A member of Athletics Department staff since 2010, Heather Davis was promoted to Director of Athletics in June 2019, following two years as Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance & Business and also Senior Woman Administrator. She also currently serves as a Title IX Deputy Coordinator for the University. Prior to her time in administration, she spent seven seasons guiding the UNE women's soccer program.
Under her leadership as Director of Athletics, the Nor’easters’ varsity and club sports programs have demonstrated exponential growth, both in sport and program sponsorship, as well as staffing and support services. The Nor’easters now feature 21 varsity sports and 23 club sport teams. Davis played a key role in the addition of women’s outdoor track & field and women’s golf as varsity sports, as well as the launch of men’s and women’s tennis. Along the way as varsity and club sport offerings have expanded, Davis’s leadership has been instrumental in full-time positions being added in the areas of athletic training, athletics communications, and strength & conditioning, in addition to support for student-athlete nutrition and sports psychology.
The Nor’easters have experienced impressive competitive success under the watch of Davis. UNE teams have won four conference championships, while men’s ice hockey has twice advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship. In addition, two cross country runners (Jake Hickey in 2019, Nina Parziale in 2023) have competed at the NCAA Division III Championship.
While excelling in the competitive realm, UNE student-athletes continue to demonstrate high academic achievement, impressive graduation and retention rates, and are leaders in the UNE and local communities.
During her time as associate athletics director, Davis attended a pair of ATIXA (Association of Title IX Administrators) courses. She attended the NCAA Inclusion Forum and Senior Woman Administrator Program, as one of just 30 selected from NCAA Division III.
As a Title IX deputy coordinator, Davis is part of a team responsible for overseeing and coordinating the University’s response to reports of sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, stalking, and partner and domestic violence. She completed an ATIXA certificate course, “Civil Rights Investigator Level One,” which provides foundational knowledge and skills for civil rights investigators, deputies, and Title IX Coordinators/Administrators who perform and/or oversee campus investigations. In addition to her role as a Title IX deputy coordinator, Davis served on one of UNE's strategic plan working groups and is a member of the University's advisory committee on community, equity, and diversity.
Davis is a graduate of the NCAA/Women Leaders in College Sports Institute for Administrative Advancement (IAA), the premier 'level one' leadership development program for women in intercollegiate athletics administration.
As coach of the women's soccer program, Davis posted a 74-46-13 mark (.605) leading the Nor'easters, which included a 41-18-8 (.672) recorded in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) regular-season games. UNE reached 13 victories in both 2014 and 2015; in 2012, the Nor'easters recorded the second-lowest loss total in squad history (12-2-4). That 2012 campaign included a 6-0-2 mark on the road, the CCC regular-season title with an 8-0-1 ledger, and Davis earning the CCC Coach of the Year nod from her peers.
Prior to UNE, Davis (formerly Kendra) spent the previous five years at Lock Haven University [NCAA II] and seven seasons before that at Carnegie Mellon University [NCAA III]. She compiled a 67-43-13 record with the CMU Tartans, which included a pair of ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championships (2003, 2004) in her final two seasons at the helm.
Davis had an outstanding soccer playing career at Plymouth State University [NCAA III], where she was a two-time all-region selection. She helped lead the Panthers to the NCAA national championship match in 1993 and an ECAC New England Championship in 1995. Davis graduated in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and exercise science, and was also a three-year member of the Panthers' women's lacrosse team.
From PSU, Davis went on to the University of North Carolina to earn a master's degree in sport administration. While at UNC, she played one season of lacrosse for the Tar Heels before taking on her first coaching role as an assistant soccer coach at Washington & Lee University [NCAA III].
A native Stow, Mass., she and her husband, Joe, reside in Biddeford with their two children, Joey and Ashley.
Previous Head Coaching:
University of New England Women's Soccer (2010-16) / CCC Coach of the Year (2011)
Lock Haven University Women's Soccer (2005-09)
Carnegie Mellon University Women's Soccer (1998-04)
(updated July 2025)
