Mary Berdo joined Yale University as Deputy Athletic Director in 2019, bringing years of experience in collegiate athletics administration, championships, operations, and strategic leadership. At Yale, she provides leadership across a broad portfolio of department-wide initiatives and serves as the sport supervisor for volleyball, women’s soccer, and men’s basketball.
Berdo has executive oversight of Brand Management, Events and Championships Management, Campus Recreation, and Student-Athlete Health & Performance. She is also a member of Ivy League committees and working groups supporting conference initiatives.
Throughout her tenure at Yale, Berdo has provided leadership across a range of department initiatives and programs, including six years of oversight of the Yale Golf Course, inclusive of its historic 24-month restoration. She has also served as the sport administrator for men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s lacrosse and chaired numerous hiring committees for head coach and staff positions.
Prior to Yale, Berdo served in senior leadership roles at Colgate University, where she was promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. As a member of the department’s executive senior staff, she provided strategic oversight of Sports Performance, Equipment Services, and Physical Education and Recreation. She also held sport oversight responsibilities across a broad range of programs, including men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, volleyball, and men’s and women’s swimming and diving. In addition, she served on university working groups focused on financial responsibility, facilities planning, and financial aid strategies.
Berdo spent eight years at the NCAA national headquarters in the Championships and Alliances Department, advancing to Associate Director of Championships. During her NCAA tenure, she provided leadership for championships across all three divisions, including Division I field hockey, women’s lacrosse, women’s College Cup, men’s swimming and diving, women’s tennis, volleyball, and wrestling, as well as Division II softball, Division III women’s basketball, women’s golf, and national collegiate men’s gymnastics.
Earlier in her career, Berdo served as Assistant Director of Events and Championships at the University of Michigan, where she managed varsity events across 15 sports and served as tournament director for numerous NCAA and Big Ten championships hosted on campus.
Berdo’s career in athletics began as a collegiate basketball player at the University of Iowa, where she helped the Hawkeyes capture multiple Big Ten tournament championships. A standout Iowa high school player, she was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame and, in 2018, was recognized by the Des Moines Register as one of the “Top 50 Best High School Basketball Players” in Iowa.
Berdo earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
