CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Ahead of its preparations for the 2027 season, Harvard men's lacrosse adds Robert Stephenson to its coaching staff as its new director of lacrosse operations. Stephenson brings a wealth of experience to the Crimson sidelines, holding previous coaching roles at University of Mary Washington, Franklin Pierce and the Association of France Lacrosse.

During this tenure at Mary Washington for the 2026 season, Stephenson served as defensive coordinator for the Eagles. With Stephenson at the helm of the defense and faceoff units, Mary Washington advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Coastal Lacrosse Conference Tournament. Under Stephenson's mentorship, freshman Lucas Owens and junior Christian Fleming each ranked in the top 10 in the Coastal Lacrosse Conference in caused turnovers, as senior goalkeeper Ryan D'Angelo and senior faceoff Jacob Fowler earned All-Coastal Conference Second Team recognition as well. 

Along with on the field duties, Stephenson also held other responsibilities during his time with the Eagles. Stephenson served as the equipment manager for Mary Washington and oversaw travel logistics and planning. Stephenson played a key role in uplifting and supporting student-athlete success in the classroom to go along with his coaching duties.

The 2025 season saw Stephenson serve as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Franklin Pierce. In his lone season with the Ravens, Stephenson managed all recruiting functions and strategies, helping maintain and enhance several recruiting pipelines. Stephenson also oversaw a defensive unit that saw defensemen Kyle Breitwieser and Nick Sawyer record 20 or more caused turnovers.

Along with his roles at Mary Washington and Franklin Pierce, Stephenson is a key figure in the coaching set up for the France national team. At the 2025 European Championships, Stephenson pushed the France national team to its greatest showing at the competition, as France finished eighth overall and second in its group. Stephenson helped launch France's box lacrosse program as he will return to the sidelines with France for the 2027 World Championships in Japan. 

Stephenson graduated from Davis & Elkins College with a Bachelor's of Science in business & sports management in 2024, as he is also working towards a Master's of business administration in leadership at Franklin Pierce.