Bridgewater, NJ -- Bringing decades of Division I officiating experience and leadership to the role, Dwayne Gladden has been named the NEC’s new Men’s Basketball Officiating Coordinator.
NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris today announced the hiring following the retirement of Jack Sweeney, who had served in the role since 2014.
Gladden, who spent 15 years as an NEC official, will oversee officiating assignments for the conference, evaluate officials over the course of the season and serve as the main point of contact with the league’s head coaches on all officiating-related matters. He will also lead ongoing education efforts with officials, including play review and film breakdown, while providing guidance to coaches on rules interpretations and points of emphasis.
He will also work closely with the Men’s Basketball Officiating Alliance, a collaborative group of Division I conferences focused on assigning, training, evaluation, and the development and identification of officials. Alliance members include the NEC, America East, ACC, A-10, Big East, Big South, CAA, Ivy League, MAAC, MEAC, Patriot League and Northeast 10 Conference.
“Dwayne’s experience, knowledge of the game and longstanding relationships throughout college basketball made him an outstanding fit for this position,” said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “He is widely respected both for his accomplished career as a Division I official and for his work as an officiating coordinator and mentor. Dwayne has demonstrated a strong commitment to the growth and development of officials throughout his career, and we look forward to the leadership and perspective he will bring to the NEC.”
Gladden spent 32 years as a collegiate official, including nearly three decades at the Division I level. From 1994-2023, he primarily worked games in the ACC while also officiating contests across the NEC, AAC, A-10, Atlantic Sun, Big Ten, CAA, Ivy League, MAAC, MEAC, MVC, Patriot League and Southern Conference.
Over the course of his career, he was selected to officiate 14 NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournaments, along with postseason assignments in the NIT, CBI and CIT. He also worked more than a dozen conference championship events.
Gladden currently serves as Men's Basketball Officiating Coordinator for the Patriot League and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). He is a former President of the MEAC Board of Officials Association and has spent more than 20 years as a camp clinician, helping train and mentor aspiring officials.
“I would like to thank Commissioner (Noreen) Morris and Senior Associate Commissioner (Ron) Ratner for putting their trust in me,” Gladden said. “I am grateful and honored to be selected as the new NEC Men’s Basketball Officiating Coordinator. Our league is in a great place and my goal is to build on that momentum and continue the upward trajectory of our elite officiating program.”
Away from basketball, Gladden served in the United States Air Force as a Law Enforcement Military Working Dog Handler and also worked in Medical Administration. He held several management and supervisory roles over a 22-year span from 1982 to 2004.
About the NEC
Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECSports.