Amanda Purcell came to Brown in September of 2007 from The Ohio State University where she spent one year as a volunteer assistant for the varsity rowing team.

While coaching at OSU, Purcell helped lead her varsity four crew to a 10th place finish at the Division I NCAA Tournament last year. Also, in the spring of 2006, Purcell was the assistant novice and varsity coach for Upper Arlington High School and a volunteer novice assistant for OSU's varsity program.

Purcell earned her Bachelor or Music Education from OSU and was a four-year member of the varsity rowing team. A standout rower with the Buckeyes, Purcell was a member of the Big-Ten Boat of the Week for five consecutive weeks in 2004, was Second Team All-Big Ten in 2005, and was also a first team All-Central Region pick and a first team Pocock All-American. In 2006, Purcell received an invitation to the National Senior Elite Camp, however she stopped due to injury.