Heather Brocious is in her 20th year as a member of the William Paterson Athletics staff in 2025-26, joining the Pioneers in September of 2006 as the Sports Information Director. She served in that capacity for 11 seasons, including seven years as Assistant Athletic Director (2010-17), before assuming the title of Director of Athletics Communications and Compliance during the summer of 2017.
Brocious is responsible for all NCAA rules compliance and student-athlete eligibility tasks for WP’s 13 intercollegiate programs, and oversees all sports information efforts for the Pioneers, including coordinating public relations and social media efforts for all facets of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, video streaming, highlights and features, maintaining and expanding wpupioneers.com, and creating targeted and branded communications pieces to support Athletics and the overall University. She also serves as the Pioneers' Senior Woman Administrator.
As the Sports Information Director, she implemented numerous changes and advancements of William Paterson’s communication efforts, including the creation, expansion and updating of wpupioneers.com, the launch and growth of WP’s social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram), and the introduction of video content and live event streaming. She completed all sports information tasks for WP, including statistical compilation, home event staffing and post-event coverage, media relations, marketing, archiving and records creation, NCAA and conference reporting, award nominations and publicity while contributing to the University’s overall marketing and public relations efforts.
As the Assistant Athletic Director, Brocious annually completed the eligibility certification for four-six sports and the competitive schedules for four-seven teams, and served as the Athletics liaison to several University-wide groups and committees.
She also has twice served as an adjunct faculty member in the William Paterson Communication Department, teaching 400-level public relations courses during the springs of 2014 and 2017.
Previously, Brocious was the Associate Director of Athletic Communications at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, for six years, serving as the primary contact for the women’s basketball and women’s soccer programs. In addition, she offered assistance with numerous other programs, including the 2005 Insight Bowl-participant football team.
During her time at Rutgers, the women’s basketball team was nationally ranked and advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times in six seasons, including the 2005 Elite Eight and the 2006 Sweet Sixteen, while the women’s soccer team reached the 2001 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. As associate director, she was responsible for all the media relations activities, including releases, publications, statistics, press conferences, conference and NCAA reporting, online content and local and national media inquiries. Her involvement with the media was extensive while at Rutgers, regularly soliciting and fulfilling requests from the likes of The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, Ebony Magazine, O Magazine, Newsday, ESPN, CSTV, CNN, PBS, NPR, NCAA Productions and the YES Network, as well as almost 30 other local and regional media outlets.
In addition to working with six nationally-ranked teams, Brocious also served as the media host for several large events, including the 2002 and 2003 BIG EAST Conference Women’s Basketball Championships, the first and second rounds of the 2001 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, and the 2006 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships. She successfully engineered award campaigns for nine women’s basketball student-athletes, including 2006 national player of the year finalist and eventual 2008 Olympic gold medalist Cappie Pondexter, as well as eight other WNBA draftees. Also among the elite student-athletes she worked with was women’s soccer all-American Carli Lloyd, the game-winning goal scorer when the U.S. Senior National Team secured the 2008 and 2012 Olympics gold medals and the Golden Ball winner as the top player in the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.
A 1995 graduate of St. John Fisher College, Brocious holds a bachelor’s degree in communications/journalism with a minor in marketing. She continued her studies at Kent State University, earning a master’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports administration in 1997, while simultaneously working as a graduate assistant in sports information. After receiving her master’s, Brocious continued her career at Kent State as the Assistant Sports Information Director until 2000, when she joined the Rutgers staff.
