Ruppert, Belden and Fagan have racked up over 70 years of combined experience working in collegiate athletics, but before each started at the NE10, they all participated in sports during their formative years. It was through playing sports that they realized they could forge career paths that would help offer similar opportunities to future student-athletes.

FIND YOUR INSPIRATION

Ruppert is approaching 13 years as NE10 Commissioner, giving her the longest tenure of anyone to hold the position. Prior to the NE10, she served multiple roles with the America East Conference over 15 years out of college, including Senior Associate Commissioner and Interim Commissioner.

Long before her professional career took off, Ruppert grew up in small town of just 900 people in Vermont where she became an avid cross country skier at the age of six. When she was in sixth grade, her grandfather took her to a Boston Red Sox game and she recalls being transformed by the experience.  

"I fell in love with the team. I followed avidly for years and always thought I would pursue a career in law that had a sports aspect to it," said Ruppert. "In fact, my college entrance essay was built around my aspirations of becoming legal counsel to the Red Sox."

During high school, Ruppert was part of the ski team and won four state championships, while also participating on the field hockey team. One of her favorite parts about competing in high school was the amount of time she spent with friends and how that provided an all-encompassing experience.

"I benefitted from being a member of a team in an individual sport," said Ruppert about her time on the ski team. "While your own performance dictated where you finished, you also contributed to team finishes. Whether it was an individual race or a relay, it always was bigger than just me. The camaraderie of being with your friends for early morning bus rides all over the state in the heart of winter remains some of my brightest memories of high school."

She entered Middlebury College and combined her passion for both baseball and skiing, serving as the team manager for the school's baseball program and the student leader on the Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association Championship. At the time, she also worked in the sports information office at Middlebury.

"Get involved!" said Ruppert about the advice she would give young women looking to work in sports. "The opportunities to get involved are really large. I'm a huge advocate of outreach and making contacts with individuals who can serve as your career mentors. I'm thankful to this day for those leaders in the industry that saw something in me. You never know when someone you met will be in a position to hire you down the road."

START SMALL, THINK BIG

Belden is a veteran of the NE10 office, beginning her tenure as assistant commissioner in September of 2008. In October, 2011, she was named associate commissioner of compliance and added the senior woman administrator designation in December, 2012.

Prior to her start at the NE10, Belden spent four years as the compliance coordinator at Villanova University and served as an assistant athletic director at Longwood University. Additionally, she has worked at Cornell University, Anaconda Sports and the Patriot League.

Belden participated in a variety of sports growing up – including gymnastics, softball, cross country and outdoor track & field. In her junior year of high school, she decided to stop running and picked up tennis instead, which turned out to be the sport she played at Hartwick College. Outside of middle school and high school in the winter, she also tried her hand at curling.

Her first job in sports was doing statistics for the high school girls' basketball team, because her middle school softball coach was also coach of the basketball team. Little did she know, this opportunity would open many doors for her future career.

"It was doing statistics at these basketball games that helped me get a work-study job in sports information at Hartwick," said Belden. "I'm not sure if the connection to a career would have been made without the work-study job, even when I was a student-athlete."

Between her work-study job and her senior thesis, Belden realized that the compliance area within athletics would be a good fit. It was in one opportunity that she found her true interest, giving her a springboard for a career that she at one time didn't even know was an option. 

"Don't be afraid to reach out to strangers in the profession and ask questions," said Belden when asked about the advice she would give to get started in athletics. "It can be hard to break into the field, but don't give up. Volunteer, get experience and do things that make your resume stand out."

BE OPEN TO NEW THINGS

Fagan has logged the most miles of any NE10 staff member in her career, working at Hamilton College (New York), America East Conference (Massachusetts), the NCAA (Indiana), Indiana State University and the United State Field Hockey Association (Colorado). She started working as associate commissioner for sports administration and championships at the NE10 in 2015.

Before she found an interest in pursuing a career in athletics, Fagan was an active participant in most every sport growing up in Rhode Island. Her first memory of organized sports is serving as a bat girl for her older sister's softball team, which she did until she was old enough to play herself.

"I grew up in the days before cable and most video games, so we were always doing something outside – skating, street hockey, basketball, downhill skiing, you name it," said Fagan. She played on youth softball, basketball and soccer teams, then competed in field hockey, basketball and softball in high school.

"I also loved ice hockey, but was never able to play in an organized league growing up," said Fagan. "Luckily I grew up in an ice hockey town in the days when ponds and lakes were frozen all winter. Back in those days, the dads would hook up lights so we could skate outside most nights."

Due to the lack of a soccer team at her high school, she turned to field hockey, which quickly became her sport of choice and she continued to play at Division I UMass-Amherst. She was a two-time All-American in college.

"My time at UMass really set the stage for my life and career," said Fagan. "My former teammates continue to be some of my best friends to this day and it was there that I discovered athletics administration as a career option…Involvement in sports really shaped my life."

After graduating college, Fagan took an internship with the U.S. Field Hockey Association at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs – opening her to numerous career opportunities. "The USFHA was a perfect fit for me after playing collegiate field hockey. I met lots of great people and it encouraged me to continue in the field," said Fagan.

It all started for Fagan with an opportunity to play sports when she was a kid. As for advice she would offer to women looking to get into athletics as a career, she suggests being open to all possibilities.

"I think you need to be willing to try anything," said Fagan. "I believe it is important to expose yourself to the many areas of opportunity in athletics until you find what you enjoy. Step out of your comfort zone. Don't limit yourself to a certain area or location, and hopefully you find a situation that fits your interests."

About National Girls & Women in Sports Day

National Girls & Women in Sports Day began in 1987 as a special day in our nation's Capital to recognize women's sports. The day united premiere organizations and elite female athletes to bring national attention to the promise of girls and women in sports. In 1987, NGWSD also served as a remembrance of Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and dedication to promoting equality for women's sports; Hyman died of Marfan's Syndrome in 1986. It has since evolved into an event to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, the positive influence of sports participation and the continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. NGWSD is powered by the Women's Sports Foundation, supported by its team of champion athletes and celebrated throughout the year by schools and community-serving organizations across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

NGWSD 2021 Girls Fest is supported by WSF National Partners Athleta, espnW, Gatorade, NBC Sports Groups and Yahoo Sports, and produced in collaboration with signature partners Dick's Sporting Goods and Girl Up.

ABOUT THE NE10
Beginning its 40th anniversary season, the NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete. 

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.