SFCC Appoints Michele Rupard as Athletic Director
State Fair Community College has appointed Michele Rupard as athletic director, marking the first leadership change for the department in more than 20 years.
The appointment was approved by the SFCC Board of Trustees during its May 28 meeting.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to work with people I care about in both the athletic department and the college,” Rupard said. “Over the last eight years, I’ve grown to love SFCC and what it does for our community. I love what college athletics does for student-athletes.”
“Over the past couple of years, we’ve been breaking down barriers to help our student-athletes become more successful and giving them more opportunities to succeed,” Rupard added. “I look forward to continuing that. I believe it is important to expand what we’re doing and continue to support our student-athletes and coaches.”
“Michele has a lot of leadership experience and knowledge from across the entire campus,” said SFCC Athletic Director Darren Pannier, whose tenure as athletic director will end June 30, 2026. “She is also very detail-oriented, and her ability to multitask will be important in this position. She has all the skills necessary to successfully fill the role of athletic director.”
“We have a very good athletic department,” Pannier said. “It is not because of my leadership; it is because of the coaches within the department. I’ve been very blessed to be here at SFCC.”
Rupard has served as SFCC’s head softball coach since 2022, overseeing recruiting, budgeting, scheduling, travel and program operations. She also supervised assistant coaches and support staff while ensuring NJCAA compliance. In addition, she served as Region 16 Softball Coaches chair, participated in institutional leadership committees and served on the Booster Club Board.
Rupard places a premium on the academic success of her teams. Under Rupard’s leadership, the SFCC softball program earned the NJCAA Team Academic Award for six consecutive years.
Before becoming head coach, Rupard served as assistant softball coach at SFCC from 2018 to 2022, assisting with player development, recruiting visits and prospect camps. She also served as assistant residential life coordinator from 2020 to 2022.
Rupard was previously a graduate assistant softball coach at Central Methodist University from 2016 to 2018, where she coached the reserve team and assisted with varsity operations and scheduling for more than 50 athletes. She began her coaching career at Maple Woods Community College during the 2015-16 season.
As a student-athlete at Central Methodist, Rupard was a three-time NAIA All-American catcher and a two-time NFCA All-American in 2014 and 2015. She was named NAIA NFCA Catcher of the Year in 2014 and received the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Special Achievement Award the same year. She also earned NFCA Academic All-American honors in 2015 and was a three-year Dean’s List student.
Rupard earned a Bachelor of Science in athletic training from Central Methodist University in 2015 and a Master of Education in athletic administration in 2018.
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