A familiar face has been named Commissioner of the America East. Amy Huchthausen, the former assistant commissioner of the America East, has come back to lead the conference. She is the fourth commissioner in the conference, and the first woman to assume the position.
Huchthausen has previously worked at four other Division I conferences and most recently spent time at the NCAA.
“The NCAA has given me an opportunity to be involved in national issues on a regular basis,” said Hachthausen “We manage issues in all directions from the membership, governance structure and public. I think I have a good sense of the big picture as well as an understanding of how decisions practically impact our schools,”
She will replace Patrick Nero, who resigned in April to become the director of athletics at George Washington and Shonna Brown, who has been the Interim Commissioner since April.
Huchthausen graduated from University of Wisconsin La Crosse and was an all-conference softball player for the Eagles. She has also worked on other committies in the NCAA, which include: Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, the Division I Legislative Review and Interpretations Committee and the Division III Management Council.
Before her first stint with the America East, Huchthausen served as an assistant director of compliance & governance at the ACC (2002-04), director of compliance at the Missouri Valley Conference (2002-04) and as a compliance assistant at the BIG EAST Conference (2000-01).
She arrived at the America East in 2004 and was the assistant commissioner until 2006, when she moved to Division I.
Huchthausen will get right to work, when she starts on October 24.
“In the short-term I’ll engage and reconnect with the presidents and athletic directors to ensure we’re on the same page and focused moving forward. Eventually, we’ll engage in a strategic planning process so that our long-term goals can be met,” said Huchthausen.
Improving the America East is a top goal for Huchthausen, who will be very familiar with the conference.
“My primary objective is to strengthen the league and remind our schools, communities, region and nation why this conference is so special,” said Huchthausen. This conference is home to plenty of powerful teams, such as Stony Brook, Albany, Boston University, Maine, and Vermont. Boston narrowly defeated Stony Brook in the America East Championship game last season, to enter the NCAA tournament.
The America East is also home to the Stony Brook baseball and men’s lacrosse teams, two very tough teams in their sport. Baseball put up a 42-12 record last season and lacrosse finished 10-4 and lost in the championship game to Hartford.
With some big schools leaving their conferences for others, there could be a possible shakeup in the America East in the upcoming years. “It’s obvious in today’s climate that conference membership and alignment has received a lot of attention. Every conference is always looking how it can enhance itself and each institution on a regular basis. We have a tremendous group of schools and we’ll continue to keep our efforts focused on how we can continue to strengthen the league,” said Huchthausen.
Huchthausen knows the conference well and will provide stability to a conference that is getting bigger and better.