Melissa Brocato has been appointed as the interim athletic director at Augusta University, effective immediately. She takes over from Ryan Erlacher, who resigned on December 8.
Brocato has held several roles at Augusta University since joining as head softball coach in 1998. Her experience includes serving as compliance coordinator, senior women’s administrator, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee liaison, and representing athletics on various campus committees. She previously served as interim athletic director in 2022 and will continue to lead the Jaguar softball program while fulfilling her new responsibilities.
Originally from King, North Carolina, Brocato began her career at Campbell University. There she coached junior varsity softball and worked as a graduate assistant for academic services. She holds both a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s degree in education from Campbell.
Augusta University athletics has seen notable developments recently. The university invested in significant facility upgrades such as a multimillion-dollar renovation of Christenberry Fieldhouse that included a new performance center for student-athletes and improvements to seating and lighting at baseball and softball fields. The athletics department was recognized nationally with consecutive finalist honors for the NCAA Award of Excellence in 2024 and 2025. During the 2024-25 academic year, AU student-athletes contributed more than 2,000 hours of community service and achieved a department-wide GPA of 3.38, marking the highest average in program history.
AU President Russell T. Keen commented on Brocato’s appointment: “Augusta University’s student-athletes, coaches and athletics department staff not only help represent AU in competition, but they are the catalyst to driving a spirit of pride for the life-changing, life-saving education, research and clinical care that makes Augusta University so special,” he said. “Coach Brocato is competitive and has a passion for elevating Augusta University. She and the entire athletics department will have the full support of our leadership team as we work to elevate the experience of our students, coaches and fans to one of unmatchable excellence.”
The search for a permanent athletic director will begin immediately.
