At the end of the spring 2012 semester, Camille Campanile will resign as coordinator of student athlete development and head cross country coach, a year after being hired. A final decision, made by Campanile, came after several meetings with Director of Athletics Jamey Ventura.
“The decision was all on Camille,” said Ventura. “She told me that she was resigning.”
“This was a personal decision by Camille,” said Dean of Students Dave Bergh.
Campanile was unavailable for comment.
In the fall 2012 semester, Johnson State hired Ventura as the new athletic director. Following his hiring, the coordinator of student athlete development and head coach position was developed and posted. Campanile was one of the applicants.
“We ultimately decided on Camille because of her high energy and motivation,” said Ventura, “and because this is a new position, it was all on Camille to find her way. We knew Camille would come into the job with a lot of ideas.”
Campanile expressed to Ventura that time away from her kids, and her husband’s demanding coaching schedule, caused her to become overworked.
“She had pneumonia for a month during the winter, and wasn’t able to be here for some of that time,” said Ventura. “The coordinator of student athlete development is more than a nine to five job.”
Ventura and Bergh expressed disappointment after receiving the news of Campanile’s resignation.
“While we are disappointed to lose Camille after a year, the work she accomplished and the relationships with students that she built validated our decision to create the position and showed us the potential that it holds,” said Bergh.
Ventura expressed that his goal is to staff a department with high retention so that the programs can be built up.
“This position will have a vital role in the strengthening, growth, and development of intercollegiate athletics at JSC,” said Bergh. “I am very excited about the future of JSC athletics.”
Murphy stated that she has been a constant supporter of the Campaniles.
“I recommended Camille for the position she occupied,” said Murphy. “On a personal level, I appreciate the variety and vitality [The Campaniles] bring to JSC and am proud to have them as our alumni.”
“I am optimistic that the position will be filled well before the start of fall semester,” said Murphy.
The coordinator of student athlete development position has been posted. Ventura has 94 applications submitted. In time, he’ll assemble a hiring committee and a decision should be made before the fall 2012 semester.
Campanile remains as the coordinator of student athlete development until the end of May.
