KINGSTON, R.I. – Marissa Mezzanotte has joined Rhode Island Athletics as the Assistant Director for Advising Programs. In the newly established role, she will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Athletic Advising staff.

Familiar to the University community, Mezzanotte has worked at URI as an Assistant Director for Compliance in Enrollment Services since April of 2020. In that role, she worked closely with Athletics, particularly Chief NCAA Compliance Officer and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Kacey Light.

"Marissa has dedicated her life to improving the lives of collegiate student-athletes," Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn said. "Her expertise in academic advising combined with her understanding of collegiate athletics made her an ideal fit for this new role. Marissa is an asset that will continue to strengthen the support we provide to all of our student-athletes."

Before coming to URI, Mezzanotte spent seven years at Providence College as an Academic Coordinator for the men's basketball program. She also served as a Deputy Title IX Coordinator in Student Affairs. From 2008-12, she was an Academic Skills Specialist at Bryant University.

Since 2002, she has worked with the University of Central Florida's Institute for Sport and Social Justice, travelling to more than 100 colleges and universities around the country to provide leadership training for student-athletes, student leaders, coaches and administrators on the issue of gender violence prevention and education. In the role, she has conducted domestic violence and sexual assault prevention and intervention training for Major League Baseball's Mandatory Violence Prevention programs, as well as NBA players, coaches, and front office staff.

Mezzanotte began her career in higher education at Northeastern, where she was the Associate Director for the school's Mentors in Violence Prevention Program. She managed day-to-day operations and implemented culturally competent gender violence prevention and education programs with diverse student populations.

A former student-athlete, Mezzanotte played basketball at Boston College from 1989 to 1993. A team captain as a senior, she was a BIG EAST Academic All-Star each season of her career. She earned a bachelor's degree in History in 1993, and later completed a master's degree in Secondary Education and Teaching in 1998.