Justin Bannister, New Mexico State University

LAS CRUCES - New Mexico State University President Valerio Ferme announced to campus Thursday that Mario Moccia will depart NMSU as the university’s athletics director. As part of the announcement, Ferme also stated that Amber Burdge, NMSU’s deputy athletic director for strategic initiatives and leadership, would be promoted to the role of acting athletics director, effective immediately.

“After carefully reviewing the recent report issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, I felt we needed a fresh start in our athletics program,” Ferme said. “I have utter confidence in Dr. Burdge’s ability to lead our Athletic Department, and look forward to working with her in the coming months.”

Burdge had served as NMSU’s deputy athletic director for strategic initiatives and leadership, as well as the senior woman administrator and deputy Title IX coordinator for the athletics department. Ferme said she is highly regarded for having a student-first mindset and has helped work on NMSU’s strategic response to hazing prevention.

Before coming to NMSU, she was the associate athletic director for student-athlete success services at Louisiana Tech University for eight years, overseeing significant academic improvement and community service initiatives. Before that, she served as the athletic director for Neosho County Community College, where she oversaw 16 sports programs that won six national titles and produced 36 NJCAA All-American accolades and honors.

Her experience also includes leadership roles at Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with a strong focus on academic and leadership development. She holds a bachelor’s in health and a master’s degree in counseling from Oklahoma State. She also earned a Doctor of Education at Louisiana Tech.

Justin Bannister writes for New Mexico State University Marketing and Communications and can be reached at 575-646-3221, or by email at jbannist@nmsu.edu.