Johnson & Wales University Providence

The long time face of the Johnson & Wales University Athletic Department, John Parente began his career at the school in 1995 when he was named the Sports Information Director. He then rose through the ranks to become the Institution's Director of Athletics in 2001 and added the title of Executive Director of Athletics to his resume in 2011. He served for four years as the commissioner of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) from 2006-09. He was named the GNAC Executive of the Year in 2011 after guiding the department to the Commissioner's Cup on the men's and women's side, the first time in conference history for this accomplishment. Under his leadership the Department of Athletics has been extremely successful with 29 conference championships and 20 NCAA appearances. His mantra of "Do the Right Thing" is the cornerstone of the Department of Athletics and is best exemplified by the accomplishments on the field, in the classroom and within our community. He is a member of the American Legion Executive Board since 1986, Parente was inducted into the Rhode Island High School Baseball Hall of Fame in Jun, 2004, and has been a part of two national youth baseball governing boards. He is a member of both the West Warwick High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island American Legion Hall of Fame and the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame.