Rutgers hires LSU officer Zinn as athletic director
Jul 30, 2025, 01:23 PM ET
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.– Rutgers called Keli Zinn its brand-new athletic director on Wednesday, filling the task after an one-year vacancy.Zinn had actually been deputy AD and chief operating officer at LSU because 2022 after stops at West Virginia, Maryland and the Big East. She assumes control of overseeing 24 men’s and women’s varsity sports on Aug. 6.
“Keli Zinn brings the strategic drive, operational excellence, and championship pedigree we require right now for Rutgers Sports,” stated William F. Tate IV, who took over as Rutgers president on July 1, likewise coming from LSU. “Her management style resonates deeply with Rutgers’ objective– competitiveness on the field, integrity in our practices, and quality in the student‑athlete experience. She will guide Rutgers into a new age, with positive leadership, taking advantage of the Rutgers Edge.”
Rutgers has actually been without a full-time athletic director considering that Pat Hobbs quickly resigned last August. Hobbs pointed out health reasons for his resignation, and a subsequent examination discovered he had an improper relationship with a gymnastics coach.Ryan Pisarri functioned as interim advertisement before taking the same post at Tufts University in Boston earlier this month. Matthew Colagiovanni took control of in an acting function before Zinn was hired.Zinn’s five-year agreement, authorized Wednesday by the Rutgers Board of Governors, calls for a salary of $1.35 million in its very first year, with$ 50,000 yearly increases. She’ll likewise be paid a $150,000 retention reward every two years of the term.One of Zinn’s first top priorities will be to develop Rutgers’name, image and
similarity program into a robust, competitive one that can draw in top-tier professional athletes to the New Jersey school. The Scarlet Knights have struggled to generate considerable NIL cash, particularly in the prominent sports.Zinn said raising revenue– by recognizing new streams and profiting from those that already exist– is going to
be a consistent focal point.” It’s definitely a requirement and crucial for our success,”Zinn stated,”but also to do so in a manner where
the conventional fundraising side of things and the ability to raise capital and support the university capital projects can both flourish together.”Before going to LSU, Zinn spent more than a decade at West Virginia in various roles, consisting of deputy athletic director from 2016-22. She was assistant AD at Maryland from 2005-10 after being a compliance assistant for the Big East in 2003 and ’04.