Over the summer, Yale Athletics welcomed three new hires across a range of departments and promoted five staff members to director positions.  

At her formal appointment in 2018, Director of Athletics Vicky Chun emphasized the importance of building a “winning culture” within the department which would be supported by a variety of “talents, ethnicities, backgrounds and experiences.” 

Over the past four years, Chun has focused on increasing student-athlete academic performance and supported a range of facility renovations. Now, following the round of hires and promotions, Yale Athletics continues to build its internal infrastructure to support the department’s visions. 

“[Chun] and her team continue to surround themselves with incredibly talented people,” Broc Hazlet, associate director of athletics for brand management, wrote to the News. “In the ever-changing environment that is college athletics, we have found a way to both retain and promote internal staff while also recruiting talented people who share the department’s vision and goals. Some of the new hires in the external areas are very experienced and energetic; that energy filters throughout the department.”

The internal promotions included: Broc Hazlet; Ann-Marie Guglieri, executive deputy director and chief operating officer of athletics; GoEun Lee, senior associate director of athletics for business operations; Marissa Pearson, assistant director of athletics for administration operations; Jason Strong, senior associate director of athletics for compliance and student-athlete development. 

In addition, the department welcomed Eric Silakowski, associate director of athletics for development; Jay Judge, deputy director of athletics for external relations; and James Troutman, assistant athletic director for ticket operations. 

Judge, Hazlet and Troutman wrote to the News about their prior positions, new responsibilities and missions. 

Joining the Bulldogs after 10 years at Seton Hall, Judge most recently served as senior associate athletics director for development and external relations for the Pirates. At Yale, he will continue in a similar role in addition to working with the baseball, women’s ice hockey, men’s soccer and men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams.

Judge wrote that he was “intrigued” after coming across the position in a college athletics newsletter, despite not actively looking to leave Seton Hall at the time. But given Yale’s global brand and having grown up close to New Haven, he knew the position would be “a great opportunity professionally and personally.” 

After being at Yale for just over a month, Judge notes that he is still on a “listening and learning tour,” but that his number one goal is to ensure student-athletes are receiving a “first-class experience.” To do so, he plans to expand the existing success of the department’s strategic communications area, including improving ESPN+ programming. Judge also noted plans to increase revenue through the development and ticket offices, as well as to grow audience support at games.  

Judge highlighted the leadership within Yale Athletics and the role it has played in the department’s synergy. 

“The culture that the leadership of the department has implemented and worked so hard on truly shows,” Judge wrote. “There are amazing people in this department and I am excited to come to work everyday and excited for the future of Yale Athletics.”

Before his promotion, Hazlet handled all athletic apparel, equipment and management of the Yale Athletics Under Armour contract, licensing and branding. Now, in addition to maintaining these past responsibilities, he currently oversees the creative services department and tracks opportunities pertaining to “sport specific applications and technology that positively benefit our student athletes,” which he described as “The Metaverse.”  

Hazlet outlined his vision and goals for the position, which revolve around creating a larger social media presence and fostering a community with fans, alumni and the greater Yale community. He specifically mentioned efforts to “explore new endeavors that include [Yale Athletic’s] rich history while bringing in the new world of social media” and to find new ways to tell the stories of student-athletes and coaches. 

“It is such an honor to work with such young, talented, and smart individuals,” Hazlet wrote. “I do not know how these student-athletes — and students in general — do it. I love the fact that I get to meet people from all over the world and everyone has their own story.”

Troutman joined the Bulldogs from Utica, NY where he worked as the director of ticket operations for the Utica Comets, Utica City FC and the Adirondack Bank Center. Prior to that, he worked in collegiate athletics for three years and has wanted to reenter the field ever since. Upon seeing the open position at Yale, Troutman knew it was his chance to delve into Division I athletics. 

As director of ticket operations at Yale, Troutman’s mission is to reenergize the fan enthusiasm and attendance at games. To do so, he believes it is imperative to explore unique ticketing strategies and promotions — especially considering the recent changes across the collegiate athletics landscape. 

“I’d love to get to a point where every football game is like the [Yale-Harvard] Game,” Troutman wrote to the News,  “where a football game is the talk of the town, and the Yale Bowl is where everyone wants to be on a Saturday afternoon. For all our sports teams, I think putting a greater emphasis on the community and having groups come out in greater numbers is what gets us there.”

Judge and Troutman noted how smoothly their transitions this past month have been, with both of them praising the support and community within the department. 

Yale Athletics sponsors 35 varsity sports.