NFHCA announces Honorary Member class

GENEVA, NY — The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is proud to announce this year’s class of Honorary Members. The Honorary Member designation was created with the adoption of the new NFHCA bylaws in January 2021. The structure of the Honorary Member group was specially designed by the NFHCA Bylaws Committee to leverage the knowledge and experience of former coaches, administrators, and other leaders, ensuring that our coaching body stays connected to, and continues to learn from, former coaches and important members of our field hockey community.

The six-member class includes former coaches who paved the way for the sport and the NFHCA. This class of six members joins an honorary member group of coaching legends, some of whom are Olympians, NFHCA Hall of Fame members, and former NFHCA board members.

This year’s Honorary Members are:

• Char Morett-Curtiss, former head coach at Penn State University, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and former USA Olympian
• Linda Kreiser, former head coach at Lower Dauphin High School and NFHCA Hall of Fame member
• Anne Parmenter, former head coach at Trinity College, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and former NFHCA president
• Karen Shelton, former head coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and former USA Olympian
• Nancy Stevens, former head coach at the University of Connecticut and NFHCA Hall of Fame member
• Pam Stuper, former head coach at Yale University, former NFHCA Vice President, former USA Olympian alternate, and current USA Field Hockey Foundation Executive Director
  

“The NFHCA has served as a bright and ever-present beacon during my five decades as a collegiate coach,” remarked Nancy Stevens, former head coach at the University of Connecticut and NFHCA Hall of Fame member. “The organization’s support and development of both coaches and players has served to grow the game across all levels. I was proud to serve as an NFHCA Vice-President, and I am now honored and humbled to accept a lifetime membership in the organization that exemplifies everything good in our field hockey community.”

“I am pleased and grateful to accept an honorary lifetime membership to the NFHCA,” remarked Karen Shelton, former head coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It has been a privilege to work with so many inspiring leaders in our sport through the NFHCA, and I look forward to continued meaningful connections, even in retirement.”

“Coaching is an incredibly rewarding profession, and I owe a great deal of my success to the NFHCA,” remarked Pam Stuper, former head coach at Yale University. “Their leadership, support, and professional development opportunities have been invaluable throughout my career. I am deeply grateful to be recognized as an honorary member, and I am excited to continue contributing to the organization and the wider coaching community.”

According to the NFHCA bylaws, the Honorary Member designation can be extended to those coaches who are no longer actively coaching and meet the following criteria: were inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame, are recipients of the NFHCA Lifetime Achievement Award, have coached field hockey for 25 years or more, were previously designated as “Lifetime Members” of the NFHCA, or were approved by the NFHCA Board of Directors for outstanding service to the sport of field hockey. A new class will be added to the member rolls annually. Honorary members enjoy a lifetime of membership to the NFHCA, an opportunity to attend NFHCA meetings and vote on motions and in elections, and eligibility to serve the NFHCA on committees or to be elected as the honorary representative on the Board of Directors, in addition to receiving access to member resources and benefits.

“The 2023 class of honorary members is a true reflection of the NFHCA’s commitment to capitalizing on the wisdom and expertise of former leaders in our sport,” remarked Heather Lewis, current NFHCA Honorary Representative to the Board of Directors. “Each member brings a wealth of coaching knowledge and genuine passion for our game and will be valuable assets to our membership. While they may have left the sidelines, they will never leave our sport, and we celebrate their past, current, and future contributions.”

The NFHCA is honored to have this year’s class of Honorary Members continue to engage with the association and the sport. The organization will look to these honorary members to serve as leaders within the NFHCA.

Meet this year’s class!

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to stimulate the professional development of coaching leadership within the sport of field hockey. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.