Casey Africano to Lead Academics at TPH-Phoenix CoE
TPH is pleased to announce that Casey Africano will serve as the Academic Site Coach for the TPH-Phoenix Center of Excellence. Casey brings a unique blend of athletic, academic and servant leadership-related experience to the TPH-Phoenix team.
“Casey Africano checks all the boxes we in TPH and our Arizona academic partner Sequoia Choice were looking for in an academic leader for our Phoenix CoE,” Director of Hockey-Operations Brett Blatchford said. “Casey is a former Division I athlete who has dedicated most of her adult life to student-athlete service and leadership. She maximized her time and experiences as a college athlete, has worked in a university setting and most importantly, understands the important role academics plays in athletic success. Her resume and accomplishments prove that.”
The resume and accomplishments Blatchford speaks on include a Bachelor of Arts Sociology and Theology from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master of Education in Policy and Leadership from Southern Methodist University. While at Notre Dame, Africano was a four-year member of the Fighting Irish Women’s Softball team and a four time Monogram Winner. While pursuing her athletic goals on the field, Casey also served as Community Service Coordinator for the team and occupied an important role as both a community service member and chairperson for the Notre Dame student-athlete advisory board. In her role, Casey successfully organized over 750 athletes in team and individual service opportunities, such as Habitat for Humanity, Fighting Irish Fight for Life, Relay for Life, various charitable causes at the South Bend Center of the Homeless and organized events for Fighting Irish athletes to dedicate time at children’s hospitals across South Bend. In addition, Casey was President of the Notre Dame Christian Athletes organization and was one of five seniors to be chosen to participate in the prestigious Rosenthal Leadership Academy, which is a student-athlete advisory council for Notre Dame athletes.
The California native’s commitment to learning and leadership continued at TCU, as Casey once again took advantage of various leadership opportunities while pursuing her Masters Degree. Since July 2018, Casey has worked full-time as a Coordinator in the Student-Athlete Development Office at TCU, a role that has provided her with experiences in a variety of areas, including organizing philanthropic projects, creating holistic experiences for student-athletes and overseeing efforts related to diversity and inclusion with TCU sports, to name a few.
“Both myself and Sequoia Choice Assistant Principal Sandy Ramirez felt that Casey’s resume and Zoom interview oozed leadership and a commitment to impacting student-athletes, first and foremost, in the classroom,” TPH Chief Academic Officer Bill Simms said. “Her many relevant experiences being around high-level athletes coupled with her desire to create a positive academic experience within the CoE will no doubt assist our inaugural class in adjusting to our unique, academy-style model. We are thrilled to have Casey on board, and we are excited to watch her and Brett make the Center of Excellence the ultimate Study, Train, Play destination in the Phoenix area.”
All of us in TPH join Brett, Bill and Sequoia Choice in welcoming Casey to the TPH family.
