Welcoming Mr. Eric Simonelli

Q: Where did you grow up?

A: I grew up in Duxbury, MA –which is 30min south of Boston and 20min north of Cape Cod. I currently live in Cowesett, RI with my wife, 5 year old son and 4 month old daughter.

Q: Where did you go to college, and how did you pick your major?

A: I went to Endicott College for my Bachelor’s and URI for my Master’s Degree. I chose to double major in Public Relations and Sport Management. My senior year of college I interned with the Boston Celtics Media Department and realized that I wanted to go into education, and be a coach….not work for a professional sport team.

Q: Where else have you worked?

A: After graduating college in 2001, I went to Copenhagen to play for a club basketball team. When I returned to the states, I was an Admission Counselor and Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Keene State for one year and at Roger Williams University for two years. After leaving RWU, I went the University of Rhode Island to be an Admission Advisor and Liaison to the Athletic Department for the next 14 years. During my time at URI, I also was the Varsity Basketball Coach at The Prout School for 6 years where we were able to win two Division 3 State Championships.

Q: What are your thoughts/impressions of La Salle?

A: I love the positive vibe La Salle has. I’m excited to be here, and looking forward to great many years ahead. Being the Boys Varsity Basketball Coach here for 5 years, I have gotten to appreciate the La Salle community more and more every year. As the full time Director of College Counseling, I have enjoyed helping students go through the college application process. La Salle is a unique environment for students, faculty, and staff. It has all of the resources in place for students to reach their future goals, and a genuine faculty that cares about all their students inside and outside the classroom.

Q: Do you have any plans for the future?

A: As I have advanced through my professional career, I have realized it’s important to cherish the moments of today. Right now, I live each day to the fullest, and try to be a better person every morning I wake up. I do not think too much about my future other than living a healthy life, and being the best husband and father I can be.

Q: Do you have any hobbies or interesting facts you would like people to know?

A: I’m extremely neat. I enjoy organizing my house and car…keeping everything in order. My closet is color coded with shirts, pants, and shoes. I keep my house very clean, and my car is always immaculate inside and out. I enjoy cooking on the grill, I love the beach and pool, but I hate the winter weather (other than basketball season!) I enjoy listening to old school music like Dave Matthews Band and U2, but I also like Coldplay and Jay Z.