Trish O’Brien, who has served for the last 3 ½ years as Assistant Director of Athletics at Massachusetts Maritime, has resigned from that position, effective Friday, March 4^th.  O’Brien, who also served as the Buccaneers’ Head Women’s Cross Country Coach for the last two seasons, is leaving the Academy to become the Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Community Services for the City of Salem (Mass.).

O’Brien came to Buzzards Bay in the fall of 2012 after serving as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Athletic Department Recruiting Coordinator at Framingham State University for five years, where she also served as liaison for the Rams’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and assisted with home event management.  She served in various administrative roles at Massachusetts Maritime, with a major emphasis placed on recruitment and retention of student-athletes, and she also served as the Department’s NCAA compliance officer and Senior Woman's Administrator.  Trish assumed the duties of Acting Director of Athletics for a five-month period last fall following the retirement of Bob Corradi from that position in June 2015.

“I’ve truly enjoyed my time at the Academy, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with the most amazing student-athletes, coaches and administrators I’ve ever been around,” O’Brien said.  “While I’m excited about the new opportunity that lies ahead, I’ve made so many friends and memories over the last four years, and I can’t thank everyone who has been a part of that enough for their guidance and leadership.”

O’Brien is heading home to her new position with the City of Salem, as she is a 1989 graduate of Salem State University, O’Brien starred on the basketball court during her career, as she guided the Vikings to a 95-19 mark that included the 1986 NCAA Division III national championship.  A Kodak All-America and a two-time all-MASCAC selection, O’Brien was inducted into Salem State’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.  In her role as Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, O’Brien will oversee a staff of 15 employees that will report directly to her, including directors of the city’s Council on Aging, the Witch House, Winter Island, other recreational programs and the Olde Salem Greens golf course.

“Trish has been a loyal and valued member of the Massachusetts Maritime athletic family for nearly four years, and I join our entire staff in thanking her for everything she has done for the Academy and our student-athletes,” Buccaneer Director of Athletics Garin Veris said of O’Brien.  “We are all sad to see her leave, but we join together to wish her nothing but success in this new and exciting chapter of her life.”

O’Brien will take over 20 years of coaching and administrative experience to her new position.  In addition to her tenure at Framingham State, O’Brien served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2005-07), Colby College (1995-2005) and Rivier College (1992-95), as she served as the latter’s Head Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Coach as well.  O’Brien was named as the 1997 WBCA District I Coach of the Year in just her second season at Colby, where she was actively involved in many administrative and recruiting facets during her 10-year tenure.