A longtime collegiate athletic director was appointed the chair of the Connecticut Sports Advisory Board, a division of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB).
Patricia H. Meiser has been a member of the Connecticut Sports Advisory Board since its establishment in 2012.
“Pat Meiser is a well-known leader in Connecticut’s sports community who has extensive knowledge of how a destination marketing organization positions and promotes its assets,” explained H. Scott Phelps, interim president, Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau. “During her impressive career, Pat has cultivated relationships with numerous local and national business and sports organizations. Her reputation as a respected athletic director and former women’s basketball coach will enhance our sales efforts across the U.S.”
Meiser recently retired as the athletic director and special assistant to the president at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., after leading the Hartford Hawks program for more than 20 years. In that position, she became the thirteenth woman ever named an NCAA Division I athletic director in the nation. Prior to that job, she spent a decade as the associate athletic director and senior women’s administrator at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and chaired the committee that recommended the hiring of current women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma.
“Connecticut is fortunate to have many powerful sports organizations in such a compact state – from our impressive collegiate sports teams to the Travelers Championship, Connecticut Open Tennis, Connecticut Sun, Hartford Marathon, auto racing, and professional hockey and baseball teams,” said Meiser. “Our Connecticut Sports Advisory Board brings together the expertise of key individuals from these sports organizations, among others, who are committed to promoting the state. Booking new sports events here is a win-win for everyone. It means increased revenue and more jobs for the State and local economies, and greater visibility for Connecticut as a destination for visitors.”
She chaired the former Greater Hartford Sports Commission for nearly 20 years, and was chair for two years of the former Greater Hartford Convention & Sports Bureau. Before joining UConn, Meiser was head women’s basketball coach at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa. for 11 years.
The Manchester, Conn. resident is the recipient of many sports and leadership awards. She was named one of 25 national “Title IX Trailblazers” by the National Association of Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA), is a two-time winner of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics’ (NACDA) Division I AAA Athletics Director of the Year Award -Northeast Region, was named one of the nation’s top 50 women’s sports executives by Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal, and is an inductee into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She also has been honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice, the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund. In September, she received a 2014 Commissioner’s Award from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Meiser holds two graduate degrees from Penn State: a master’s degree in Education with a focus on Sports Psychology; and a master’s degree in Business Administration. The Lancaster, Pa. native received her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from West Chester University in West Chester, Pa.
