Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Dr. Charles Small has announced that he has made the decision to step down to pursue new opportunities for him and his family.

“This was not an easy decision for me, but I believe the time is right to pursue new opportunities for me and my family,” Small said. “I am grateful for the opportunity President José Padilla provided me. My family will always remember the warm welcome extended by the Valparaiso community when we arrived.”

During Small’s time at Valpo, the soccer program won the department’s first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship in any sport in 2022 and the department’s first MVC Tournament title in any sport in 2023. Volleyball and men’s golf also had teams qualify for postseason tournaments, while men’s golf and women’s tennis boasted MVC individual champions. The department sustained its academic excellence, made facility upgrades and increased outreach through new initiatives including the All-Sports Reunion and the Head Coaches Bus Tour. During Small’s tenure, Valpo hired Roger Powell Jr. as its head men’s basketball coach.

“During the 18 months that Charles served in this position, he made significant improvements to the Athletics-Recreation Center, ushered in a new era for the Valpo men’s basketball program and contributed to strategic plan initiatives aimed at improving the student-athlete and fan experiences,” Padilla said. “I want to thank Charles for his hard work and wish him and his family the very best in their next chapter.”

The University will conduct a national search for its next permanent Director of Athletics, and Deputy Athletic Director for Revenue Generation / Senior Woman Administrator Laurel Hosmer has been named Interim Director of Athletics until that process is concluded. Hosmer joined the Valpo Athletics staff this year and has led the department’s external operations and revenue generation efforts, in addition to serving as the sport administrator for the soccer, softball, swimming and volleyball programs and as a member of the department’s senior staff. She has provided oversight of Valpo’s strategic approach to generating revenue including philanthropic giving, NIL, sponsorships, parking and ticket sales.

“I would like to thank President Padilla for entrusting me with leading our department during this time of transition,” Hosmer said. “I also want to thank Charles Small for giving me the opportunity to join the Valpo family. I’m grateful for all he taught me and know he will be successful in his future endeavors. Our dedicated coaches, athletics staff members, University community and fans provide a strong support system to help us sustain our exceptional student-athlete experience as we collectively lead through change. It is an honor and a privilege to serve on behalf of the department of athletics at Valparaiso University and I look forward to what we can accomplish together.”

A seasoned athletics administrator, Hosmer arrived at Valpo after a stint at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pa., where she served as Director of Athletic Development beginning in June 2021. She led a team in all aspects of athletic development efforts including major gift solicitation, annual fund operations and sport-specific fundraising events, gameday hospitality and alumni relations. She served as a sport administrator for the department’s men’s and women’s tennis programs. She was responsible for a $55 million capital campaign to renovate the athletics complex to benefit all student-athletes.

Hosmer also supported efforts to educate, engage and gain support of NIL opportunities for student-athletes both directly and through the Hawk Hill Alliance collective. In addition, she worked directly with all 16 head coaches to meet annual fundraising goals and promoted collaboration among the athletics external team, university marketing & communications and advancement.

Hosmer served as Assistant Athletic Director for Development at the University of Delaware from November 2016 to May 2021, raising more than $4.9 million in outright and planned gift commitments and playing a key role in raising $35 million to renovate Delaware Stadium and build the Whitney Athletic Center.

Hosmer worked at Eastern Washington University from July 2014 to October 2016, starting as Director of Athletic Development and External Revenue before being promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Revenue in October 2015. She managed and operated the school’s athletics annual fund with more than 2,300 members.  She helped grow membership numbers by 262 percent from the previous year, and generated 214 percent more in annual giving revenue than the previous all-time record.

Prior to Eastern Washington University, Hosmer spent time as a development assistant at the University of Georgia.  She started her career as a development office intern and compliance/business office graduate assistant at the University of Massachusetts. Hosmer is a 2009 graduate of the State University of New York Institute of Technology, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology while serving as a four-year member of the women’s soccer program and a two-year team captain. She earned her master’s in sports management from UMass in 2013 and received an Analytics: Optimizing Big Data certificate from the University of Delaware in 2020.