Brian Williams begins his 20th year as the Associate Director of Athletics, Wellness & Recreation at the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2020-21 and his 27th year overall at the College. As the Associate Director of Athletics, Williams is in charge of managing and scheduling the athletics facilities and some direct staff supervision.
Williams first came to New Paltz in 1994 as the head men’s and women’s swimming coach, a position he held for 10 years. From 2004-08, he served as the head women’s swimming coach, and following the 2007-08 season, Williams gave up his position as a coach to focus his time on his administrative duties.
For most of the 2013-14 academic year, Williams served as the interim commissioner of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), helping transition the conference between two commissioners while providing stability to the SUNYAC. From 2008-11, Williams served on the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Committee, and from 2009-11, he operated as the committee’s chair. Also an active participant on conference committees, he has served on the SUNYAC Constitution Committee, the SUNYAC Eligibility Committee, the SUNYAC Sportsmanship Committee and the SUNYAC Championships and Tournaments Committee. In addition, Williams served as a member of the Empire State Games Committee when the Games came to New Paltz in 2006.
A decorated coach, Williams was a three-time SUNYAC Coach of the Year, earning it twice on the men’s side (1995-96 and 2001-02) and once on the women’s side (1997-98). During his 14 years at the helm of both programs, he coached 38 SUNYAC champions, 17 NCAA qualifiers, eight All-Americans and one national champion.
Prior to New Paltz, Williams spent one year as an assistant coach at SUNY Cortland, where he was a standout swimmer from 1990-93. Williams, who was an All-American, was a member of a relay team that currently holds three records at Holsten Pool. He graduated from Cortland in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in elementary education.
