In an email to the Westridge Community on April 10, Head of School Ms. Andrea Kassar and Assistant Head of School for Strategic Priorities and Enrollment Management Ms. Sarah Jallo announced Alice Lee as Westridge’s new Athletic Director. This appointment came after rounds of interviews and conversations with different sects of the Westridge community including student athletes, parents of athletes, Westridge coaches, and administrators.

The joint email shared that Ms. Lee “was the unanimous choice of our search committee.” Ms. Kassar and Ms. Jallo cited “her mission alignment and thoughtful perspective on women’s athletics, and her inspirational leadership style” as reasons she impressed the committee.

Ms. Lee comes to Westridge after more than 15 years of work in collegiate athletics. A former coach at Amherst College and Middlebury College, she is finishing her eighth year leading Williams College’s Division III Women’s Lacrosse team. At Williams, she helped propel the women’s lacrosse program to a top-10 NCAA rank and served on the Athletics DEI Committee, among other involvements.

Like the other recent administrative newcomers—from Ms. Kassar stepping into the role of Head of School to Dr. Melanie Arias joining Westridge as Upper School Director—Ms. Lee aspires to better the culture of athletics at Westridge.

“I believe deeply in the school’s mission of empowering girls to strive and challenge beyond any perceived limits, and I’m excited to join the mission and build upon the strong foundation that Melanie Horn has laid,” Ms. Lee said.

Ms. Lee will take the reins from Coach Melanie Horn, Westridge’s current Athletic Director, who has spearheaded sports at Westridge for more than 30 years. Though the transition is bittersweet for Coach Horn, she said, “I wish [Ms. Lee] all the best as she is entrusted with something I hold so very dear and hope that she’s able to guide the Tigers to many more CIF appearances and add lots of banners to the gym.”

Varsity volleyball and track athlete Isabel D. ’26 was among the students who interviewed candidates in March. Excited by Lee’s potential to transform athletic programming, Isabel said, “I think she’s going to work really well with all the coaches. She seems really excited to learn more about Westridge.”

Ms. Lee will begin her Westridge tenure on July 1. She said, “I can’t imagine a more meaningful time to champion the role of athletics in shaping confident, resilient, and courageous young women.”