Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano Named ECAC Jostens Male Administrator of the Year
August 8, 2008
ROCHESTER, NY – Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano was selected as recipient of the 2008 Eastern College Athletic Conferenc
e (ECAC) Jostens Male Administrator of the Year. The award is presented annually to administrators from ECAC member schools or conferences in recognition of outstanding or meritorious service to the ECAC. Mitrano, the first commissioner in any division to earn this distinction, will receive the award in late September at the ECAC Convention Honors Dinner.
Mitrano hasserved as the commissioner of the Empire 8 since 2001. He was named one of the “100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America” by the Institute of International Sport (IIS) in October. The 100 individuals selected were honored for making a lasting impact on the lives of young athletes and for providinga blueprint to other sports educators to do the same. IIS also selected the Empire 8 as an All-American Sportsmanship Conference, the first collegiate athletic conference at any level to ever earn this honor. Under Mitrano’s leadership the Empire 8 successfully lobbied the NCAA and its membership to sponsor a groundbreaking NCAA Hazing Prevention Summit at the 2008 NCAA Convention.
Mitrano was also the driving force behind the creation of the Division III Commissioner’s Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Committee, a group which he chaired for three years and created the highly touted Division III Fan Sportsmanship Program. He is also member of the NCAA association-wide Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct. He created the nationally renowned Conduct Foul Program which is the only known tangible way to monitor unsporting behavior. The Empire 8 was the first to implement the program which was eventually adopted by Division III for use amongst its entire membership.
He has presented at numerous events including NCAA and ECAC Conventions, NCAA Leadership Conferences, the National Association of Collegiate Athletic Directors (NACDA) Convention, and the Association of Collegiate Administrative Professionals Convention. Mitrano has also earned the St. John Fisher College Sport Manager of the Year honor. He has presented to numerous collegiate member institutions and athletic conferences. Empire 8 members are Alfred University (NY), Elmira College (NY), Hartwick College (NY), Ithaca College (NY), Nazareth College (NY), Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), St. John Fisher College (NY), Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ) and Utica College (NY).
A 1991 graduate of Greece Olympia High School, Mitrano earned a B.A. in Communications/Journalism from St. John Fisher College in 1995 and Master’s in Education (Physical Education) from SUNY Brockport in 1999. He resides in Rochester with his wife Colleen and sons Zachary, Benjamin and Charlie.