After working the past year as the Interim Athletic Director, Dr Nicole Annaloro was named the senior director of athletics for Sonoma State University in June, the second woman in SSU history to hold the title. She has been working hard to get the Seawolves all set for the new school year and is settling into her new role extremely well.
Annaloro first came to Sonoma State in 2019 as the senior associate director of athletics. Before she came to Sonoma State, Annaloro was the senior women’s administrator and coach of the women’s volleyball team at Notre Dame de Namur University. The senior women’s administrator is a position reserved for the highest ranking female in each NCAA program. This position was created in 1981 to ensure that women not only had their voices heard, but had authority over decisions, as the industry is normally very male-dominated.
Additionally, Annaloro has a doctoral degree in art therapy, a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, and bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology. Thanks to her many degrees across a multitude of disciplines, she excels in promoting conflict resolution and communication within the school’s athletics department.
Also, Annaloro served as the Ombudsperson at Notre Dame de Namur, a position she held for nine years. This demonstrates her skills in keeping both individuals and groups happy and productive. Annaloro’s extensive work in the social field surely helps in the sports industry and has prepared her well for the head athletic director position.
According to Annaloro, all sports are completely on track to return full-time to practices and games this fall semester. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has implemented many strategies to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading, and the health and safety of the student-athletes is their main priority. Annaloro would like to credit the entire Sonoma State community because she feels it has been a group effort to get to this point. All games at Sonoma State are open to any students to come watch.
“We are back!,” Annaloro said, “ We welcome fans to come and watch our teams compete.”
Annaloro worked as the interim athletic director throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic. When asked what it was like to work as an athletic director with no sports, she replied, “It was busier than ever.”
She explained that teams used their time away from competition to focus on building and strengthening the department as a whole. The athletic department also made it a point of emphasis to maintain contact with all staff members and athletes throughout the pandemic. They wanted to be there for those who were uncertain about what their academic and athletic futures would hold, and Annaloro was there for the department through it all.
“Despite this being a uniquely challenging time for the sports industry, we at SSU Athletics have managed to find the silver linings,” Annaloro said, “During this time, we continue to challenge ourselves, demonstrate our resilience, and grow as a department.”
With all the mayhem and uncertainty from the past year, Annaloro is a breath of fresh air for the athletics department, and the Seawolves will get right back on track in no time with their new athletic director cheering them on from the sidelines.
