Lafayette looks to replace Associate Athletic Director

Lafayette said goodbye to a longtime member of the athletic department staff in the beginning of the semester.

George Bright, former Associate Director of Athletics at Lafayette, was named Director of Athletics & Recreation at Moravian College, an NCAA Division III school in Bethlehem.

Bright has worked in the Lafayette athletics department since 1993. He began as an Assistant Director of Athletics, a position he held until 2001, when he was promoted to Associate Director of Athletics. Prior to his tenure at Lafayette, Bright started his athletic administration career at South Carolina State University in 1988.

At Lafayette, Bright’s areas of focus were athletic administration, facilities management, event management, operations management and the management of all practices and competitive events. He was also the liaison for the baseball, volleyball, golf, softball, men’s and women’s swimming, and men’s and women’s tennis teams.

Bright played an important role in a number of renovation and improvement projects to athletic facilities. These include the $33 million overhaul to Kirby Sports Center, with increased spectator seating and the Bourger Varsity Football House, and renovations to the Metzgar Athletics Fields complex, such as a new synthetic turf for field hockey and lacrosse, as well as baseball, softball, soccer and track facilities.

For his efforts, Bright was selected in 2001 as one of 24 athletic administrators in country for the first class of the NCAA Leadership Institute. He was also awarded the Lafayette’s Administrator of the Year of Award in 2012.

As much as Bright improved Lafayette during his time here, the college left its own impression on the administrator.

“I am deeply honored to have had the opportunity to work with such talented administrators, coaches, student athletes, faculty, staff and alumni at Lafayette College over many years,” Bright said. “My overall impression is that Lafayette Athletics is positioned to foster an elite, championship culture for its athletes and staff. The quality of life remains outstanding and I am thankful that I’ve had a chance to affect its success.”

Many on campus know and recognize Bright, a resident of College Hill. His wife, Sharon Bright, works on campus in the Academic Tutoring and Training Information Center (ATTIC) in Scott Hall. The Bright family does plan on remaining residents of College Hill.

“I am proud to say that Easton, Pa. is my home,” Bright said. “Sharon and I have been residents of College Hill and have terrific neighbors and friends. It would be tough to leave such a great community.”

In fact, Bright has been an active member of the Easton Community, serving as president of the Easton Area School Board and chairman of the Northampton County Drug and Alcohol Commission. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Easton Area Boys and Girls Club, the Easton Planning Commission and the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.

Bright began at Moravian on Sept. 1. Lafayette’s athletic department is still going through the interview process in search of his replacement.

As the leader of the Greyhounds, Moravian’s mascot, Bright is looking forward to creating an atmosphere for coaches, student athletes and staff to succeed at Moravian College.

“[I am looking forward] to [using] my passion for athletics, combined with my experience, to learn and grow as its Director of Athletics,” Bright said. “I look forward to engaging with others to build coalitions, to mobilize the campus to action and to build upon the great foundation of leadership set by [former Moravian ADs] Scott Dapp, Paul Moyer and Rocco Calvo.”

As Bright moves from the land of the Leopards to Greyhound territory, his legacy can be seen with all the changes he made to the college’s atheletics department.