New Paltz, NY — After eight years at the State University of New York at New Paltz, Monica D'Ippolito has stepped down from her position as Senior Director of Athletic Communications, Marketing and Social Media. 

D'Ippolito will join the Hawks' Athletics Communications and Digital Media Staff at Division I Monmouth University ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year as the departments Executive Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communications. 

"Monica has shepherded our athletic communications efforts to new heights," said SUNY New Paltz Director of Athletics, Wellness and Recreation Renee Bostic. "She has built a strong and sustainable foundation that will continue to yield benefits for the department for years to come."

Since her arrival in August 2017, D'Ippolito has elevated the standards of the Athletic Communications department, serving as its director until her promotion to Senior Director in 2022. 

For her entire tenure, D'Ippolito has overseen countless facets of athletic operations, from game day procedures and statistics, to upkeeping records and archives of past athletes and teams, to pre- and post-game coverage and athletic features on the nphawks.com website — for all 17 varsity programs at SUNY New Paltz. 

D'Ippolito wore many hats in her position, including serving on the Hawks Athletics Hall of Fame committee, while being an active member of College Sports Communicators and a voting member for D3hoops.com men's basketball top-25 poll. D'Ippolito also had the responsibility of nominating athletes for a plethora of awards and accolades at the conference, regional and national levels. 

Most notably during her time at SUNY New Paltz, however, D'Ippolito enlivened the athletic department's social media presence. Spanning multiple platforms, D'Ippolito worked to create and post video and photo content that not only highlighted the success of Hawk programs but also spotlighted individual athletes and their accomplishments. 

"Monica changed the trajectory of how Sports Communications at New Paltz was handled," said SUNY New Paltz Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Wellness and Recreation Brian Williams. "She transformed the department into a modern vision that focused on social media, video, and student-centered content." 

While working to promote Hawks athletics on social media, D'Ippolito also employed students and student-athletes alike for game-day operations or for digital media and journalism internships. Under her guidance, D'Ippolito prepared hundreds of students for careers in sports and sports media. 

"Monica has created a meaningful training ground for our student staff," said Bostic. She has provided valuable opportunities for those interested in athletic communications to grow and develop." 

D'Ippolito also worked closely with the Wellness and Recreation side of the department, promoting intramural and recreational sports opportunities and advertising events and changes at the Athletic and Wellness Center. 

"I have had the pleasure of working closely with Monica for the last four years and she has truly been one of, if not the, most important and hardworking people within our department," said SUNY New Paltz Assistant Wellness and Recreation Director Skyler Cain. "Monica has left a truly irreplaceable mark on our department, our student-athletes, and our university."

Beyond the duties of her position, D'Ippolito fostered a welcoming environment for students, athletes and staff to work together to improve operations in the department every day, curating an office full of collaboration and camaraderie. 

"I truly enjoyed working with Monica on a day-to-day basis and her passion for her work was inspirational and will have a lasting effect not only on me, but on so many people who had the opportunity to get to know her," said Williams. "She will be greatly missed." 

"Thank you, Monica, for consistently showing up as a Hawk and for your lasting impact on our program," added Bostic.

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