November 11, 2003

WESSELY AND STALLINGS NAMED TO ACTING
POSITIONS AT RUTGERS-NEWARK

WESSELY TO SERVE AS ACTING ATHLETIC DIRECTOR;
STALLINGS TO SERVE AS ACTING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

 
Mary Wessely has been appointed the Acting Director of Athletics for Rutgers Newark, effective immediately, Provost Steven Diner has announced. She will fill the vacancy created by the tragic and untimely death of John Adams. A search for a new Athletic Director will begin shortly.

Also effective immediately, John Stallings, currently Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director, will become Acting Associate Director of Athletics.

“I am grateful to both Mary and John for their willingness to assume these important new duties,” Diner stated, “and feel confident that our athletics program will be in capable hands in this interim period.”

“I look forward to working closely with Wessely and Stallings to continue the legacy of John Adams to ensure an outstanding intercollegiate and recreation program that promotes both academic and athletic ability, leadership, sportsmanship, and service,” said Marcia Brown, Associate Provost for Student and Community Affairs.

Wessely joined the campus community in July 2001 as Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator. Wessely worked closely with Adams, adding experience and focus to the Scarlet Raiders with her extensive background in intercollegiate athletic administration and strong knowledge of NCAA compliance procedures.

Wessely is currently President-elect of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), and the chairman and advisor of the ten team league’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey Executive and Awards committees, and is completing a two-year stint as President of the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW).

Prior to coming to Rutgers, Wessely worked for St. Peter’s College, serving in several major positions. She served on the NCAA Certification Self-Study Steering Committee and Academic Integrity Subcommittee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association as well as the Middle States Accreditation Self-Study Steering Committee.

Mary Wessely holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from Iona College and a Master of Arts degree in Education with a Sports Management concentration from the University of Connecticut.

Stallings joined the Rutgers-Newark Athletics staff as Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director in December 2000.

A veteran athletic administrator with over 20 years of experience in sports and media relations, compliance, game operations and event management, Stallings has worked at his alma mater Elizabeth City State University, East Carolina University, Wagner College, New Jersey City University and Kean University. His background also includes stints as a sports editor and staff writer for several daily newspapers in North Carolina. He has worked at numerous regional and sectional NCAA championships in basketball, football, baseball, soccer and softball, and was an assistant venue press chief for beach volleyball at the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York City.

Stallings holds a MBA in marketing and management from Wagner College and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Elizabeth City State University.