Aug. 28, 2007

Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University Director of Athletic Administration Charlie Elwood announced the addition of three staff members today. Joining the Rams are Coordinator of Ticket and Business Operations, Mark Dietz; Coordinator of Compliance, Molly Stearns; and Equipment Manager, Joseph Kastner.

Dietz is no stranger to Fordham, having served as an assistant men's soccer coach for the Rams the past three years. He recently was employed by UBS, an investment banking firm, as a Sales Associate - Desk Analyst for the Equity Capital Market since August of 2005. Prior to that, he served as an OTC Market Maker Trading Assistant from January 2005 until August 2005 for UBS.

Dietz will continue his services as an assistant coach with the Fordham soccer team in 2007. Dietz has very strong ties to Fordham head men's soccer coach Jim McElderry, as McElderry recruited and coached Dietz at Fairfield University from 1998-2001.

A 2002 graduate of Fairfield University with a degree in Business and Marketing, Dietz helped the Fairfield men's soccer team become one of the best in the northeast. The Stags were ranked nationally in each of his last three seasons and won the MAAC Championship in 1999. Athletically, he earned First Team All-Conference honors as a sophomore in 1999 and as a senior in 2001, and was named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team in 2001. Academically, Dietz was named First Team Academic All-Conference from 1999-2001 and to the Dean's List during each of his four years at Fairfield.

Stearns joins the Rams after working at the University of Illinois at Chicago since October of 2003 where she was employed in a variety of capacities, most recently serving as the Compliance Director for the Flames. She started her tenure at Illinois-Chicago as an Assistant Ticket Manager and Assistant to the Associate Athletic Director in 2003, handling the Corporate Outreach Program and managing ticket sales for seven sports.

In 2005, Stearns assumed the role of NCAA Eligibility Coordinator and she took on the additional duties as an Academic Advisor/Compliance Assistant in 2006. Her responsibilities included providing rule interpretations to coaches and staff, compiling Graduation Success Rates and weekly NCAA certification reports, counseling student-athletes and staff on NCAA eligibility policies, rules and regulations and implementing policies and procedures to aid in student-athlete registration and regulations.

Stearns also has experience in a conference setting, serving as the Basketball Operations and Administrative Intern for the Horizon League in Indianapolis in 2002-03. At the league office, she helped develop men's and women's basketball schedules, assisted in writing championship and game operations handbooks, aided in the implementation of a new men's basketball championship format and worked as University Liaison for NCAA first and second round games in Indianapolis.

A 2002 graduate of Butler University with a degree in Marketing, Stearns also earned a Masters Degree in Education with an emphasis in Instructional Leadership from Illinois-Chicago in 2005.

Kastner comes to Fordham after serving as a heavy equipment operator for Palmetto Sites in Beach Island, South Carolina since March. Prior to that, he supervised a crew of 17 installing slabs for military housing for Walltek in Land O' Lakes, Florida in 2006-07.

In 2005-06, Kastner served as a JSA Technician for Tendon Systems LLC in Midland, Georgia. His responsibilities included traveling to different job site locations on the East Coast to perform pre-inspections of concrete slabs, trouble shooting and repairing cable equipment.

From April until August in 2005, Kastner was a Crew Supervisor for Erosion Control & Environmental Supply, Inc., supervising a crew of workers to prepare job sites for erosion control inspections which includes installing silt fences, seed and mat grassing and other erosion control needs.

After attending Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, Kastner worked in construction layout for Highrise Concrete Systems, Inc., preparing building layout and concrete preparation.

Kastner got his start as equipment manager at Louisiana Tech where he worked with current Fordham football assistant coach Bryan Volk. He was responsible for all facets of equipment for the Bulldogs football program, including ordering and maintaining uniforms and equipment, while an undergraduate student from July 2001 until May of 2004.