College Sports Information Directors of America

Lisa Champagne – New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Assistant Director for Media Relations

CSC Hall of Fame Class of 2024 

by Ali Paquette, Middlebury College Assistant AD

In thinking about Women's History Month, there are a few women in the College Sports Communicators community that can be considered pioneers in the profession. One of those women is Lisa Champagne, who will join the illustrious list of athletic communications pros in the CSC Hall of Fame.
 
Champagne, a multi award-winning sports communicator who has spent her entire career in New England, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on June 10th during the CSCUNITE24 national convention in Las Vegas. She has served as assistant director of media relations at the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) since 2016, following time at the University of Vermont, Saint Michael's College and Quinnipiac University.
 
"I could not be happier for Lisa to be recognized with the well-earned honor," said Bill Chaves, Director of Athletics at the University of North Dakota. "Her dedication to the field of athletic communications has only been surpassed by her dedication to the student-athletes, coaches, staff, institutions and conferences that she has served. The CSC Hall of Fame has just become that more prestigious with the addition of Lisa." 
 
"I am proud to be a woman in this profession," Champagne noted. "In my first full-time role at Saint Michael's College in Vermont, I believe it was myself and Judy Willson (a former CSC president) who were the only head women SIDs at a Division II institution. We leaned on each other for help, and I am now thrilled to see many more women thriving in this profession. It is not easy to be a woman in the sports industry. Things have improved, but there is more room for improvement and much more room for women in this profession."
 

 Champagne with CSC Hall of Famer Ed Carpenter (retired from Boston University) in the press tribune at the 2002 Winter Olympics at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center in Midway, Utah.

When Champagne began her career as a student assistant at Southern New Hampshire University in 1992, there were very few women in sports information, and even fewer occupying roles as directors of a department.
 
With a career spanning several decades, Champagne is most known for the relationships she has fostered, the trail she has helped blaze for women in the profession, and the way she tirelessly promotes student-athletes and people in industry. 
 
"The amazing thing about Lisa is that she always finds time for her friends and fellow SIDs, for both the professional and the personal moments," said Pete Lefresne, former Associate Commissioner at the North Atlantic Conference. "She is always available to help a colleague unravel an issue on the backend of their website, or simply listen and offer support in dealing with life's daily challenges in a demanding profession.

Lisa does not seek recognition or acknowledgment; that's nowhere in her DNA. But she is absolutely worthy of this tribute from her peers in honor of her long-standing dedication to the athletic communications profession, and her excellence in elevating the achievements of student-athletes."
Even as a student assistant at her alma mater, New Hampshire College (now known as Southern New Hampshire University), Champagne made an immediate impact.
 
"I had just started my career in sports information at New Hampshire College where Lisa was a student-athlete," said Thomas McDermott, now director of athletic communications at Daemen University. "You never know what to expect from student assistants, but Lisa was more than I could have hoped for. Reliable, knowledgeable, and eager to learn. It has been great to see her rise through the ranks in the world of sports information over the years, and she is so deserving of this honor."
 
Champagne continues to impact the profession and its professionals, having mentored dozens and dozens of athletic communicators throughout her time in the field. 

"I would not be where I am today in this profession without her," said Amie Canfield, UMass Dartmouth assistant AD and the current D3SIDA President. "When I was an undergraduate at the University of Vermont, Lisa took a chance on me. She taught me the ins and outs of the profession and encouraged me to make a career out of it. She showed me how to be a professional, how to work with others, how to believe in myself and to understand how I was a capable woman in athletic communications. She is a Hall of Famer, through and through, and it has been my honor and privilege to not only call her a mentor and a colleague in this profession, but also one of my very best friends." 

 Champagne with the captains of the Bowdoin women's basketball team after Bowdoin earned the 2024 NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship.

As Dan Ruede, associate director of athletics at the University of New Haven notes, "I met Lisa in my early days as an undergraduate student traveling with men's soccer, and for the last 25-plus years, have considered her a mentor and friend. Lisa is an ideal candidate for induction into the College Sports Communicators Hall of Fame, pouring everything she has into promoting student-athletes on campus and from a conference office and doing so while holding herself and others to the highest standards.
 
During my time on the CSC Executive Board, I often turned to Lisa for guidance on topics under discussion and she was always willing to assist and advocate for everyone in our profession."
 
Champagne has pushed herself throughout her career, and served in many leadership roles. She has worked various high-profile sporting events on the national and world stages, including the Olympics. Champagne served as a 2002 Winter Olympics Games media relations staff member at Soldier Hollow for the Nordic, biathlon, and Nordic-combined events in Salt Lake City, Utah. Champagne also worked at Women's (Soccer) World Cup international events and helped coordinate the 2012 Ice Hockey Women's World Championships that were hosted by the University of Vermont and the City of Burlington.
 
She is an active member of CSC, serving on numerous committees with leadership in the CSC Women (formerly WoSIDA) group. Champagne also was co-host for the 2018 ECAC-SIDA (now EAST-COMM) Workshop.
 
Champagne's latest challenge has come by serving at a conference office, something Champagne had not done before joining the NESCAC.
 
Paul Sweeney, Tufts University athletic communications specialist said, "I was thrilled when Lisa got the NESCAC job. I didn't know her well from her days at Vermont, but I knew she was good and would be great for our conference. With so many sports, and all of the successes athletically and academically, the NESCAC job is a challenge. Lisa has handled it so well and is a tremendous person to work with. For me, becoming friends with Lisa has been one of the best parts of the job in recent years."
 
Her upcoming induction into the CSC Hall of Fame is a crowning achievement in a career which has seen Champagne gain numerous honors and accolades. Champagne earned the 2008 Zabriskie Award for Excellence by the Vermont Athletic Department and was the 2013 ECAC-SIDA Irving T. Marsh Award recipient, recognized for her contributions to, and excellence in, the sports communications profession. 
 
Champagne was taken aback when receiving word about her CSC Hall of Fame induction.
 
"I was stunned and speechless! It is still surreal to think my name will be included with so many folks I have looked up to in my career in this profession who are included in the CSC Hall of Fame," Champagne stated. "It is truly an honor to join this esteemed group of individuals.
 
While reflecting on my career I am so grateful for the relationships I have built with colleagues, administrators, and student-athletes over the past 25-plus years."