Angela Pucciarelli Rice, Ph.D., serves as Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation and Senior Woman Administrator at SUNY Fredonia, a senior operational leader responsible for compliance, internal operations, student-athlete development, and coordination across department functions.
She has held multiple leadership roles within Athletics and Recreation… supporting departmental operations, compliance, and student-athlete services while providing guidance during an important period for Fredonia Athletics. Her promotion formalizes the expanded responsibilities she has already carried within the department’s leadership structure.
Pucciarelli Rice’s work is central to advancing the 2024–2028 Fredonia Athletics Strategic Plan… with priorities tied to wellness and well-being, academic and athletic excellence, stakeholder engagement, tradition, and financial stewardship. Her leadership helps enhance the student-athlete experience, support staff development, and strengthen community connections.
Her appointment was announced in June 2026 alongside Patrick “PJ” Gondek’s elevation to Director of Athletics and Recreation with Gondek noting, “Angela and I look forward to working collaboratively with our coaches, staff, and campus partners to elevate the student-athlete experience and strengthen our culture of excellence in academics and athletics.”
Vice President for Student Affairs Tracy Stenger emphasized the impact of Pucciarelli Rice’s leadership, stating that the appointments “reflect our confidence in PJ and Angela and recognize the leadership they have already provided during an important period for Fredonia Athletics.”
Pucciarelli Rice earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Learning and Leadership from Gannon University in 2025, with her research focusing on the leadership experiences of Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs) in intercollegiate athletics. A proud Fredonia native and 2009 graduate of Fredonia State, she also holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Medaille College (magna cum laude, 2013), and an Associate in Science in Business Administration from Jamestown Community College.
As a student-athlete, Pucciarelli Rice played women's basketball at both JCC and Fredonia State, scoring over 1,000 combined career points. She earned NJCAA Academic All-American honors and athletic all-conference awards at both institutions, and was an active member of Fredonia’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Her professional journey began with a marketing and sales internship at the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, followed by a graduate assistantship in athletic administration at Hilbert College. She then served as Assistant Director of Athletics and Academic Compliance at Jamestown Community College from 2013 to 2018, before returning to Fredonia.
In her current role, Pucciarelli Rice oversees NCAA compliance education and academic monitoring, sport supervision, facility rentals and reservations, and contributes to various department initiatives. Her campus-wide involvement includes service on numerous committees such as the Council for Women’s Concerns, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council, Title IX Task Force, Student Affairs DEIAB Council, and more. She also serves as a UUP Delegate.
Pucciarelli Rice is active in the broader community, having served on the boards of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame, Chautauqua County Youth Bureau, and the Young Professionals of Northern Chautauqua County. She leads the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day event at Fredonia, engaging local youth with the campus athletics community. Additionally, she teaches as an adjunct instructor in Fredonia’s Sport Management Department.
Professionally, she is a member of Women Leaders in Sports, the National Association for Athletics Compliance, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, the NCAA Senior Woman Administrators Program, and the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators.
In 2022, Pucciarelli Rice was selected as one of 30 professionals nationwide to attend the NCAA Division III Senior Woman Administrator Program in Indianapolis. That same year, she was honored by the Zonta Club of Jamestown as a Woman in Leadership for her commitment to elevating women and advancing gender equity in the community.
Pucciarelli Rice is deeply committed to empowering women in athletics and advancing equity through advocacy, leadership, and collaboration. Her work centers on creating equitable access and challenging the structures that have long excluded marginalized populations.
She resides in Fredonia with her husband, Kyle, and their triplet children: Emma, Hannah, and Madeline.
