St. Mary’s College of Maryland has named Sharief Hashim as its next Vice President for Athletics and Recreation, effective Oct. 5, President Rhonda Phillips announced this week. Hashim will report directly to Phillips and serve on the President’s Cabinet.
Hashim comes to St. Mary’s after more than a decade in NCAA Division III athletics leadership, most recently as Director of Athletics at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, where he oversaw a department of 23 varsity sports, more than 600 student-athletes and roughly 70 coaches and staff. During his tenure, Susquehanna’s football program reached the NCAA Division III national semifinals in 2024 — the program’s first appearance at that stage since 1991, a gap of roughly three decades. According to the college’s announcement, Hashim’s time at Susquehanna also included a significant increase in conference championships across the department and more than $2 million raised in unrestricted athletics gifts, along with efforts to strengthen alumni engagement, student-athlete wellness and athletics facilities.
Before Susquehanna, Hashim served as Director of Athletics and Physical Education at SUNY Potsdam and as Director of Athletics at Southern Vermont College. Earlier in his career, he worked in recreation and youth development for Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia, and coached basketball at Wheaton High School in Montgomery County. He holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, with a minor in counseling psychology, from Columbia Union College — now Washington Adventist University — and a master’s degree in sport management from Southern New Hampshire University.
Hashim arrives at St. Mary’s on the heels of a record-setting year for Seahawks Athletics. The program won a school-record 13 conference championships in 2025-26, with every varsity team qualifying for postseason competition for a second consecutive year and the Seahawks on track for a fourth straight United East Presidents’ Cup. St. Mary’s competes in NCAA Division III, primarily in the United East Conference, with rowing and sailing competing in separate conferences.
In a letter to the search committee, Hashim said he was “excited and honored” to join the college and looks forward to “building meaningful relationships across campus, supporting our coaches and staff, and collaborating with alumni and friends of the College throughout the state of Maryland.”
Hashim succeeds Donny Bryan, a 1973 St. Mary’s graduate and former Seahawks basketball coach who served as interim Vice President for Athletics and Recreation. Bryan, who is also a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, was inducted into the SMCM Athletics Hall of Fame in 1990. In her announcement, Phillips thanked Bryan for providing “steady leadership during an important period of transition” and thanked the search committee for its work.
Phillips said she plans to formally introduce Hashim to the campus community this fall.
