Dan DeMerit - Associate Director, Recreation Facilities & Operations

Picture of Dan DeMerit

Job Responsibilities

  • Provide supervision, vision, leadership and management of comprehensive Campus Recreation 
    facilities, including but not limited to Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility, Rec Plex, Norris Park and 
    Employee Wellness Center while ensuring alignment with student development and wellbeing goals. 
    Oversee operations and inspect the facility and its equipment daily for upkeep and needed repairs. 
    Coordinate with Facility Coordinator and Maintenance Services Supervisor to accomplish necessary 
    repairs. Observe daily the buildings activity and take note of volume, intensity, patterns, populations, 
    and choice of equipment by the participants.
  • Responsible for the supervision of a student-staff which includes but is not limited to hiring, terming, 
    disciplinary actions, performance management, staff development, etc. Schedule, hire, train, develop 
    and coordinate the student-staff scheduling of students in all Campus Recreation facilities. Conduct 
    weekly student-staff meetings with prepared agendas and handouts, create and implement Staff 
    Training day for all Campus Rec student-staff to best train on policies, procedures and Emergency 
    Action Plan.
  • Serve on the Campus Recreation Director Leadership Team with the execution of administrative duties of considerable scope and complexity requiring excellent initiative, judgment, knowledge, and critical thinking, additionally:
    • Uphold inclusive practices. Work to enhance equity, diversity, and inclusion. Create an 
      environment of inclusion and embrace social justice.
    • Promote and sustain a culture of transparency, professionalism, compassion, integrity, 
      respect, and work in a student-focused, team-centered environment.
    • Provide leadership and mentoring to student-based committees to plan, organize, and 
      implement events and initiatives.
    • Assist with the coordination of training and development for student, graduate assistant, and 
      full-time staff members.
    • Contribute to the development of the annual report, development of strategic goals, and the 
      assessment of established goals. Regularly prepare activity, attendance and other reports.
  • Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and evaluate Professional Staff including the Coordinator, Member 
    Services & Marketing; the Coordinator, Facilities and Operations; and Coordinator, Maintenance 
    Services
  • Provide support and oversight of all risk management policies, the EAP, AED management and 
    organization. Ensure that all fitness operations follow industry best practices related to safety and risk management, programming, and equipment.
  • Benchmark industry trends and lead facility assessment and data collection related to facility and 
    operations standards including participation, satisfaction, and outcomes; utilize results to enhance 
    physical layout of Campus Recreation spaces and align programs with a wellness model centered on 
    health promotion, prevention, and sustainable healthy habits for all students.
  • Coordinate with the Coordinator, Maintenance Service and aquatics director on all pool maintenance.
  • Monitor work orders to ensure quality levels of maintenance and custodial support for facilities. 5
  • Coordinate facility access and security. Responsible for the issuance of facility keys, card access, 
    access to the building safe and managing the security camera system in a manner that ensures 
    optimum security.
  • Schedule and provide support for external events including planning, resource support, event 
    setup/breakdown, billing/invoicing, contracts and risk management in coordination with Business Services.
  • Assist with the assessment, evaluation and mitigation of risk for all facilities to ensure compliance with university, local, and state standards, and follows industry standards. Serve on the departmental safety & risk management committee.
  • Oversee the Fusion software package for the department and serve as the point of contact for 
    troubleshooting, training, and configuration. Maintain a high-level understanding of the various 
    industry-specific computerized software & hardware systems; oversee procurement and 
    implementation, to include but not limited to, membership/program registration platforms, business 
    operations, staff scheduling platforms, etc.

EDUCATION

  • BS- Exercise and Sport Science-Sports Management. Minors- Recreation Management and Business Administration. UW-La Crosse, 2010
  • MS- Recreation, Parks, and Tourism - Campus Recreation Programming and Administration. University of Florida, 2013
  • MS- Management. University of Florida, 2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Graduate Assistant, Facility Operations, University of Florida Department of Recreational Sports, 2011-2014
  • Director, Department of Recreational Sports and Wellness, Carroll University, 2014-2023
  • General Manager, Catholic Memorial High School Athletic Department, 2023-2025
  • Dan has been the Coordinator, Fitness and Aquatics at Marquette University Campus Recreation since October, 2025

AWARDS/HONORS

  • NIRSA Foundation Scholarship- Star Trac Corporate Partner- 2014
  • American Collegiate Intramural Sports (ACIS) National Intern of the Month- 2010

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Certified in First Aid, CPR, AED
  • Registry of Collegiate Recreational Sports Professionals, RCRSP Designation, 2018-2025

AFFILIATIONS

  • Wisconsin Intramural Recreational Sports Association (WIRSA), member 2010-Present
  • NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, member 2010-Present
  • NIRSA State of Florida, State Student Leader, 2013-2014

PERSONAL

Dan is married to Megan, a two-time Marquette graduate, who is a Nurse Practitioner at Aurora Mayfair Cancer Clinic, and they have two children - Dax, born in Sept. 2020, and Josie Mae, born in Dec. 2022.  As a Waukesha native, his favorite sports teams are the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Red Wings and the Marquette Golden Eagles.  Interests include spending time with his family, staying active, attending Milwaukee-area festivals, golfing and exploring local restaurants, breweries, farmer’s markets and coffee shops.