Peter P. Roby
Member, Board of Advisors

In July 2007, Peter P. Roby was named Athletic Director of Northeastern University. The appointment follows his five-year tenure as Director for the Center for the Study of Sport in Society, a post he accepted in July 2002.

Aligning himself with the mission of Sport in Society, he has been diligent in promoting the idea that the sports community can, and should, take a lead role in bringing about positive social change through research, education, and advocacy. Roby brings more than 25 years of experience in athletics and marketing. In 2004, he was appointed to the Governor's Council for Physical Fitness and Sport and serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations.

While at Sport in Society, Roby has proved to be an effective and popular public speaker, a frequently referenced expert, and a published columnist. He has been the featured speaker for numerous organizations over the span of his 25 year career. Most recently Roby spoke at the Australia Department of Sport and Recreation’s Active06 conference in Perth, Australia on the power of sport to unite communities. As an expert in his field, he has been frequently referenced in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Palm Beach Post, Indianapolis Star, and Sports Illustrated. A regular on radio and television, his credits include ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS’s The Early Show, ESPN's Outside the Lines, NBC's Nightly News, CNN's Paula Zahn Show, ABC’s The Larry Elder Show, CN8's SportsPulse, and NECN's Newsnight. He was also a featured guest of Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo during a Red Sox Game broadcast. His opinion pieces have been published on the editorial pages of The Boston Globe, The Indianapolis Star, The Dallas Morning News, and The Oregonian.

Prior to assuming his post at Sport in Society, Roby was the vice president of U.S. Marketing at Reebok. During his tenure with Reebok he held two other positions, as the director of Key Account Marketing and the director of U.S. Sports Marketing. He was responsible for the development and execution of marketing plans in the United States. He also oversaw strategic planning, grass roots marketing, and sponsorships.

Leading up to his time at Reebok, Roby had fulfilling career as a college basketball coach. He served six seasons as head basketball coach for Harvard University and three years as Harvard's assistant basketball coach. Before joining Harvard, Roby was the assistant coach at Stanford University, Dartmouth College and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Roby is a 1979 graduate of Dartmouth College where he was co-captain of the basketball team and earned a bachelor's degree in government. A native of New Britain, Conn., Roby lives with his wife Sandra in Newton, Mass., and they are the proud parents of Kayla, Peter, and Jon Paul.