Wellesley Athletics Announces Hiring of Lauren Haynie as Senior Associate AD
WELLESLEY, Mass. -- Bridget Belgiovine, Director of Athletics and Chair of the Department of Physical Education, Recreation & Athletics (PERA) at Wellesley College, has announced the hiring of Lauren Haynie as Wellesley's Senior Associate Director for Athletics and PERA.
"My greatest personal and professional mentors have been women, and they have been instrumental to my growth," said Haynie. "The opportunity to join an institution whose specific mission is to develop women into the leaders they are meant to be drew me to the opportunity to join the Wellesley College staff. I would like to specifically thank my family for their enduring support, as well as [MIT Athletic Director] Julie Soriero for her mentorship and encouragement."
Haynie comes to Wellesley after spending the last four years as Special Assistant to the Athletic Director/Department Head for the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While at MIT, she supervised members of the DAPER administrative staff during a time of significant growth and success that included 38 New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championships, 63 total NCAA Championship appearances and three national championships for the Engineers.
"Lauren's knowledge and thoughtful articulation of the importance of physical education, recreation and athletics as a component of a liberal arts education at Wellesley, and in particular, the impact that athletics plays in the lives of student-athletes set her apart," said Belgiovine. "Her broad experiences, coupled with a commitment to diversity, inclusion and leadership development programs for student-athletes, coaches and staff are valuable assets she brings to advance Wellesley's athletics and department-wide success."
Haynie provided oversight for multiple department-wide events, including the DAPER Mentoring Program, MIT Golf Outing, and the department's annual Student-Athlete Excellence Banquet. In addition, Haynie developed compliance education materials for coaches and student-athletes, coordinated scheduling and materials for department staff meetings, the DAPER Advisory Board and visiting committees.
Haynie's impact at MIT extended well beyond the athletic setting as she worked to integrate campus partners including the offices of Global Education and Career Development, Title IX, Public Service and the Violence Prevention and Response and Community Development and Substance Abuse team. In addition, she served on department, division, and campus-wide committees including as a tri-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Staff Engagement Advisory Board and as a member of the Division of Student Life's Staff Engagement Advisory Board. Haynie also coordinated MIT's Engineering Success program for student-athlete well-being and was an active participant in professional development and mentoring opportunities as part of MIT's Mentor Advocate Program and Rainbow Compass Program, mentoring underrepresented minority and LBGTQ students on campus.
Prior to arriving at MIT, Haynie spent seven years as Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., during which time she was also a sports medicine lecturer at the George Washington University. Before her time in the nation's capital, Haynie was Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine at Division II Assumption College in nearby Worcester, Mass. Her two-year stint at Assumption was preceded by two years as Head Athletic Trainer at Lane College in Jackson, Tenn.
A 2000 graduate of Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Kinesiology, Haynie received her Master of Science degree in Education from Old Dominion University in 2002. She later went on to earn a Master of Business Administration, with a sports management emphasis, from Southern New Hampshire University in 2014, and is currently working toward a graduate certificate in the Leadership and Diversity in Sport Management from the University of Connecticut.
Haynie has attended numerous NCAA Professional Development Institutes, including the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Orientation Conference in 2008, the Women's Leadership Symposium in 2011 and the Institute for Administrative Advancement in 2014. She is a member of Women Leaders in College Sports, the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
"I'm very excited to have Lauren join our PERA department to lead the day-to-day aspects of our Athletics program working closely with our coaches, student-athletes and campus partners," Said Belgiovine. "We're looking forward to Lauren's passion, commitment and strong work ethic to continue to enhance the experiences for our student-athletes and advance the role of athletics at Wellesley, within the NEWMAC and nationally."