Brittney Miles has become the first woman to step into the role of athletic director at the University of Rhode Island, following her tenure as a former associate athletics director for internal operations.
Former AD Thorr Bjorn, who took over in 2007, received an opportunity to join his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in early November. As of Thursday, Nov. 27, Miles has taken up the role on an interim basis.
Miles grew up in Durham, New Hampshire, where both of her parents worked at the University of New Hampshire.
She attended the University of Vermont from 2003 to 2007, where she played basketball and was a captain for her third and fourth years. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology.
“I worked in the mental health field in addiction and chronic mental illness for about five years after getting my master’s, and I loved that work,” Miles said. “I still really lean every day on the foundation. But I did crave to get back to athletics and back to higher education.”
Miles served as an academic department tutor coordinator as a graduate student at UNH, earning her master’s degree in social work in 2010.
Following her five years as a clinical team manager with WestBridge Community Services in Medford, Massachusetts, Miles was recruited by Bjorn to join URI as an associate athletic director for internal operations in 2019.
“ I had just returned from maternity leave after having my first child and was really happy and loving the work I was doing in academic advising,” Miles said. “So he came and sat down and said, ‘do you want to do this?’ And I said no. Then, he said another time, ‘do you want to do this?’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll think about it.’ It was really his persistence and his belief in me that made me apply. So it was a moment of being comfortable where I was at, and he certainly pushed me to go a little bigger.”
Beyond encouraging Miles in her previous role, Miles said that Bjorn went above and beyond to guide her and stress the importance of work-life balance.
“[Bjorn] is really a remarkable person and boss,” Miles said. “He’s been a really incredible mentor; he’s brought me into projects and put me at his seat at the table to have a voice in times that are critical. Athletics is kind of a 24/7, 365 industry. You have to also make sure you’re prioritizing your family. And he’s always been a great example of that and encouraged us to do that, so I’ve appreciated that about him wholeheartedly as well.”
Although a temporary position, as URI announced on Nov. 21 that a 13-member search committee has been appointed to look for the next long-term AD, Miles said that it’s an honor to have been presented this opportunity by URI President Marc Parlange.
“ It’s hugely important, and being the first woman, it’s not something I take lightly,” Miles said. “It’s certainly something I’m humbled by and grateful for and value strongly.”
