COLONIA, N.J. – East Coast Conference Commissioner Jessica Grasso has announced a restructuring of ECC staff, which includes the elevation of Nikki Philpot to Associate Commissioner and the addition of Alexis Schultz as Assistant Commissioner for Athletic Administration.

Philpot has been elevated to Associate Commissioner after most recently serving in the role of Assistant Commissioner for External Operations.

In this new role, she will continue to oversee the management of FloSports and broadcast operations, enhance the conference's non-sport press releases and storytelling efforts, and oversee the Director of Communications position while assisting with identifying and executing marketing initiatives and sponsorship opportunities among other responsibilities.

She will also remain in the role of the conference's student-athlete programing, which includes continued oversight of SAAC, leadership programming, community service, and engagement opportunities, and reclaims the conference's Senior Woman Administrator designation, a role in which she previously served from August 2023 through July 2025.

Philpot will also serve as the secondary liaison to the Athletic Director's Council while assisting with championship operations and the management of conference awards, supporting the implementation of the conference's Strategic Plan, and overseeing the conference's NCAA reporting.

"Nikki's promotion to Associate Commissioner recognizes her leadership, professionalism, and growing influence within the conference. The ECC is fortunate to have her in this expanded role as we continue to move the conference forward," states Commissioner Grasso.

As the Assistant Commissioner of Athletic Administration, Schultz's main areas of focus will be championship and event operations, and compliance liaison to the NCAA and the ECC membership.

Schultz brings a bevy of experience to conference office operations, as having previously worked at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) for over four years in various roles. As the Associate Commissioner for Women's Basketball and Olympic Sports, she oversaw a staff of three full-time Championship Directors and served as the Tournament Manager for the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Regional.

She is no stranger to the East Coast Conference, as she spent 2.5 years in the Daemen University Athletics Department as the Director of Athletic Operations and Communications. In that role, she served as the event manager for all athletic events on campus, in addition to working on the annual Giving Day campaign every Spring. From there, she went onto Division I Buffalo where she was the Director of Annual Giving and Stewardship.

Most recently, she was the Associate Director of Athletics at Nichols School in Buffalo, where she assisted with operations with the athletic program, in addition to being the Middle School Director of Athletics.

A member of the softball team at Niagara University, she was a Magna Cum Laude graduate with a degree in Sports Management. She also earned her master's in Sports Management from Niagara in 2015.

"I am excited to rejoin the East Coast Conference again, this time at the conference office," Schultz notes. "I look forward to serving our membership and working to create first class experiences for our student-athletes, coaches, and community as a whole."  

Schultz lives in Buffalo with her husband Tim and two sons, Brody and Jax, and their dog Rosie.  

"I am excited to welcome Alexis as our Assistant Commissioner for Athletic Administration. She brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of conference and campus administration, which will be invaluable as we continue to support our membership and enhance our conference operations," states Commissioner Grasso.