Sheryl Sousa '90 was appointed athletic director Thursday after being selected from four other candidates in a national search to fill the position, according to University officials. A former captain of both the women's softball and volleyball teams, Sousa has been serving as interim athletic director since the abrupt departure of former director Jeff Cohen in late January. Sousa outlined her vision for University athletics in a phone interview Friday afternoon.

"It would be my goal for us to be one of the top teams in the UAA in every sport," she said, referring to the University Athletic Association, the league in which Brandeis regularly competes with schools such as Emory and New York University. "If we're competitive in the UAA, we're going to be competitive on the national level."

The position of athletic director is the highest-ranking in the department, likely meaning Sousa will report to Jean Eddy, the senior vice president for students and enrollment.

Eddy, in a press statement, called Sousa "a born leader."

"Brandeis is enormously fortunate to have the benefit of her energy and vision. She is widely respected and is a wonderful role model for our students."

Before her move to interim athletic director, Sousa held the post of associate director. She has been with the University professionally for six years. After graduating from Brandeis with a degree in American Studies, she was awarded an internship at the East Coast Athletic Conference. She then did a stint at Ithaca College and later coached volleyball at SUNY Binghamton.

Sousa said a primary goal of hers is to integrate athletics into campus life more effectively. This means, she said, "bringing people into Gosman Sports Center."

"Athletics has a great opportunity to generate excitement on this campus," she said, mentioning the comparatively large turnout to the women's basketball ECAC championship.