Cheryl Aaron began her tenure as Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Director of Athletics on November 2, 2015. Since arriving at Wentworth, she has been instrumental in adding two full-time empolyees, helping sport offerings grow from 16 to 18, and developing cross-campus relationshps with such divisions as Student Affairs, Admissions, and Institutional Advancement. Both Sweeney Field and the Nelson Recreation Center have received upgrades under her watch and she has also been instrumental in helping to secure off-campus facilities for both ice hockey and baseball. In January, 2020, she was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Management Council and also serves on the Division III Subcommittee for Legislative Relief, the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, and the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee.

Prior to joining the Leopard staff, she spent the previous three years as an Associate Director of Athletics at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she has been a member of the Division of Athletics Senior Leadership Team. In her role as associate director, Aaron has been responsible for the supervision of seven of the Beacons’ 16 intercollegiate sports as well as handling budget planning and management, oversight and management of game events, game scheduling, student employment, and game officials. She was involved in the renovation and upgrade of Clark Gymnasium in 2012 and worked on the memorandum of agreement with Boston College High School for the two schools’ partnership on a baseball field – Fr. J. Donald Monan, SJ Park –which has an anticipated opening in the spring of 2016.

Aaron has also been heavily involved in student-athlete welfare as she managed all aspects of student-athlete support services and the department’s student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC), developed student success forums for student-athlete welfare, developed UMass Boston’s mentoring program, and is a gender violence prevention and bystander education trainer.

Prior to being promoted to Associate Director of Athletics, Aaron spent nine years as an Assistant Director of Athletics on the Beacons’ staff where she was responsible for NCAA compliance for all student-athletes, supervised seven sports, managed game day staff and payroll, managed and directed all aspects of support for student-athletes, including academic, social, and personal, and supported and managed community service initiatives.

During her time at UMass Boston, Aaron has represented the Athletic Department at numerous Little East Conference, ECAC, and NCAA events, has chaired and has been a member of numerous departmental search committees and campus-wide committees, served on the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Committee from 2008-2012 (including serving as the chair during the 2011-2012 season), and has been on several ECAC committees, including presently serving on the Executive Committee for the ECAC East Women’s Ice Hockey League.

Aaron also has 12 years’ experience as a women’s basketball coach, including six seasons (1997-2003) as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Wheaton College where her teams won 14 games during the 1997-1998 and 1999-2000 seasons. While at Wheaton she also served as the coordinator of contest management and game scheduling where she organized and managed all aspects of home athletic events, including hosting numerous New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, NCAA, and ECAC post-season events. She also has six years’ experience at the Division I level as she was an assistant coach at Princeton (1991-1993), Fordham (1993-1995), and Boston College (1995-1997).

A native of Westwood, Mass., and 1994 inductee into the Westwood High School Sports Hall of Fame, Aaron earned her Bachelor’s degree from The College of Holy Cross in 1987 where she was a three time All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection who served as a captain during her senior season. She scored 1,539 points in her career, which ranks her ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list, and was inducted into her alma mater’s athletic hall of fame in 1995. Aaron, who also played two seasons of professional basketball in Ireland, earned her Master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1991.

(Updated:  06/15/20)