Women’s Basketball Alum Amy Buxbaum (H&SS ’92) Right At Home on College Campus
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Amy Buxbaum (H&SS '92) has returned home. One of the most decorated women's basketball players in Carnegie Mellon University history, Buxbaum was recently selected as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Buxbaum grew up in Johnstown and her family still lives in the area.
"I hadn't lived in Johnstown since I graduated from high school in 1988. It's really been fascinating to reconnect with my hometown from a different perspective," Buxbaum said. "It's really a place that is home."
In her position, Buxbaum is part of Pitt-Johnstown's senior administration. Her direct areas of responsibility include oversight of facilities, athletics, information technology, finance, campus police, risk management and human resources. Buxbaum assumed her position in May after serving as associate vice president for three months. Formerly the Director of Athletics at Chatham University, Buxbaum had previously spent the majority of her career as a coach and athletics administrator.
"My career as an athletics administrator and athletics director really prepared me for this role in the sense that I had specific hands-on experience with every aspect of the position," Buxbaum said. "It has been fun and challenging to think about issues on a campus-wide level and be part of the strategic planning and decision-making to ensure the growth of the university not just for this year, but for the years to come."
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon in 1992, Buxbaum headed to the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Upon graduation from Penn, she worked at a law firm in Harrisburg for two years before realizing she missed the campus environment.
"I made the decision that I wanted to be back on campus, specifically as a coach. I took a leap of faith," Buxbaum said.
The leap of faith paid dividends, as Buxbaum accepted a position as an assistant women's basketball coach at Emmanuel College in Boston. After a year at Emmanuel, Buxbaum returned to the Keystone State as the head women's basketball coach and senior woman administrator at Juniata College. She was eventually promoted to associate director of athletics and after five years, began a seven-year tenure as the athletics director at Chatham.
"I love being with the students. The level of engagement with the students is something that really sustains the work and reminds you on a daily basis of why you do it," Buxbaum said. "There's so much growth that happens for students on campus. It's fun to watch and really satisfying to be a part of it.
During her time as a Tartan, Buxbaum made her mark on the hardwood and in the classroom. As a basketball standout, she is one of just eight women to eclipse the 1,000-point mark during her career and is the all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker in school history. This past winter, Buxbaum was selected to Carnegie Mellon's All-UAA 25th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team.
"Carnegie Mellon provided some of the best times of my life. I learned more than just how to play through my opportunities with basketball, and I was challenged on a daily basis in the classroom with subjects and ideas that interested me and fascinated me," Buxbaum said. "I learned to appreciate the hard work, and really embrace it and smile about it. I think I've continued to do that throughout my career."
Buxbaum has made a point to stay involved with the Carnegie Mellon Athletics Department, and in addition to making contributions that directly support student-athletes, she has spent the past two years as a member of the Athletics Advisory Council. Buxbaum and that group helped establish the Tartan Athletics Club, and will formally serve as the club's inaugural Board of Directors.
"I look at the Tartan Athletics Club as something that can help reconnect alumni with the experiences they had on campus," Buxbaum said. "It is gratifying to share the great work and terrific accomplishments of Carnegie Mellon Athletics."
For Buxbaum, staying involved is a means of giving back for the opportunities she received as a student.
"I've always considered my membership on the women's basketball team to be a lifetime commitment. I continue to reap the benefits of that experience, so I want to do everything I can to make sure our current and future student-athletes have the same opportunities or even more opportunities than I did. I want to be a part of it," Buxbaum said.