This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

BOE Taps Mamary as First Woman to Head Blue Devil Athletics

Head Athletic Trainer Sandy Mamary has been named Supervisor of Athletics, succeeding long time Athletic Director Ed Tranchina.

Sandy Mamary made history Tuesday night becoming the first woman in Westfield history to take the helm of Blue Devils athletics.

The Board of Education officially confirmed Mamary, the high school's head athletic trainer, as the new supervisor of athletics starting today. Mamary is replacing the retiring Ed Tranchina, who has been in the district for 25 years as both athletic director and head varsity football coach.

The position of supervisor of athletics was formerly known as athletic director. In addition to overseeing intramural and interscholastic extracurricular athletics, tasks always associated with what the athletic director has always done, Mamary will also oversee the physical education department. The change of title is part of a statewide trend.

Find out what's happening in Westfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While introducing Mamary to the board, Schools Superintendent Margaret Dolan said that Mamary is "well known in the community and has been very active in sports for 23 years. I would dare to say that every athlete during those 23 years knows her."

According to a BOE press release, over 60 applicants were reviewed for the position by a committee that included members of the central administration, principals in the district, members of the BOE, teachers, coaches, and parents.

Find out what's happening in Westfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The decision among the committee members was unanimous. Mamary has been viewed as the frontrunner for the position since Tranchina announced his retirement.

In addition to being the first woman to hold the top spot in Westfield athletics, Mamary is the fifth person to helm the department. The post has seen little turnover with Tranchina and his predecessor, Gary Kehler, holding the post for decades. Mamary was hired for the trainer's post by Kehler.

Mamary joins the growing ranks of female athletic heads around the state, which now number 70 out of 400. Within Union County, both Hillside and Elizabeth have female athletic directors.

Dolan said that Mamary received the appointment because of "the dedication, hard work, and commitment to athletics [Mamary] has shown."

Mamary attended East Stroudsburg University and graduated with a BA in Health and Physical Education; she received her Master in Educational Administration from Kean University.

In addition to fulfilling her duties at WHS, Mamary is also a professor at Kean University and is also affiliated with Monclair State University and Seton Hall University.

WHS Principal Peter Renwick is cited in the BOE press release as saying: "Ms. Mamary has been a dependable and essential part of the fabric of this school district for 23 years. She is a skilled professional who is completely committed to our student athletes. I welcome her to our administrative team."

Mamary's appointment is being greeted with excitement in the community. Councilman Mark Ciarrocca noted she is a good fit for the position and Mayor Andy Skibitsky along with his wife, Debbie, expressed support for the appointment.

"The Skibitskys are thrilled," Mrs. Skibitsky said.

"I am anxious because I know what lies ahead and I am certainly excited," Mamary said at the meeting.

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?