Paxton, MA— Anna Maria College has hired Laura Habacker, head coach of women's basketball and assistant athletics director at Elms College, as its next athletic director. Beginning on July 1, she will be the fifth administrator to serve in this position since the college's athletic programs began in 1977.
"Laura Habacker's depth of experience in operations, coaching and recruiting is a welcome addition to our athletics programs," said AMC Executive Vice President Mary Lou Retelle. "AMC coaches and athletes alike will benefit from her proven leadership gained over the last 26 years in collegiate competition."
A roster of more than 300 student athletes participates in AMC's 17 Division III, varsity-level athletic programs for men and women.
Habacker has served as head women's basketball coach at Elms College in Chicopee since 2002, and as the college's assistant director of athletics/senior woman administrator since 2006. She also served as Elms' interim director of athletics during the 2011-2012 academic year. Habacker was named the 2012 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Coach of the Year following Elms' 2011-12 basketball season that resulted in the program's first-ever NECC tournament championship and subsequent National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship berth.
Prior to her tenure at Elms College, Habacker was the head women's basketball and volleyball coach for five years at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.
"I look forward to starting this new chapter of my career at Anna Maria, while returning to the area I consider home," said Habacker, who, as a Clark University graduate ('85), is familiar with the Greater Worcester area and competing schools within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC). She has held other coaching and leadership roles in the area at Fitchburg State College, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Hudson and Westborough High Schools. She also spent two years once before at AMC as head women's volleyball coach.
Habacker was a three-sport student athlete at Clark University. She played volleyball, basketball and softball for the Cougars.