Alfred University Athletics

Hired at AU:	January 2023 (Interim) May of 2023
Prior to AU:	Athletics Consultant at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
	Associate Vice President for Athletics & Recreation/Director of William Smith Athletics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
	Assistant Director of Athletics at Ithaca College
	Head Softball Coach/Business Manager/Assistant Softball & Soccer Coach/Instructor at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
	Head Softball Coach/Assistant Volleyball, Basketball, Softball Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at St. Mary's University (MN)

On May 4, 2023, Deb Steward was named as the Associate Vice President for Student Experience, Athletics, and Recreation at Alfred University. Since January 26, 2023, Steward served as the Saxons’ Interim Assistant Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. In her first year at Alfred University, Steward led the design and approval of the Saxon Hill Sports Complex, oversaw the installment of new turf at Merrill Field, added baseball and women’s rugby, initiated The ALFYS to celebrate the accomplishments of AU student-athletes, aided in the enrollment of 235 new student-athletes, and led a successful Hall of Fame event.
 
Prior to a one-year stint in retirement, Steward served as the Associate Vice President for Athletics and Recreation at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and previously the Director of William Smith Athletics. In her expanded role at HWS, Steward oversaw 23 intercollegiate sports as well as the Colleges recreation, intramural, fitness, outdoor recreation, and physical education programs. 
 
During her 16.5 year tenure in Geneva, New York, Steward hired 13 new head coaches, broke Heron Society records for total membership and total dollars raised, and coordinated four highly successful Heron Hall of Honor ceremonies, all while taking a lead role in The Fund for Athletics, a part of Campaign for the Colleges which improved athletic and wellness facilities. She was central in the fundraising efforts for the Caird Center for Sports and Recreation and established the William Smith Athletics Endowment Fund, the first general athletics fund for the Herons. Steward added women’s ice hockey as the departments 12th varsity sport in 2014 and was instrumental in the most recent sport expansion of William Smith bowling, Hobart and William Smith alpine skiing, Hobart baseball, Hobart men’s swimming and diving, and Hobart volleyball. In addition, she led the athletics department through the COVID-19 pandemic protocols.

Under her supervision, Heron teams captured 44 conference championships, received dozens of postseason tournament bids, and secured the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Championship. William Smith student-athletes earned national acclaim, winning the Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup, the NCAA Elite 89 Award, more than 100 All-America awards, and 22 CoSIDA Academic All-America awards.

Steward served as the tournament director for the 2006, 2012 and 2016 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championships and the 2007 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship. She has also served on several NCAA Championship committees. Steward served a three-year term on the NCAA Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Committee, served as chair of the Division III Women’s Golf Committee, and the chair of the Division III Softball Committee.

Steward’s leadership earned her the 2014 ECAC Division III Female Administrator of the Year Award and the 2017 Women Leaders in College Sports Division III Administrator of the Year Award.

Steward joined the Herons following three years as an assistant athletic director at Ithaca College.

She previously spent eight years at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire as a coach and athletic administrator, where she also earned a master’s degree in education. Steward began her professional career at St. Mary’s (Minn.) University as an assistant volleyball, basketball, and softball coach. She later served as the head softball coach for the Cardinals. A graduate of Winona State (Minn.) University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics education, Steward was a four-year letter winner in both softball and volleyball and played two seasons of basketball for the Warriors.