FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The University of Saint Francis Athletic Department announces the hiring of Kelsey Passaglia as the inaugural Associate Athletic Director/Senior Women’s Administrator.
“I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Kelsey Passaglia to USF to serve in this historic role within our athletic department. Her experience as a high-level athlete, coach and administrator will serve our student-athletes and coaches extremely well,” USF Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey said. “During the interview process, her passion for student-athlete success and desire to grow in the administrative side of college athletics was very evident and we look forward to bringing her into our family of Cougars.”
Passaglia’s duties will entail leading the USF Student-Athlete Leadership Team, working with the Academic and Career Development Center and working closely with Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey on all strategic initiatives. Passaglia will project a visible presence of a female role model for student-athletes and staff.
“I am grateful to Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey and Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Robert Pastoor for their support and vision with this role,” Passaglia said. “It is a very exciting opportunity to pave the way for this newly created position in USF Athletics. I am looking forward to working closely with Mike, the coaches, staff, student athletes and the campus community to provide a positive influence and resources for continued success at the University of Saint Francis.”
Passaglia comes to Saint Francis after spending three years at NCAA Division I Purdue Fort Wayne. In her most recent stint at Purdue Fort Wayne, she was promoted to Assistant Director of the Mastodon Academic Performance (MAP) Center.
While working in the MAP Center, Passaglia was responsible for over half of the student-athletes’ academic eligibility and compliance with NCAA, Purdue Fort Wayne and Horizon League rules and values. She mentored freshmen and at-risk student-athletes in addition to teaching a freshman seminar course assisting in the transition to collegiate athletics. Serving as the advisor for the Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT), she worked closely with athletes to promote campus involvement, diversity and inclusion, and service to the community.
Prior to her time in the Mastodon Academic Performance Center, Passaglia was a women’s soccer assistant coach at three Division I universities: Central Michigan (2018), Purdue Fort Wayne (2014-18) and Western Illinois (2012-14). She was responsible for assisting in all aspects of the programs, including internal operations, and working with other individuals and subsectors of the athletic department.
For more information, contact USF Athletic Director Mike McCaffrey at 260-399-7700, ext. 6250 or mmccaffrey@sf.edu.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the music technology and graduate health sciences programs while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 18 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 2,200 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.