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.
“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.
