Eric Aymond, former director of the Student Union, has been named the Pennington Student Activity Center director. This change in leadership came after the resignation of former Director Seth Thomas on January 21.

Aymond started his new role on April 4. He served as the Student Union director for seven and a half years and an additional seven years as assistant director of Campus Card Operations.  

According to Aymond, his interest in the role of REC Center director came from his familiarity with the building, along with his own personal fitness over the course of his time on campus. He considers this personal connection to the center to be a strength for his current role.   

The idea of being the REC Center director has been in the mind of Aymond for a while, and he considered applying for the role of director earlier but chose to continue his role as the director of the Student Union.

“I’ve been working out at that building for the past 21 years, ever since I started as a freshman back in 2001. I have a vested interest in that building and it has become a second home to me,” Aymond said.  

After the resignation of his predecessor in early January, Aymond applied for the role of director. Wanting to see the center thrive and succeed made Aymond’s passion for the role grow stronger and motivated him to take on the new challenge. 

“I really felt confident in my abilities and that I had made a good name for myself at the Student Union. I got a lot of exposure as the director and was able to form connections with the people there,” Aymond said. 

Aymond plans to use his background in facility and staff management in his new position as director. He plans on applying his organizing and managing experience from his role in the Student Union and integrating that organizing knowledge into sporting and program events at REC Center.  

“My transition is really about applying that knowledge and assisting in those events and bringing that expertise to REC events and helping them run smoothly. I’m huge on leadership, so I’m hoping to come in and tie the professional staff and the student staff together,” Aymond said.  

He has maintained a relationship with the Student Union by assisting the interim Director of the Student Union Calyn Thornton over the past week, as well as providing backup if needed during Union events.  

Aymond credited his approachable and outgoing personality to his success in his 15-year career at Southeastern and intends to bring that to his role at the REC Center. 

“I would love to just get to know and engage with anyone coming into the REC Center. At the moment, I’ve been doing a lot of observation on policies and procedures so that I can better engage with members,” Aymond said.  

Aymond said he hopes to maintain a comfortable experience for REC Center visitors and provide them with as much help as he and the rest of the staff can offer.