Danielle Surprenant Named Senior Associate Athletic Director

Surprenant will oversee internal operations and serve as SWA

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois Director of Athletics Matt Tanney announced the addition of Danielle Surprenant to the Leatherneck Athletics staff. Surprenant takes over as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator.

She will serve as a sport supervisor and oversee athletic department operations for: budget operations, compliance, academic services, equipment services, and human resources/personnel management.

"I am beyond excited to be joining the team at Western Illinois University. I would like to thank Dr. Jack Thomas and Matt Tanney for the opportunity to work alongside the great coaches, staff and student-athletes at WIU. I am thrilled to be a Leatherneck and look forward to joining the proud tradition of the athletic department," said Surprenant.

Surprenant joins Western Illinois after working the past seven years at Quincy University as the Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Internal Operations while also serving as the SWA. She worked with the daily operations for the 18 sports NCAA Division II program (more than 450 student-athletes) with oversight of men's and women's basketball, softball, women's swimming, men's and women's volleyball, athletic training, cheer and dance.

She's a current member of the National Association for Athletics Compliance and Women Leaders in College Sports.

"We're excited to have Danielle join the administrative team in Leatherneck Athletics. Her prior senior-level leadership experiences at other NCAA institutions is a welcome addition to the department," said Tanney. "Our coaches, staff, and student-athletes will benefit from her professional competencies across a variety of internal operations areas. She demonstrated during the interview process, that in her role as Senior Woman Administrator, she will serve as a great advocate and administrative resource for our sport programs."

In the fall of 2010, Surprenant joined the Hawks as Assistant AD and SWA. She was elevated to her current position in 2015. Her duties included compiling and submitting annual NCAA report, such as: academic success rates, academic performance, EADA, financial summary and sport sponsorship. She currently serves on the GLVC Budget and Finance Committee.

She worked for a year at Stony Brook University as Academic Advisor and Student-Athlete Development. While at SBU she worked with eight sports and more than 250 student-athletes. Surprenant helped create and plan CHAMPS/Life Skills programs and co-advised the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

A May 2007 graduate of Saint Francis (Pa.), she earned her bachelor's degree in Marketing and Management. She earned her master's degree from Indiana State in 2009 and during her time worked as a graduate assistant for Academic Services.

A native of Carthage, Illinois, she currently resides in Carthage with her husband Grant and two children.

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