“I’m a ‘builder’ and a collaborator,” says Sue Cabot, Loomis Chaffee’s new athletic director, who has focused on bridging the spheres of academics and athletics in her more than 30 years of managing high school athletics facilities and programs.

“I believe a school’s athletics program should support the mission of the school and be student-centered,” she adds.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in health science, health education, and athletic training from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in education from The College of New Jersey in Trenton, Sue spent 27 years at the Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey, serving first as athletic trainer and later as athletic director. After Peddie, Sue was athletic director at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, Connecticut, and at the Madeira School in Maclean, Virginia.

Sue has served in leadership positions with the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, the Mercer County Tournament Organization, and the New Jersey Independent Schools Athletic Association. At Peddie, the students elected Sue to receive an Above and Beyond Award, given annually to a faculty member who embodies such a commitment to the school. Also at Peddie, The Susan K. Cabot Spirit of the Game Award is named in her honor and given annually to a student who models Sue’s commitment to loyalty and fair play.

“I was well aware of Loomis’s strong athletic program, and I‘ve always respected and appreciated the dedication of the school’s coaches,” says Sue. “So I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to throw my hat in the ring for this role when it became available.”

Athletics is an extension of the classroom, according to Sue, and the coaches’ role in the sports arena is to serve primarily as a teacher. She is looking forward to working with the Loomis coaches and students and involving them in the intentional direction of the overall program.

“Athletics, whether competitive or for fitness and wellness, is an important component of the educational experience for all students,” she says. Team sports and interscholastic athletics offer many important life lessons, while conditioning, strength training, and engaging in fitness and wellness helps prevent injuries — including concussions — and enhances both athletic and academic performance in school and beyond, she notes.

Sue says she is looking forward to building upon Loomis’s athletic programs, which have earned a reputation among peer schools for having high standards in performance and integrity.

A lover of the outdoors, Sue enjoys hiking, kayaking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, gardening, and cooking — especially grilling. Sue says she has long felt at home in the boarding school environment, so she and Callie, her chocolate lab, should fit right in living on campus here on the Island.