Dana Fulmer Garfield
Dana Fulmer Garfield

Bio

Dana Fulmer Garfield serves as Director of Athletics at Mitchell College, a Division III program offering 12 NCAA sponsored sports. Fulmer Garfield oversees and manages all facets of the Athletics Department.

Fulmer Garfield joined the Mitchell athletics staff as the Assistant Athletic Director and was promoted a year later to the Associate Athletic Director where she specialized in NCAA compliance and certification. In the summer of 2015, she accepted the Interim Athletic Director position and was formally appointed to the Director of Athletics position in the fall of 2016.

Fulmer Garfield came to Mitchell after serving as head softball coach for the Division I Providence College Friars. She coached the Friars for nine years before making the transition to athletic administration in 2006.

While at Georgia Southern University, she served two years as the assistant softball coach and helped to coach the program to its first-ever regular season Southern Conference title in 1996. During that time, she also completed a Master of Education degree with an emphasis in Counseling.

Hailing from Blythewood, SC, Fulmer Garfield completed her undergraduate career at the University of South Carolina.

As an undergraduate at the University of South Carolina, Fulmer Garfield was a four-year letterwinner as both a catcher and outfielder for the Gamecocks. She was a four-time All-South performer in the sport of softball, earning first team honors for three consecutive seasons. She still holds all-time records for most runs batted in, walks, highest slugging percentage, games played and at bats. Additionally, she ranks in the top two on the list of all-time leading hitters, at bats and hits and in the top five for runs, doubles, triples and home runs.

An All-American selection as a senior, Fulmer Garfield was also named the team's most valuable player as an outfielder and given the scholar-athlete award. She was drafted in the 10th round of the Women's Professional Fastpitch League in 1996, but chose to continue her education and pursue her college coaching career.

Fulmer Garfield resides in West Greenwich, RI and has two children, Addison and Tatum.

Meet The Coach
Matt Finlayson

Matt Finlayson was named director of athletics at Mitchell College in June 2021.

Finlayson joins the Mariners after having served as an assistant athletic director at Salve Regina University for the past three years. He will be the department’s sixth full-time director of athletics, and the third since Mitchell became an active member of NCAA Division III. 

“We are delighted to welcome Matt as director of athletics, to lead the exceptional cadre of coaches and staff at Mitchell College,” said Dr. Tracy Espy. “He is a great addition to the team, who will elevate and grow our athletics program while promoting and expanding sponsorships and funding for our outstanding athletes and teams.”

A graduate of Salve Regina, Finlayson returned to his alma mater in 2016 as an adjunct professor and joined the athletic department in 2018. In his role as assistant athletic director he was charged with enhancing community relations, fostering game day atmosphere, increasing department revenue and promoting special events and alumni development. He was also responsible for marketing and promotional efforts, and worked to cultivate sponsorship and branding opportunities.

Prior to his time at Salve Regina, Finlayson served as general manager of the Ocean State Waves in the historic New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). After two years of operations, he purchased the franchise in 2014 and served as both GM and president until 2018. He directed the operational and business functions of the organization—including coordinating scheduling, facility operation and capital improvements—as well as fundraising initiatives, marketing, branding and community relations.

Finlayson’s background also includes a three-year stint as director of baseball operations at the University of Rhode Island, where he worked under head coach Jim Foster from 2009-12. In addition to monitoring budgets and other office functions, his responsibilities included fundraising, marketing and community relations. He was also involved with managing game operations for other athletic programs in the department. 

Finlayson sharpened his business acumen at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, where he received a Master of Science in sports management. While working toward his degree he held graduate positions as a research assistant, a teaching assistantship and was also a graduate assistant within the athletic department.

As an undergraduate as Salve Regina, Finlayson was a four-year member of the baseball team and a three-time all-conference selection at third base. The Higganum, Conn. native was also a three-time all-academic selection who was named Commonwealth Coast Conference Senior Scholar Athlete in 2008.

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