Marisa Brisbane

Connecting the dots: Marisa Brisbane

School/College: School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management
Degree: MS, sport business with a concentration in athletic administration, 2020
Hometown: Damascus, Maryland
Current Job Title: Director of compliance
Current Employer: University of Maryland, Department of Intercollegiate Athletics

Creative compliance. Some may hear “compliance” and think “box checking.” But not Marisa Brisbane, STH ’20. In fact, as director of compliance with the University of Maryland’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Marisa says the most important part of the job is thinking outside the box. In this constantly changing world of waivers and eligibility rules, a good compliance officer can find ways to get and keep an athlete on the playing field, helping fulfill the dreams of both players and coaches.

Any given workday. Marisa views the work of an athletics compliance director as similar to that of an attorney, pouring over documents and court decisions for guidance. But it also requires people skills. Nearly every day, Marisa is on the phone comparing strategies with colleagues from other universities. Internally, she’s interfacing with coaches, athletes and other members of the Athletics Department to make sure all are properly informed.

Marisa Brisbane poses for a photo on the University of Maryland basketball court.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people I met at Temple. I’ve learned that connecting with people and developing genuine relationships is an important part of this industry.”

—Marisa Brisbane
Director of compliance, athletics

Arriving on Broad Street. During her senior year at York College of Pennsylvania, one of her professors, Michael Mudrick, KLN ’07, recommended she reach out to Temple’s athletics office for a spring internship. Larry Dougherty, Temple’s longtime senior associate athletics director for strategic communications, answered the call and “gave me a chance,” Marisa says. Her experience with the Owls quickly convinced Marisa to enroll in Temple’s sport business master’s program the following fall.

Through the Temple network, Marisa also learned about and was accepted to a prestigious postgraduate internship program with the NCAA. That 10-month role set her up for her first full-time job as athletics compliance officer for George Washington University, which she parlayed into a dream job at the University of Maryland near her hometown.