Meiser Honored as Title IX Trailblazer

Pat Meiser

University of Hartford Director of Athletics/Special Assistant to the President Pat Meiser has been honored by the America East Conference as a Title IX Trailblazer as part of the NACWAA Title IX Trailblazer Tribute Video Contest. Meiser is one of 25 nominees submitted to NACWAA for inclusion in the contest. See video.

The NACWAA will award the subject of the video receiving the most views on the NACWAA YouTube Channel with $9,000 to support women’s athletics programs and/or female staff professional development. 

Meiser, in her 20th year as Director of Athletics for the University of Hartford, has contributed to intercollegiate athletics as a player, coach, and administrator. She has seen the development and impact of Title IX over the past four decades firsthand.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from West Chester University (’69) and her M.Ed. (’71) from Penn State, Meiser was the head women’s basketball coach and a tenured faculty member with the Nittany Lions. She handed out the first women’s basketball scholarship at Penn State (’74) and later served as associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Connecticut, playing a pivotal role in the rejuvenation of the athletics program.

Since becoming Director of Athletics at Hartford, Meiser has enhanced the Hawks’ and the America East Conference’s commitment to academics, athletics, and leadership through student-athlete and staff engagement, community outreach and service, and a capital campaign which funded a major upgrade to athletics facilities.

She is one of just 30 Division I female directors of athletics and has won the Northeast Region I-AAA Athletic Director of the Year award twice for her significant contributions.