KINGSTON, R.I. - Nick Yanco has joined the University of Rhode Island as the Associate Athletic Director for Development it was announced today.

Beginning June 1, Yanco will lead the URI athletics development team as part of the URI Foundation's Unit Development Team.

Yanco comes to Rhode Island from Boston College, where he has been since January of 2021. Initially a volunteer intern for marketing and ticket sales, he was promoted to Associate Director: Athletics Leadership Giving in June of 2025.

"We are excited to welcome Nick to the URI family," Rhode Island Vice President and Director of Athletics Pat Lyons said. " Nick has built a tremendous reputation through his philanthropic work in college athletics and in the evolving landscape of collegiate sports, our ability to generate the resources necessary to support our student-athletes and coaches will be more important than ever. I'm confident that under Nick's leadership, we will continue the great momentum URI athletics has built."

During his tenure on the Boston College Athletics Development Team, Yanco closed on more than $6.75 million in fundraising. In his role, Yanco supported alumni, family, and friends of Boston College in the New England area, as well as the Mid-Atlantic and southern states.

In addition to his fundraising work in athletics, Yanco was a university fundraiser on the New England Leadership Giving team at Boston College and spent two years on the Ticket Sales and Services team, where he held roles as an Account Manager and Assistant Director of CRM and Data Analytics. He also served as the emcee of the Boston College men's hockey team games for the last three seasons.

"URI Athletics is entering an exciting new chapter, and this hire represents another important step in building the momentum we believe is possible for the University of Rhode Island," said URI Vice President for University Advancement and CEO of the URI Foundation Mark Antonucci. "With the vision and energy of Pat Lyons and our athletics leadership team, combined with Nick's proven track record in athletics philanthropy, we have a tremendous opportunity to position URI Athletics for long-term success."

During his time at Boston College, Yanco earned his MBA from the Carroll School of Management. Originally from Rutland, Mass., he earned his degree in Business and Politics in 2020 from Brandeis University, where he was a member of the Judges' baseball program.