Following an extensive nationwide search that concluded several weeks ago, the College of Staten Island has appointed Chase Licata as Director of Athletics & Recreation. The official announcement was made in a message from Interim President Dr. Timothy G. Lynch on August 9, 2022. In the announcement, Lynch thanked former Interim Director of Athletics & Recreation T.J. Tibbs for his leadership during the past 18 months and commended him on a job well done. Tibbs will return to the sidelines as Men’s Basketball Head Coach this season.
Licata arrives at CSI by way of St. Francis College in Brooklyn, a NCAA Division I institution where he has served as the Deputy Director of Athletics since 2018. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing the daily operations of all 21 sports offered at St. Francis. Similarly, he oversaw athletic administration, managing inter-department personnel and long-term projects for the department. While detailing what made Licata the right fit at CSI, President Lynch described St. Franics as an institution “whose student body reflects our own in terms of demographics and diversity.” In addition to these similarities between CSI and the Division I program he arrives from, Licata is also a former college athlete himself and brings experience not only in administrative management and sports supervision but also in budgetary planning and game operations.
Grateful for his time at St. Francis and for the support he received both professionally and personally Licata said, “St Francis was a terrific place to work that invested in the growth of us personally. Everyone at St Francis prepared me for this CSI opportunity in so many ways. I can’t thank them all enough. I will utilize the Franciscan epitomes going forward in my continued work as a Director of Athletics at the College of Staten Island.”
Licata was equally grateful for the chance to contribute to the to the campus experience in his new role at the College of Staten Island. “I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to be part of the CSI experience,” he said. “I want to thank President Lynch, Jessica Collura who headed the search and the rest of the committee for their commitment to the process. The vision for CSI that President Lynch and Jessica laid out just really resonated with me. The connection was there.”
Lastly, the newly appointed Director of Athletics & Recreation praised the campus community as one where “people from all walks of life share experiences together while learning and teaching positive ways to contribute to our society. I love CSI’s diversity and it’s dedication to this campus commitment,” he continued. “The student-athletes hope to play a large role moving forward with the CSI community in this experience.”
Licata takes over at a pivotal time in the history of CSI Athletics as the program was recently approved for full membership in NCAA Division II. Most notably, this comes with playoff eligibility for all of CSI’s sports offerings. Since getting started in his new role several weeks ago, he has had the opportunity to absorb the atmosphere of excitement around the program. CSI recently kicked off the 2022-2023 athletic season with the home-openers for Men’s Soccer and Women’s Soccer last month, and amid the enthusiasm around the program, Licata remains focused on leading CSI Athletics into the future.
Eager to lead the program moving forward, Licata praised the contributions of the department staff in fostering a positive experience for the student-athletes. “I want to thank T.J., the rest of the athletics staff, community supporters and our very own student-athletes for their time and dedication transitioning us from provisional to championship status especially at a complicated time,” he said. “It’s a wonderful accomplishment and they all should be proud of what they have done thus far. For me, working with the campus and collaborating with our faculty, staff and administration to keep improving the dynamic that CSI has to offer is one of the main goals. We are really excited for our Dolphins competing in the East Coast Conference. The potential here is really exciting and we believe that provisional status success has invigorated us for championship competition.”
In addition to his experience in athletics, Licata worked for eight years on the New York Mercantile Exchange at MBF Clearing Corp, but he still maintained a presence in the realm of collegiate sports during that time. While at MBF, he served as assistant men’s basketball coach at the College of Mount Saint Vincent and New York University. He also has coached at the high school level including at his alma mater Packer and Leman Preparatory in Manhattan. During his career as a student-athlete, he played four years at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, where he was a captain on the Men’s Basketball Team for two seasons. He graduated from Muhlenberg with a B.S. in Political Science and obtained a Masters in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University.
Looking to help solidify CSI as a first-choice destination for student-athletes throughout the country, Licata recalls how his time as a student-athlete influenced his development as a person and as a professional. “Being a former student-athlete myself, I want to make sure we are all committed to this process in putting our students at the forefront of success,” he said. “Teamwork, academic commitment and leadership play a big part of this educational process that our student-athletes will experience here on the beautiful campus of CSI.”
The College of Staten Island is an NCAA Division II institution and was approved this past summer for full NCAA Division II membership as part of the East Coast Conference. 2022-2023 marks the second full year of intercollegiate athletic competition following the COVID-19 pandemic which suspended competition at CSI from the spring of 2020 through the spring of 2021.
By: CSI Athletics
