COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Chad Parker has been named Ursinus College's next director of sports medicine.
Parker, who has spent the past six years at Eckerd College in St. Peterburg, Florida, takes over for the legendary Pam Chlad, who announced her retirement this spring. Chlad started the sports medicine program at Ursinus and spent the last 44 years developing it into a full-fledged, renowned athletic training operation.
"What stood out about Chad was his leadership ability, passion for the job, communication skills, and care for the student-athlete experience," said Director of Athletics Laura Moliken. "He has years of experience as a director of sports medicine and impressed the committee with his excitement about the opportunity at Ursinus to build on our current successful program and move us forward."
Parker was a fixture of the athletic department at Eckerd, overseeing all aspects of sports medicine and serving in a host of critical roles, including as a member of the athletics senior staff; athletics healthcare administrator, NCAA drug testing site coordinator, strength and conditioning program coordinator; and as a member of the college's risk management committee. He also worked with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and assisted with medical compliance for the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (SAISA).
Parker served on both the Eckerd and Sunshine State Conference COVID-19 task forces, and worked as a Triton ConnECtor to facilitate students' connections to campus during the pandemic. His department received "Clinical Site of the Year" recognition through University of South Florida's Master's of Athletic Training Education Program for the 2019-20 academic year.
During his time at Eckerd, Parker worked primarily with men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, and sailing. His wife, Greer, has been the head sailing coach at Eckerd since 2019.
"I'm extremely excited to get up to Ursinus and get to work," Parker said. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity that has been entrusted in me to take a well-established sports medicine department in the Centennial Conference and continue to grow health and safety standards for the student-athletes. I know I have some very big shoes to fill, but I'm up for the challenge and can't wait to get started."
Parker received his bachelor's of science in athletic training from the University of Maine at Presque Isle before earning his master's of science in advanced clinical practice in athletic training from East Stroudsburg University, where he worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer. His time at Eckerd followed stints in the sports medicine department at Emory and Henry College (Va.) and as a certified athletic training intern at Bridgton (Me.) Academy.
Parker is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), Florida Athletic Trainers Association, and the Southeast Athletic Trainers Association. He also holds certifications as an exercise specialist and in instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization and kinesiology taping.