East Hampton School District Hires Kathy Masterson As Its New Athletic Director

The East Hampton School District didn’t have to search far for its next athletic director.

Kathy Masterson, currently the athletic director of the Westhampton Beach School District, was approved as the Bonacker’s next athletic director at the East Hampton Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. East Hampton began its hiring search for the position when current AD, Joe Vasile-Cozzo, announced in December that he will be retiring after 15 years with the district.

It was Vasile-Cozzo who was one of the first to welcome Masterson to East Hampton at Tuesday night’s meeting, handing her her first Bonac hat.

“Kathy’s one of the best in the Section, so I’m really happy she’s taking over,” he said, before congratulating her.

East Hampton Superintendent Adam Fine and Board of Education President J.P. Foster are both thrilled about what the future holds for their district and athletic program with Masterson now in the fold.

“I am excited to welcome Ms. Masterson to East Hampton,” Fine said. “She went through a rigorous interview process that involved student-athletes, teachers, administrators, coaches and community members. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. I look forward to watching her engage with our community and develop a vision for our athletic and physical education programs. She is a true-team player whose positive energy is palpable.

“We are happy to have Kathy on board as part of the East Hampton School District’s administrative team,” Foster said. “It was an extensive search with community input and we had several great candidates. She stood out to me with her experience, broad knowledge and no nonsense approach. Kathy comes to us with a tremendous reputation and respect. Welcome to East Hampton, Kathy.”

Masterson said that “being an East End kid,” having been born and raised and currently residing in Southampton, certainly played a part in her decision. She graduated from Southampton High School in 1987, starring on the field hockey and softball teams there, before going on to play at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia.

Masterson, 53, graduated from Davis and Elkins in 1991 with a degree in sports management and sports medicine. After graduating, Masterson coached field hockey, basketball and softball in the Southampton School District, and later earned a degree in physical education. She was hired at Westhampton Beach as a physical education teacher in 1999, and finished her master’s at Stony Brook University. In 2005, Masterson finished her administrative degree, and when Rich Schaub, the former athletic director at Westhampton Beach, took a job in the Syosset School District, Masterson applied for the opening. Masterson was hired as the director of health, physical education and athletics for the Westhampton Beach School District on July 10, 2006.

In addition to her job as AD, Masterson holds a number of roles with Section XI, the governing body of Suffolk County high school athletics. She is first vice president of the section, boys volleyball chairperson, chair of the policy committee, co-chair of the modified committee and president of Conference III.

There were only a few districts she would leave Westhampton Beach for, Masterson said, and East Hampton happened to be one of them. Masterson will finish what is her 23rd year at Westhampton Beach — 16 as athletic director — and then start her new post in East Hampton on July 1.

“I’ve been blessed with my opportunity here at Westhampton Beach. Blessed to have spent the majority of my career here,” she said. “But when I looked at the opportunity at East Hampton, I looked at it as an opportunity I could not pass up.”

Both Westhampton Beach Superintendent Carolyn Probst and Board of Education President Suzanne Mensch are sad to see Masterson leave.

“After decades of service to the Westhampton Beach School District, the news of Kathy’s anticipated appointment in East Hampton is significant. Kathy’s commitment and contributions to the district and the athletic program are sincerely appreciated,” Mensch said.

“As I anticipate Kathy’s appointment in East Hampton, I reflect upon her unparalleled enthusiasm and Hurricane spirit,” Probst added. “Westhampton Beach will not be the same. But under her leadership, I am certain we will face a worthy and fair opponent when we play in East Hampton.”

Masterson began her career at Westhampton Beach as a physical education teacher and coach, leading a number of programs such as softball and soccer. “Whatever the Westhampton Beach School District asked me to do, I did it,” she said.

