Bentley University’s athletic program has been a model of stability at the top, with only two people leading the program since 1963. Last month, Vaughn Williams became the third.
Williams was hired as the school’s athletics director, assuming the reins from Bob DeFelice, who announced late last year that he was stepping down as AD after a 29-year tenure, but who will remain as head baseball coach. Williams was a senior associate athletics director at Boston College for the last three years.
“It’s a great institution and great location that offers an opportunity to be excellent at everything, so when there was an opening it was a no-brainer that if I had an opportunity to get back in the chair, and lead again from the chair, this would be a great place to do it that’s a fit with my values,” said Williams. “It was an easy one. This was win-win from every perspective of trying to have it all for my family and for me professionally.”
DeFelice is on board with the new boss. “I’ve known Vaughn for over 15 years and have followed his career during that time frame. Success has followed him at every stop and will continue to do so at Bentley,” said DeFelice. “Bentley University could not have selected a better person for this position. His experience and knowledge speak volumes, but his greatest attributes are his people skills and integrity.”
A 1992 graduate of UMass, where he played football, Williams held administrative posts at UConn, Utah and had a first stint at BC, earning a Masters degree there, prior to being named athletics director at Kennesaw State in Georgia in 2011.
In six years there, Williams oversaw the creation of a Division I football program and received the NACDA Football Championship Subdivision Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award in 2017 before the lure of returning to New England and working under Martin Jarmond brought him back to BC.
Williams believes his background and journey to Bentley will be a benefit in his second go-round heading an athletic department.
“I definitely have more confidence in myself. I know exactly who I am as a leader and I think that is an advantage,” said Williams. “I’m not trying to be the perfect leader, I’m just trying to be the best Vaughn Williams for Bentley. Being (at BC) the last three years has given me time to evaluate strategies and ways that I manage and lead and influence and how can I be better for the next job, so it’s perfect timing, I think.”
Williams realizes the unique challenge he faces entering into a new situation with so much uncertainty created by the pandemic. The Northeast-10 voted to cancel fall sports in July and the winter season is still up in the air. Williams said the program developed a strong strategic plan for the future under DeFelice, and that he will take this time as an opportunity to forge a connection with the community.
“We’re going to assess. I’m going to have to listen and get to know the people on campus and assess how we are going to go about attaining those goals, but at the same time we are dealing with COVID-19, and that’s a real thing and no institution is immune from that,” said Williams.
“I’m going to take my key from the university, and we have to reprioritize what we do right now to get us through this time, but we want to bring out the excellence that is Bentley University and how they send people out into the world to succeed, and now trying to raise that level in athletics, make sure our student-athletes can receive all that Bentley can offer from academics and socially and bring that to field of play.”
While Williams joins the small circle of Bentley ADs, as an African-American, he is also a member of another club that he wishes wasn’t so exclusive. According to the 2019 College Racial and Gender Report Card, only about 10 percent of athletic director positions in Division II were held by people of color, with similar numbers across all divisions.
“It’s important for me to be an athletic director, but yes, I am an African-American athletic director. Diversity is important. I wear it with a badge of honor — there are many that have gone before me to make it possible,” said Williams. “There is no time better than now to move forward. There are proven leaders out there like Martin Jarmond (now at UCLA) and Marcus Blossom (Holy Cross) that have shown they can do it at every level and all we need is the opportunity to show that we can do it. We need to feel that we can go anywhere and be valued as leaders. I do think things are improving, but we still have some work to do.”
