SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
- Creative administrator with more than fifteen years of successful managerial and coaching experience in athletics, recreation, team building, and physical education at public and private institutions
- Demonstrates exceptional ability in strategic planning and executing the organization’s mission and vision
- Dynamic and self-motivated with a proven record of academic coaching success, with expertise in goal setting, student progress monitoring, behavioral counseling and educational support planning
- Creates positive and productive work environments through effective supervision, conflict resolution, and a strong commitment to professional development
- An effective and proactive communicator who is responsive to input and has a strong ability to garner support with senior level administrators, faculty, staff, and students at all organizational levels
- Effectively balances priorities, fosters shared leadership and encourages innovation with a unique ability to successfully manage multiple tasks simultaneously
PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Dass’ career has been nothing less than stellar, as she has served as a change agent for multiple institutions. Throughout Dass’ career, she has taken struggling programs and implemented impactful changes that have led to multiple championships. Dass’ ability to change the culture of an institution is invaluable and is why she made a critical decision to start a consulting business to assist leaders, coaches, athletes and parents to successfully navigate the sports industry.
Currently, Dass has made a decision to jump back into the coaching realm serving as the head women’s volleyball coach at Monroe College in the Bronx. Dass is excited about the opportunity and looks forward to building another championship-caliber program. Judging by her past, the Monroe Express team is in good hands and it won’t be long until they are vying for a championship title.
Most recently, Dass served as the Director of Athletics at Hostos Community College and to call her impact transformative would be an understatement. While the athletic teams had been relatively competitive, they have been on record runs since her arrival. Since that time, Hostos teams have won regional and conference titles, plus a 2015 Region XV title with the men’s basketball team and a 2017 and 2018 Region XV title with the women’s basketball team. And most recently, she supported the women’s basketball team during its run through the NJCAA D-III Tournament—a first for the program—where it finished 5th in the nation in 2017 and winning the NJCAA National Title in 2018.
But the success the Caimans, as well as the entire Athletics Department staff, have enjoyed is just the tip of the iceberg. The gymnasium is also almost unrecognizable, all part of a huge facelift that included an upgraded weight room, aerobics room, gymnasium and aquatics center.
Dass’ CUNY resume reads like a recipe book for sports success, having made a large impact at three other institutions, including Hunter College, City College of New York, and Baruch College, before coming to Hostos in April 2013.
Dass worked in various capacities within Student Affairs at The City College of New York, assisting in creating new initiatives and enhancing programming, policies and procedures. As the volleyball coach, Dass led the Beavers to the 2009 City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Women’s Volleyball Championship Title and a berth in the NCAA Division III Tournament. In 2008, she led the team to a CUNYAC regular-season championship and earning Coach of the Year honors. In 2007, she tied the school’s record for the most wins in a season (26), while capturing Coach of the Year honors again.
At Baruch College, Dass’ contributions were significant as she rebranded the athletic program, changing the school’s mascot, instituting paid memberships, and developing initiatives that led to a substantial expansion in the department’s budget. As the women’s volleyball coach, Dass lead the Bearcats to two CUNYAC Tournament championship matches and won regular-season and championship titles in 2005 and was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005.
At Hunter College, Dass worked in multiple capacities and was able to hone her skills in all areas of athletic administration. Dass credits her success in the sports industry in large part to the foundation laid at Hunter. As a student-athlete at Hunter, Dass was flying high, earning top honors in CUNYAC, including Rookie of the Year and two Player of the Year awards. Additionally, Dass won Most Valuable Player awards for both the CUNYAC Tournament and for the Hunter College women’s volleyball team.
Outside of CUNY, she helped transition the program at Sarah Lawrence College to NCAA Division III status as the Associate Director of Athletics and Women’s Volleyball Coach. As the coach, it took Dass one year to lead that team to the 2012 Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference Championship where she also won HVWAC Coach of the Year.
Throughout her career, Dass has emphasized the importance of team development, sporting the motto “Team is Family” wherever she goes. As evident by her administrative and coaching accomplishments, Dass has proven that she has the “Midas Touch”. She continues to make her mark in athletic administration, having been awarded the 2016 “Administrator of the Year” by the national organization, Women Leaders in College Sports.
“I use sports as a vehicle to change attitudes, behaviors and ultimately lives,” Dass said. “It is what drives me to build championship-caliber programs so that the students and staff alike feel a sense of pride, accomplishment and camaraderie.”
Currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University, Dass said her goal at every stop has been the same: change the culture for the better through athletics.