FLUSHING, N.Y. – The City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) has named Dr. Kurt Patberg as its Commissioner. A 40-plus year veteran of intercollegiate athletics administration, Patberg has extensive experience leading athletic conferences.
As Commissioner, Patberg will provide overall conference leadership, oversight and guidance and will serve as the primary contact for the NCAA and CUNYAC institutions. He will provide budgetary oversight, initiate corporate sponsorships and member recruitment, and lead branding efforts as the conference aims to continue to provide quality championship opportunities and student-athletes' experiences. Patberg will work in partnership with the CUNYAC member campuses to advance the conference’s strategy and vision.
Most recently, Patberg served as acting commissioner of the Collegiate Conference of the South – a newly created NCAA Division III conference. Previously, Patberg served as commissioner of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, a pair of Division II conferences, and was also commissioner of the NAIA’s Southern States Athletic Conference.
Patberg is also Vice President of Mammoth Sports Consulting and has consulted on many different topics and areas of collegiate athletics including conference affiliation and expansion to NCAA and NAIA transitions, to strategic planning, departmental reviews, etc. Additionally, as a leading search consultant for small colleges, he has conducted over 550 searches over the past 12-plus years.
Patberg joins CUNYAC as part of an agreement with Mammoth Sports Consulting to manage the conference for a period of three years. Under this management agreement CUNYAC will continue to provide a first-class championship experience for its student-athletes in 18 NCAA Division III sports, and aims to better align the conference’s operations, policies and procedures with its Division III peers.
Shawn Green will serve as Deputy Commissioner. Green comes to the CUNYAC after serving as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, Policy and Governance at his alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, to which he returned in 2019. He is the Wildcats’ senior compliance administrator responsible for all aspects of NCAA compliance.
Green, a former track and field student-athlete and coach, is also the Commissioner of the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA), which sponsors collegiate championships for cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.
Prior to his return to UNH, Green was at Southern New Hampshire University from 2015-19 as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance. His first stint at UNH working in compliance came from 2010-15. Before entering the administrative ranks, Green coached the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country teams at Quinnipiac University for nine years and led the men’s cross country and track and field program at Southern Connecticut State University for one year. He earned four conference Coach of the Year honors.
Laura Bourdo takes on the role of Associate Commissioner. She joins the team after an 11-year stint in the athletic department at Cabrini University. Bourdo held numerous roles during her time at Cabrini, most recently as Associate Director of Athletics - NCAA Compliance/SWA (2022-2024) after spending four years as Assistant Athletic Director of Athletics - Academic Services (2018-2022), Coordinator of Academic Services (2015-2018), and Dixon Center Coordinator of Facilities and Operations (2013-2015).
Bourdo oversaw all aspects of NCAA, ECAC, and Atlantic East eligibility and compliance. She developed and coordinated departmental programs that supported all student-athletes relative to academically-related services and implemented and executed a priority scheduling program for student-athletes. She also taught a first-year seminar to student-athletes.
Before arriving at Cabrini, Bourdo was involved in various activities during her time at Penn State Brandywine (2010-2013), including organizing intramural and club sports, game management and managing the school’s fitness center. She also acted as the athletic department’s equipment manager, along with scheduling games, travel and practice facilities.
Greg Royce joins the CUNYAC as Director of Communications after spending the last three-plus years at Goucher College, most recently as Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and Operations. At Goucher, he oversaw athletic communications for 20 NCAA Division III athletic programs as well as varsity equestrian and served as a member of the department’s leadership team. He started his Goucher tenure as Director of Athletic Communications before being promoted to his most recent post in February 2024.
Prior to Goucher, Royce was at Stevenson University for six years as Associate AD for Athletic Communications. A 25-year veteran of athletics communications, Royce has also held communications positions at his alma mater, Southern New Hampshire University (2007-15), American International College (2003-07) and the University of New Hampshire (2000-03).