Wellesley Athletics Bids Farewell To Associate AD Mindy Mangels

WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Mindy Mangels, Wellesley College's Associate Director of Athletics will step down from her position following reunion weekend, June 2-4, 2017.

"Mindy has been instrumental in supporting the growth and success of our athletics program during her tenure at Wellesley," said Bridget Belgiovine, Wellesley's Director of Athletics. "Her commitment to numerous programs and partnerships across campus to support student-athlete leadership and coach development have been invaluable, and her role overseeing the day-to-day operations of the athletics program, working directly with student-athletes and coaches has been critically important to me and is reflected in our overall success."

Mangels, who completed her 16th year as the Associate AD and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for the Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Athletics (PERA) in 2016-17, has been responsible for the leadership, planning, management, and oversight of the day-to-day operations for Wellesley's 14 varsity programs.

"We've made a lot of really good changes in my time here," said Mangels. "It's amazing to look back at how the department has changed, the people that have come and gone, the cross-campus connections that have been built, and really the students that have done so much. Coming to this decision has been a process that took some time. I care so much about this place, and this job and the students and I am grateful for the support that Bridget [Belgiovine] provided me while I made this decision."

Serving as Wellesley's SWA since 2002, Mangels has provided leadership and oversight of head coaches in all aspects of their programs and served as the advisor to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), while also managing all aspects of compliance with the NCAA, New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), and other sport governing rules and regulations. Mangels has been heavily involved at the conference level, serving as the chair of the NEWMAC Assistant Athletic Director's Group (AAG).

"Mindy has served on several committees and has been extremely committed to the growth of the NEWMAC," said Jen Miller-McEachern, Assistant Director for Administration and Strategic Communications at the NEWMAC. "Mindy has been the longest Athletic Administrators Group (AAG) Executive Committee member the NEWMAC has seen. Her unending work ethic and forward thinking has led us in the direction of success continuously. She will be missed, both professionally and personally."

Mangels has served nationally as a member of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse National Committee and as member and chair of the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis National Committee. She was integral in the recruitment and retention of student athletes, managing the recruitment process with the Offices of Admissions & Financial Aid, while also serving on the college-wide First Year Orientation Planning Committee. She was also responsible for the creation and continued success of Wellesley's Athlete Mentor Program, better known as 'AMP', allowing a group of student leaders to help the first-year student-athletes settle into the whole college experience each year.

"Maybe because Mindy is an athlete and works so intensively with all our student-athletes she has some special talent for teamwork, but she is one of the best collaborators on campus," said John O'Keefe, Wellesley Class Dean. "Mindy has been our 'go-to' partner for working with individual students who are athletes, and she has time and again connected students to campus resources, and helped the dean's understand the particular pressures and opportunities that her students have. Her commitment to helping student-athletes succeed in and out of the classroom is clear; all of us have benefited from the conversations she has had with students about the challenges of balancing their roles, and the need to put their educational goals first."

Mangels spent her first year with Wellesley as the Assistant Director of Athletics where she handled team travel operations, supervised student-workers for the Blue's home events and hired all officials for home contests.

A graduate of the NCAA/Women Leaders in College Sports Institute for Administrative Advancement and Leadership Enhancement Institute, Mangels earned a Masters of Arts in Sport Management from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University. While at Ohio State, she worked in both the Department of Recreational Sports and Athletics. She also spent a summer as a Communications Assistant with the Sacramento Monarchs of WNBA. While at Nebraska Wesleyan, she served as the Student Director of Game Management and competed on the varsity golf team.

"Mindy's knowledge, understanding and demeanor working with student-athletes has been remarkable and will be greatly missed," said Belgiovine. "I thank Mindy and wish her all the best as she embarks on the next phase of her career and enjoys more time with her family."