Tammy Petrucelli was named the department's first female Deputy Athletics Director in 2021 and has assumed the designation of Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). The purpose of the SWA designation is to promote meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of an institution’s intercollegiate athletics program. Through this role she will continue to provide leadership to men’s and women’s sports and issues.
Petrucelli oversees academic services and student development departments as well as NCAA and Title IX compliance. She also has sport oversight of women's basketball, field hockey, swimming & diving, women’s wrestling as well as men's and women's' golf.
Petrucelli elevated the student-athlete experience at Sacred Heart University in her prior duties as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Support Services. Petrucelli has been instrumental in addressing the needs of SHU student-athletes on and off the field. She worked to provide priority class registration for in-season student-athletes and worked in partnership with university stakeholders to review and implement a streamlined academic standards policy for all students. She played a pivotal role in reinvigorating the Faculty Athletic Mentor (FAM) Program to increase opportunities for student-athletes and faculty to connect and learn from each other.
Petrucelli introduced the "Playbook for Success," a program aimed at setting up first-year student-athletes in their transition to college. She followed that with the creation of the “Jumpstart Your Semester Program” as well as the “Life After College” event.
She also saw a need to address student-athlete mental health by supporting the student led initiative, Heart-to-Heart a mental health awareness campaign. That led to a collaboration with the university counseling center and the dean of students to designate an embedded mental health counselor within the athletics department.
Petrucelli serves on the Northeast Conference (NEC) DEI Administrative Committee and helped advise student-athletes in the creation of, Every Heart is Sacred, a student-led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative. She is a member of SHU’s WGSS (women’s gender sexuality studies) faculty/staff network. Petrucelli is a member of the President's Athletic Advisory Committee (PAAC) and is the chairperson for the athletic department's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee.
A graduate of American International College, Petrucelli joined SHU in 2011 as the Assistant Director of Placement for the College of Arts and Sciences within the Center for Career & Professional Development Office. Less than two years later she was promoted to director and provided counseling to SHU students in identifying majors and career paths that align with the student's goals, interests, and values. She moved to athletics in 2014, as director for student-athlete support services, advancing to Associate AD in 2016, and Senior Associate AD in 2019.
She resides in West Haven, Conn., with her spouse, Susan.
