EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced its leadership for the Council of Presidents and Committee on Athletics Administration (COAA) for the 2025-26 academic year. Mark R. Nemec, PhD, President of Fairfield University, has been appointed as Chair of the Council of Presidents, and Charles 'Chuck' Seifert, PhD, President of Siena University, has been appointed as Vice Chair of the Council of Presidents. Matthew Glovaski, Iona University Director of Athletics, will Chair the Committee on Athletics Administration, and Debbie Gregory, Saint Peter's University Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations, Business and Finance/Senior Woman Administrator, will Vice Chair the Committee on Athletics Administration. All four appointments are two-year terms, concluding in Spring 2027.
 
On July 1, 2017, Mark R. Nemec, PhD, became the first lay and ninth Ignatian President of Fairfield University. Working with his senior leadership team, constituents across campus, and the University's alumni and civic communities, President Nemec has positioned Fairfield to be a modern, Jesuit Catholic University of national prominence — committed to lifelong learning, holistic formation, and expansive partnership while instantiating academic excellence, fostering comprehensive achievement, and advancing educational access. A graduate of Loyola High School, Jesuit College Preparatory in Los Angeles, President Nemec earned a BA in English from Yale, where he was an All-Ivy League rugby player. He received an MA in education and a PhD in political science from the University of Michigan.   Dr. Nemec is the author of Ivory Towers and Nationalist Minds: Universities, Leadership, and the Development of the American State (University of Michigan Press, 2006), and a contributor to The Educational Legacy of Woodrow Wilson (University of Virginia Press, 2012).  Dr. Nemec serves on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the Business Higher Education Forum (BHEF).   He previously served as a member of the NCAA's Division 1 Presidential Forum and is immediate past Chair of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC).
 
Chuck Seifert, Ph.D., has served as the 13th president of Siena since June 2023 and has been a member of the Siena community for nearly 30 years. During his tenure, Siena has rapidly expanded its graduate offerings, tripled graduate enrollment, and unveiled a 50-thousand square foot-expansion of its science complex. Seifert is highly renowned for his work in the field of leadership effectiveness and currently serves as chair of the board of trustees for the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU). Seifert earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, an MBA from the Sage Colleges, and a Ph.D. in Leadership from the University at Albany. He began his career in banking before joining the Siena faculty, later serving as dean of the School of Business for nearly a decade prior to his presidency.
 
Matthew Glovaski enters his eighth year as Director of Athletics and 21st overall at Iona University in 2025-26. Since his appointment in 2018, the Gaels have captured multiple MAAC Championships, achieved record fundraising - including a $6 million renovation of the Hynes Athletics Center - and excelled academically and in community service. Glovaski previously served as Deputy AD and held key roles in internal operations and external affairs and was named MAAC Coach of the Year during his tenure as Iona's head golf coach. He is a graduate of Springfield College, where he earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees and was a four-year baseball letter winner.
 
Debbie Gregory enters her eleventh year at Saint Peter's in 2025-26 as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations, Business and Finance and serves as the department's Senior Woman Administrator. At Saint Peter's, Gregory oversees all aspects of the department and individual team's budgets and finances. She coordinates all team travel, including transportation and hotels, and works with the university finance team on budget planning and projections. Gregory also directs staffing hires and serves as the athletics liaison to the university human resources department. In addition to her budget and staffing responsibilities, she is the sport administrator for men's and women's cross country and track and field teams as well as the men's soccer program. Gregory is no stranger to the MAAC having worked across the Hudson River at Manhattan College (now university) for 18 years as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Finance. While in Riverdale for 18 years, Gregory was responsible for monitoring, tracking and controlling the Department's financial affairs, including accounts payable and receivable, individual team budgets and athletic financial aid. Gregory also was in charge of all team and administrative travel and all purchasing for the athletic department. She represented Manhattan on several conference and national committees, including the MAAC Men's Lacrosse Committee. 

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:

With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary's University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena University.

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