Ed Winters was promoted to Director of Athletics and Club Sports in June 2025 after serving the athletics department as the Associate Athletic Director since July 2024.

At NHTI, Ed would rebuild the fifteen varsity teams roster sizes through strategic recruiting efforts in and around the New England region.  Several key additions to the NHTI athletic department during his time at NHTI was the formation of SAAC, addition of Sidearm website, enhancements to streaming production and game day/player experience with the addition play by play and in game announcing production.

Prior to NHTI, Ed was on the Colby-Sawyer College campus since the fall of 2001 when he started as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach under Head Coach Bill Foti. During his twelve seasons (2001-02 to 2012-13) with the men’s basketball program, he helped guide the Chargers to a 204-120 record including a pair of conference championships and two NCAA appearances. 

In 2008, Ed took on the role of Assistant Director of Recreational Sports & Hogan Sports Center. In this role, he assisted in the administration and management of all operational and programming aspects of the comprehensive intramural sports and club sports program along with the Dan and Kathleen Hogan Sports Center. In the fall of 2012, Ed added the responsibility of overseeing all aspects of varsity athletic game day operations.  Success in this position led to the appointment as an Assistant Athletic Director at the college.
 
After the 2014 school year, Ed received the 2014 "Dr. Robert L. Laurence Award" from the New England Football Rugby Union in recognition of outstanding dedication and devotion to the promotion and advancement of collegiate rugby in New England.
 
Prior to arriving at Colby-Sawyer Ed was the Executive Director at the Pines Community Center (501c3 non-profit) in Northfield, NH and the Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Franklin, NH.
 
Received a B.S. in Sport Management from Southern New Hampshire University and his M.S. in Sport Management at California University of Pennsylvania.

2025-26 Year in Review
Women's Basketball captured the Conference Carolinas Championship and recorded the best season in program history.
Cheer & Dance captured conference championships.
Snowboard won six national championships.
Men's Volleyball earned its first home playoff victory since 2013.
Men's Lacrosse finished 10–5, set multiple program records, and earned a first-round conference tournament bye.  First individual men’s lacrosse All-American was announced.  
Women's Cross Country produced a Conference Carolinas individual champion.
Track & Field student-athletes established multiple school records.
Women's Flag Football earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament as one of the first teams to play in the NCAA.
Men's Soccer advanced to the Conference Carolinas Tournament semifinals.
Lees-McRae welcomed the largest incoming student-athlete class in college history.
Men’s & Women’s Golf was added as a varsity sport which started play in the fall of 2026 at Linville Ridge.
Announced the addition of Baseball to the Lees-McRae varsity athletics program starting in the 2027-28 academic year.

2026-27 Year in Review
Men's and Women's Soccer appear in Southeast Regional Ranking in the same week for the first time since 2011
Men's Soccer ranked as high as #7 in national poll 
Men's Soccer had 8 players selected to all-conference.  Including Offensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Women's Soccer had 6 players selected to all-conference.
Men's Cross Country was #6 in the Southeast Regional Rankings.
Construction of new turf Softball, Flag Football and Baseball fields started on September 1st.
Upgrades to the film/media room, including a 12 foot video board and sound system.