As athletic director, she became more well known for the success of many of the programs under her direction. Her teams and student-athletes have also been equally successful in the classroom. In 2019, Westhampton Beach earned the rare honor of a New York State Public High School Athletic Association “School of Distinction,” bestowed on a school only when each one of its varsity sports teams — the Hurricanes had 21 that year — has a combined grade point average of 90 or higher.

Masterson said success on the field and championships are great, but what she’s more proud of are the lasting relationships she makes with her student-athletes.

“These kids are not going pro in the sports that they’re playing. They’re going pro in whatever profession they choose to be, and just being a part of their lives is what I’m most proud of,” she said. “When these young men and women become teachers, police officers or whatever it is that they become, seeing their success means that I am successful.”

To that end, Masterson said she’s going to miss two things equally — the kids and her team at Westhampton Beach.

“The team that we built here is incredible, and we’ve built it together. I didn’t do this by myself, we did it as a team,” she said. “Growing up as an athlete, I know that it’s team first. There is no ‘I’ in team, you need to work together and need to be as strong as your weakest link.”

Many of the coaches at Westhampton Beach were surprised, maybe even shocked, to hear of Masterson’s career move. Masterson herself said many of the conversations she had with her coaches, many of whom have led her varsity teams for a decade or more, got emotional at times.

“Personally, I’m really going to miss her,” boys varsity lacrosse head coach Drew Peters said. “She is more than just a boss to me — she is my friend. She always took personal interest in her staff and coaches. She made it a point to always ask about my family and how my kids are doing. She’s just that kind of person.

“She loves our students and our athletes,” he continued. “She is always supportive and asking what she can do to help our programs. She’s the biggest fan of Hurricane Athletics there is. Teaching and coaching for someone like that is easy. Knowing someone has your back is comforting. While she’s not solely responsible for the success on the athletic fields, she puts everything in place for our programs to find success. We have had many successful teams in her tenure and she’s had a hand in it all.”

Peters said he thinks Masterson looks at the move to East Hampton as a new challenge and one she will be successful in.

“Kathy is at the point in her career where she is close to retirement. She has always accepted challenges and that’s what I feel this last stop is, a challenge,” he said. “A new staff, new students and an athletic program that has previously had success. While I’m sad to see her leave from a professional standpoint, I’m happy for my friend to begin a new chapter in her life. She took a chance hiring me 13 years ago and I’ve always tried my best to represent the Westhampton Beach School District the way it should be, with honor and integrity.”

John Broich is the longest tenured coach in the Westhampton Beach School District, having coached girls cross country, indoor and outdoor track for over 30 years. He remembers when Masterson came on board as a teacher over 20 years ago and eventually became the AD.

“Yes, I was surprised,” he said about her decision. “But I think for her it makes sense. I remember when she was a PE teacher. She was really good with the kids.”

Broich said that Masterson’s accessibility and visibility are what makes her stand out, making it a point to show up to meets and games and support her teams in any way she can.

“She could have made a number of excuses not to be at our meets, but I think she wanted to have her boots on the ground,” he said. “And she really likes the kids. She’s concerned about the kids and their well being. She always took the phone call, even if she gets back to you within an hour or two.

“It’s going to be hard to find a person who’s willing to do that and put the time in. She’s one of the best in Suffolk County.”

Some golf programs are often overlooked and put on the backburner at some schools, but varsity head coach Fred Musumeci said that certainly wasn’t the case in Westhampton Beach. It was just a year ago that Masterson helped facilitate getting the golf team brand new jackets and gear through a donation from the Andrews family, who’s son C.J., played on the team when he went to high school, but died in 2018.

“She loves our golf team,” Musumeci said. “Even when I took over the program and we had some lean years, and now that we’ve seen success the past seven or eight year or so, she’s so happy for our kids and our program and always made me feel like our golf team was her top priority. She’s definitely going to be missed, personally and professionally.”

Masterson said that feeling is definitely mutual with all of her coaches, student-athletes and staff.

“This decision has been very hard for me. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions and I’ve been very blessed in my career to even have this opportunity.”