CLEVELAND, OH (Mar. 27, 2023) – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced the 28 winners of the Cushman & Wakefield AD of the Year Award (ADOY) on Monday. Honorees from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for ADOY include Canisius College Director of Athletics Bill Maher and Fairfield University Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann.
 
The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities. The 28 winners are comprised of four honorees from each of seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges). Maher and Schlickmann join Renee Baumgartner of Santa Clara and Scott Leykam of Portland as the Division I-AAA recipients.
 
"The Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year Award has grown to become a universally recognized and respected honor for leaders in college athletics over the last two decades,” said Pat Manak, NACDA Chief Executive Officer. “This year we are proud to honor many seasoned veterans, as well as a few new faces, who have faithfully guided their departments through the steady waves of change the industry has overcome in the last few years. This deserving group of athletics directors are a source of inspiration not only for their peers, but for young administrators everywhere who are climbing the ladder to follow in their footsteps.”
 
Maher and Schlickmann along with the other 26 winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 58th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Orlando, FL, on Tuesday, June 13.
 
Maher, a graduate of Canisius College, officially took over the Golden Griffin athletic department on July 1, 2005. Since Maher took over at Canisius, the 20 varsity athletic programs have won 47 conference or regional championships, with a number of teams producing the best seasons in program history. A total of 77 student-athletes have won conference player or rookie of the year awards, including a program-record 10 honorees in 2017-18. Canisius has also claimed the Battle of the Bridge and won the Canal Cup in 12 of the last 16 seasons (including 10 straight from 2010-11 through 2019-20), which is an all-sports competition with rival Niagara University.
 
A total of four Canisius student-athletes have been tabbed as the MAAC Student-Athlete of the Year during Maher’s tenure, highlighted by the school’s most recent winner, former women’s lacrosse player Erica Evans in 2017. Baseball student-athlete Connor Panas earned the award in back-to-back seasons in 2014 and 2015, while Katie (Miranto) Burd (softball) and Jenel Stevens (women’s basketball) were recognized in 2008 and 2003, respectively.
 
During Maher’s tenure, the Canisius athletic facilities have undergone a number of renovations and branding initiatives. In 2007, the College opened the Center for Athletic Training; a facility which is widely regarded as one of the premier on-campus athletic training facilities in the MAAC. New locker rooms were constructed for all women’s teams and finished in 2008 while the men and women's basketball teams each moved to new locker rooms in the summer of 2009. The Demske Sports Complex received a $1.7 million facelift with the installation of new A-Turf as well as new scoreboards in 2008. New offices for head coaches and their assistants, along with new locker rooms for all of the men's teams were constructed in 2010. New LED lights were added to the Demske Sports Complex in fall of 2019. 
 
Schlickmann was one of the driving forces behind the construction and opening of the Leo D. Mahoney Arena, which opened on Nov. 18, 2022 as the new on-campus home of Fairfield Basketball and Volleyball. The $51 million venue, which was 100 percent donor funded, saw more than 45,000 tickets sold and a 335 percent increase in season ticket holders in its inaugural season of Stags basketball.
 
In addition to the opening on Mahoney Arena, facility renovations and improvements under Schlickmann include the construction of the baseball and softball indoor hitting barn, refurbishment of the Rafferty Gymnasium and Academic Center inside the Walsh Athletic Center, a FieldTurf upgrade to Rafferty Stadium, multiple enhancements to the RecPlex Pool, and numerous locker room updates.
 
Schlickmann was named Director of Athletics in September of 2017, succeeding long-time AD Gene Doris. Since taking the reins, Fairfield has ranked third among Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) institutions with 15 MAAC Championships. The Stags have also won the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup for Women’s Athletics three times under Schlickmann’s leadership and finished among the top three for the overall Commissioner’s Cup in four of the last five academic years.
 
About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts six major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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