Thorr Bjorn left the university community with more questions than answers after news broke on Nov. 5 that he would be stepping down as athletic director at the end of the month.
Bjorn officially starts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in December, but his first appearance back with his alma mater came the day after the announcement in an introductory press conference.
Alongside UMass Football Head Coach Joe Harasimiyak and Athletic Director Ryan Bamford, Bjorn brought some answers on why he decided to make the move.
“The reason I’m here is because of the vision [Bamford] shared,” Bjorn said. “This is exciting; I’m fired up. It’s something that makes me really jacked.”
His connection to Amherst is clear, earning both of his degrees and meeting his wife in his time there. He now has a chance to oversee the rebuild of a football program that he was a three-year letter winner in.
“I got here a little bit early and took a walk in that football stadium,” Bjorn said. “My memories just came flooding back to me. It was just amazing; it’s a special place.”
In Rhode Island’s athletics department, Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations Brittney Miles is gearing up to step in as interim AD ahead of a nationwide search for a permanent replacement.
“It was the same shock as everybody else had,” Miles said. “I didn’t learn too much before everybody else did.”
Leading the department for more than 18 years, Bjorn was one of the longest-tenured and most prominent faces in athletics.
“Most people don’t know Rhode Island athletics without Thorr at the helm,” Miles said. “There’s only a handful that have been here longer than he has.”
Following a contract extension in June, Bjorn had built up to becoming vice president for athletics before his departure.
“Thorr is beloved here by all the staff, the coaches, the student-athletes,” Miles said. “I think there was a lot of sadness, almost a grieving reaction, to be honest.”
Bjorn is leaving Rhode Island at a high point, both on the field and in the classroom. The Rams have won 11 league championships across six sports in the past three years, while student-athletes achieved a record 3.26 cumulative GPA last fall.
“You know a good thing when you have it,” Miles said. “It’s hard to put into words what that loss feels like.”
Inheriting the department midyear, Miles plans to keep things “as positive and stable and moving forward as we can.”
“There’s no better time to be here, to be leading it, to be a part of it,” Miles said. “I’m just so proud to be able to have an opportunity to take the lead of this group.”
Miles will become the first woman to lead the athletics department in the university’s history; only 12 people have held the position since 1909.
“I’m really proud of being in that position to be the first female,” Miles said. “I don’t take it lightly, I think it’s an important pillar of the future.”
During this transition period, Miles has already seen her schedule start to fill up on top of her normal workload overseeing the school’s in-season football and men’s basketball programs.
“Thorr and I are in communication daily; we’ll continue to be that way,” Miles said. “He’s a great mentor and a great friend and has been incredibly supportive and encouraging of me.”
No formal succession plan was in place in anticipation of Bjorn’s move, according to Miles.
“There are conversations and planning, and then when circumstances arise, you just have people step into roles that they can,” Miles said. “It was important that as quickly as this announcement hit, we came together with a plan to move forward as well.”
The final question Bjorn answered at his introductory press conference was perhaps the one that many wanted to know most: why leave?
“[UMass] is home,” Bjorn said. “I wouldn’t leave for anywhere else, I wouldn’t. I loved Rhode Island.”
