Ali Paquette to Transition into Newly Endowed Assistant Director of Athletics Role

Middlebury College has announced the transition of Ali Paquette into the newly endowed assistant director of athletics position. Paquette will assume her new role on July 1, while a national search for a director of athletic communications is currently underway.

The move is part of a departmental reorganization, prompted by an anonymous gift that provides for an endowed leadership position in athletics, as well as endowed funding for the crew programs, which will now be overseen by the department. Franklin Dean-Farrar, the assistant director of athletics for operations and events, will now supervise both club programs. In her new position, Paquette will support some of Dean-Farrar’s current responsibilities, such as postseason NCAA events and strategic facility projects. She will maintain oversight of the Athletic Communications Department and will continue to serve as a liaison with the Office of Advancement and to oversee student-athlete education.

“I am excited for this next chapter of Middlebury Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Erin Quinn ’86. “Ali Paquette has been serving our department exceptionally well over the past several years in the dual role of director of athletic communications and assistant director of athletics. This reorganization will allow Ali to provide leadership to the new director of athletic communications while scaling her contributions to the department more broadly.”

Paquette joined the athletic communications staff at Middlebury in January of 2020 as the assistant director and was promoted to assistant athletic director/director of athletic communications in May of 2022. In her role as director, Paquette oversees promotion and coverage for all 31 varsity programs including statistics, releases, website management, contract administration with Northeast Sports Network, and running and curating content for Middlebury athletics flagship social media accounts, as well as working with local news media. Paquette has been a media relations staff member for multiple NESCAC and NCAA Championship events. She has served as the athletic communications professional for several national championship events, including the 2022 NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championship, which drew more than 2,000 fans in Chip Kenyon ’85 Arena and concluded with Middlebury hoisting the trophy.

“I am thrilled to take on this new role within Middlebury Athletics,” said Paquette. “I am very grateful for Erin’s mentorship over the years and for his support in me as a leader. I want to thank the donor who made this position possible. This is a great opportunity for me to make a broader impact on our athletics community, as it will bolster support for our student-athletes, coaches, and staff in many ways. I am very excited for the future of our department and athletics programs, and look forward to the new year ahead.”

Paquette is an active member of the College Sports Communicators (CSC), currently serving as a member of the professional development committee. She is the 2024–25 D3SIDA president and has been a member of the CSC Division III cabinet since 2020. She is also a member of NACDA. Paquette has earned several national CSC awards, including the then-CoSIDA Rising Star Award in 2022, along with the 2021 CoSIDA ChangeMaker Innovation Award and the 2019 CoSIDA Fred Stabley Sr. Writing Award in the general feature category.

In 2018, she received her Master of Science in Sport Management and Athletic Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. A 2013 graduate of Salve Regina, Paquette was a four-year member and captain of the Seahawks’ cross-country and track-and-field teams.

The department has begun a national search for the director of athletic communications role. Interested parties can apply here.