Director and Chair of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation (April 4, 2011-present)
Interim Athletic Director (2010-11)
Acting Athletic Director (2006-07)
Senior Woman Administrator (1990-2010)
Associate Athletic Director (1998-2009)
Assistant Director of Athletics (1990-98)
Head Women's Soccer Coach (1985-2001): 195-55-21 (.758)
Lisa Melendy enters her 16th full and final year as Director and Chair of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation at Williams College in 2026-27. She revealed on July 1, 2026, that she would retire at the end of June 2027.
Under Melendy’s direction, the Ephs won the Directors’ Cup while she was Acting AD, Interim AD and as the AD in 2011, helping extend Williams’ streak of cup wins to 13 straight and 15 out of the 16 awarded.Since becoming the director of athletics, Williams has won the Directors’ Cup eight times. During her tenure, the Ephs have captured 16 national championships and 94 conference championships.
Three major capital projects have been completed since Melendy became the athletics director, featuring the Weston Field Complex (2014), the Williams Boathouse (2024) and the Multi-Purpose Recreational Center (2026).
From Aug. 3, 2010, until April 3, 2011, Melendy served as the interim athletics director, while the college embarked on a nation-wide search for an athletics director. On April 4, 2011, Melendy was named the Ephs' Athletics Director by then-President Adam Falk.
Melendy served as the associate athletic director at Williams from 1998-2009. She was the head coach of women’s soccer for the Ephs from 1985-2001 and coached women’s lacrosse and women’s squash during her tenure as well. In the 2006-07 academic year, Melendy was the acting athletics director for the Ephs.
In her 17 years as the Eph women’s soccer head coach, Melendy compiled an impressive record of 195-55-21 (.758). She recorded 13 consecutive seasons of double-figure wins to close out her Williams’ coaching career.
Under Melendy, the Ephs won the 1989 Northeast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, the 1990 and 1997 ECAC-New England titles and were a NCAA semifinalist in 1999. Melendy coached 19 All-Americans and one Rhodes Scholar at Williams.
Melendy has served on numerous NCAA Committees, including Women’s Soccer and Women’s Golf Championship Committees, Division III Budget and Finance Committee, Student Athlete Affairs Committee and the National Convention Committee.
While on a sabbatical leave in 2005, Melendy studied in the University of Massachusetts’ Social Justice Department and continues to serve on college and conference-wide committees to increase both diversity and inclusion in athletics.
As an undergraduate at Smith College, Melendy played both varsity soccer and lacrosse and received the ECAC Scholar Athlete Senior award and graduated as the record holder in every soccer scoring category.
