PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Following a nationwide search, current University of Southern Maine director of athletics Al Bean has been named the next commissioner of the Little East Conference (LEC). He will succeed Pamela S. Samuelson, PhD, who announced her retirement from the role earlier this year. He will assume his new duties September 2, 2024.
“We are truly fortunate to have Al Bean, a highly experienced professional, assume the commissionership,” said Plymouth State University President Donald Birx, Chair of the Little East Presidents Council. “The LEC looks forward to continued excellence in service to our member institutions and our student-athletes.”
Bean is no stranger to the LEC, having served USM and the Conference in a variety of capacities over nearly five decades. He was appointed the director of athletics at Southern Maine in 1993 after previously serving as an assistant coach, sports information director and assistant athletic director at his alma mater. Bean was appointed the third commissioner of the LEC, serving in that capacity on a part-time basis from 1995-2000 when the Conference hired its first full-time commissioner, Dr. William A. Moore, after serving as the LEC’s first publicist from 1986-90.
“I'm very excited to serve as the next Commissioner of the Little East Conference, and look forward to guiding the Conference forward in the years ahead,” said Bean. “I want to sincerely thank the LEC Presidents and members of the search committee that have put their faith in me to help lead the Conference. The LEC supports the academic, athletic and developmental hopes and dreams of over 4,000 student-athletes participating at our member institutions.”
Bean has been instrumental in the league’s growth from a six-institution, basketball-only conference to a multi-sport conference that will offer 23 championships and be inclusive of nine primary member institutions and 22 affiliate programs with the addition of men’s and women’s ice hockey in 2025-26. Bean guided the conference through its largest sports sponsorship expansion during his first term as LEC Commissioner as the Little East increased its sports sponsorship to 17 athletic programs with the addition of women’s volleyball (1995), baseball (1997), field hockey (1998), men's and women's indoor and outdoor track & field (1998-99), women's swimming & diving (2000).
Bean has served on numerous national committees, including a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Management Council, one of the organization’s highest-ranking governing bodies. His committee assignments also include the Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Administrative Review Committee, the Association-wide Committee on Playing and Practice Seasons, Sports Wagering Task Force, National Youth Sports Program, and has chaired multiple sport committees. Bean has been a featured panelist or moderator nearly 30 times, recently serving as a speaker at the 2023 NCAA Convention’s “Striving for Athletics Equity in Title IX’s 50th Year: Strategies and Tools for Campuses,” and has been a member of the NACDA Executive Committee. He is also active within his local community, supporting the Maine Children’s Cancer Program and the Jesse B-C Fund.
“As Commissioner, my goal will be to work closely with the presidents and athletic administrators to enhance the overall quality of the student-athlete experience, continue to provide access to quality championships and expand opportunities, where appropriate, that serve the best interests of students and the membership. I was fortunate to be involved in the initial conversations that led to the formation of the Little East and have served the Conference in various roles throughout my career at USM. I'm truly honored to be accepting this important leadership role, and look forward to working with and serving our membership.”
During his time leading the athletic department at his alma mater, Bean initiated an external review of USM’s facilities and programs that resulted in the construction of a new field house, ice arena and soccer field, and led the way for more recent facility upgrades that included the completion of the USM Softball Stadium, Ed Flaherty Field, and Hannaford Field. He was instrumental in the formation of the USM Athletic Association, a support group that now includes over 500 members, and the creation of the Husky Hall of Fame.
Among the many memorable athletic highlights at USM are the baseball team’s 1997 National Championship and five NCAA Division III World Series Appearances, hosting the 1998 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Final Four and the program’s five NCAA Final Four appearances, and individual national championships by track & field stars Jamie Ruginski (2014, 2015 indoor; 2014, 2015 outdoor), Peyton Dostie (2016 indoor), Sophia Slovenski (2021 outdoor) and Ben Drummey (2022, 2023), and the wrestling’s program’s first national champion Dan Del Gallo (2017). This past year saw Slovenski honored as the 2022-2023 Division III Commissioners Association Student-Athlete of the Year and a Top-10 Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year at the 2024 NCAA Convention, the first in Little East and USM history.
Bean received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Southern Maine, earning his bachelor’s in education and history in 1977 and his master’s in education in 1992. He was inducted into USM’s Husky Hall of Fame in 1989 in recognition of his record-setting pitching career, and was among the 11-member inaugural LEC Hall of Fame class in 2012 in recognition of his service as an administrator at Southern Maine. His accolades also include induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, and being named the 2013 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Division III Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year. Bean most recently earned the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) Richard A. Rasmussen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Dr. Melinda Treadwell, - President of Keene State College, President’s Council Representative to the Search Committee
“The search committee was fortunate to select among a very talented pool of candidates. As we look ahead for the Little East, Al Bean brings wisdom, experience and a leadership style perfect for this moment. I look forward to the future working with Al to help lift the national visibility of the LEC, to advance our conference success, and to offer increasingly exceptional experiences for our student-athletes.”
Lori Runksmeier - Director of Athletics, Eastern Connecticut State University, Search Committee Chair
“As chair of the search committee, I am very happy to welcome Al Bean into his new role with the Little East Conference. He emerged as the leader who has the vision to move the LEC forward, as well as the strategic planning capabilities to make that vision a reality."
About the Little East Conference
The Little East Conference (LEC) was formed in 1986 when six public institutions gathered to create a single sport athletic conference, and has expanded into what is now New England’s premier athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III. The LEC will soon feature 23 championship sports, sponsoring quality competition for our student-athletes while following the Division III mission of “passion, responsibility, sportsmanship and citizenship.”
The Little East consists of nine primary institutions that encompass all six New England states – Eastern Connecticut State University, Keene State College (N.H.), University of Massachusetts Boston, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Plymouth State University (N.H.), Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, Vermont State University Castleton, and Western Connecticut State University. The LEC will include 22 affiliate member programs competing in seven championship offerings with the addition of men’s and women’s ice hockey in 2025-26.