to land Noreen Morris," said
Gaffney. "She was selected from a very talented field and
brings to us a wealth of conference, campus and NCAA governance
experience. The Northeast Conference intends to make its
mark, and Noreen will lead the way."
Morris, who has spent the last five years as a member of the
Northwestern University Athletic Department executive staff,
becomes the fourth full-time Commissioner in league history.
She succeeds Brenda Weare, who passed away in June following a long
battle with cancer.
"I am truly honored and excited to be the next Commissioner of the
Northeast Conference," said Morris. "I have been very
impressed with the collegiality of the member institutions and
their commitment to achieving academic and athletic excellence with
both integrity and sportsmanship. I would like to thank the
Council of Presidents for their support, and I look forward to
working with the entire Northeast Conference family. Finally,
I am humbled to have the chance to build upon the legacy left by
Brenda Weare. She was a tremendous leader and proponent for
the conference and I am honored to succeed her as
Commissioner."
Morris' extensive background in intercollegiate athletics dates
back more than 20 years. She most recently served as Senior
Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at
Northwestern, with oversight responsibilities in the areas of
academics, compliance, athletic training, strength and
conditioning, and equipment. She also served as the primary
liaison to the Admissions Office, served on the Big Ten Joint Group
and Administrator's Council, co-managed the department's Strategic
Planning process and supervised five Northwestern sport programs,
including the five-time defending national champion women's
lacrosse program.
"Noreen Morris is a spectacular choice to become the next
Commissioner of the Northeast Conference," said Jim Phillips,
Northwestern University Director of Athletics.
"Congratulations to the selection committee on finding a real star
in this profession. To be certain, Noreen will provide tremendous
leadership and a clear vision for the future success of this
wonderful conference. She truly is one of the very best and
brightest young administrators in the country who will represent on
a daily basis the right values of the prestigious institutions that
comprise the NEC. This is a day that has mixed emotions for all of
us here in Evanston because Noreen has been such a critical member
of the Northwestern University family. However, we are all very
proud of her and know that she will do a terrific job in leading
the NEC to unprecedented success across all disciplines."
Prior to Northwestern, Morris spent eight years with Conference
USA, overseeing the conference's legislative and governance
programs. She first served as Director of Legislative
Services (1996-98) before being promoted to Assistant Commissioner
(1998-02) and then Associate Commissioner (2002-04).
Before moving to Conference USA, Morris spent five years as
Compliance Coordinator and Sport Administrator at the University of
Connecticut.
Morris has assumed numerous leadership roles throughout her
distinguished career. She served on the NCAA Management
Council from 2000-04 as an alternate and then permanent member, and
chaired the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee in 2006.
Morris recently completed her term on the Executive Committee and
is a Past President of the National Association of Athletics
Compliance Coordinators.
She was honored this past summer by the National Association of
Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) as one of eight
national recipients of its Administrator of the Year award.
Morris graduated from Cornell University in 1987 with a
Bachelor's degree in Consumer Economics and was a two-year
co-captain and four-year soccer letterwinner for the Big Red.
Morris went on to earn a Master's degree in Sport Administration
from the University of Massachusetts in 1991.
About The
Northeast Conference
Now in its 29th season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA
Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 12
institutions of higher learning located throughout six
states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the
largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh
(#23), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded
in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has
grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now
enjoys automatic or play-in access to 13 different NCAA
Championships. NEC member institutions include Central
Connecticut State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Long Island, Monmouth,
Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St.
Francis (NY), Saint Francis (PA) and Wagner. Bryant will
become the NEC's 12th member upon completion of the NCAA Division I
reclassification process in 2012. For more information on the NEC,
visit www.northeastconference.org.
