Following a national search, Todd Garzarelli, who has more than 20 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics and higher education, has been selected to serve as ϳԹ's director of athletics.
Garzarelli will begin work at IUP on May 13. He comes to IUP from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
“Todd brings an incredible depth and breadth of experience to the athletic director position at IUP,” IUP President. Michael Driscoll said. “His record of success at so many diverse universities made him the favored candidate in a very strong pool and position him well to continue the forward momentum of an already strong program. Under Todd's leadership, IUP Athletics will be ready to move to the next level of success.”
Garzarelli fills the position previously held by Steve Roach, who left the university in September for the executive director of athletics and recreation at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Samantha Traver, assistant athletic director of compliance and senior woman administrator, has served as acting athletic director in the interim.
“As we welcome Todd, I want to thank Samantha Traver for her work as acting director,” Driscoll said. “She's done an excellent job and we appreciate her leadership during this time.”
“My family and I are excited to be headed back to western ϳԹ and to become part of the IUP family and Indiana community,” Garzarelli said. “IUP athletics has had a rich tradition of academic and athletic success throughout the years, and I am humbled and honored to serve as the next director of athletics of this great university and continue to build upon that tradition.
“With tremendous student-athletes, coaches, and community-alumni support in place, I am convinced we can compete for and win championships at a national level and provide our student-athletes with a great educational and social experience,” he said.
In his work at Wisconsin–Whitewater, Garzarelli was an executive staff member of the Chancellor's cabinet, providing leadership and guidance on university matters, with direct oversight of the division of intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation services.
During his tenure there, the athletic department achieved success on a national level, winning a team national championship, and multiple student-athletes were crowned individual NCAA champions, including several student-athletes being named NCAA National Athletes of the Year. More than 40 percent of the student-athletes were on the conference Academic Honor Roll, with many student-athletes recognized as Academic All-Americans in numerous sports. The Warhawk Give Back Program saw the student-athletics contribute more than 1,500 community service hours during the year.
Garzarelli also oversaw $5.1 million in transformation facility construction enhancements and assisted in the design of a $130 million athletic and campus recreation facility master plan. He also secured a five-year exclusive apparel agreement, along with many other strategic endeavors.
During the 2017–18 fiscal year, the department saw an increase in fundraising of more than $950,000 verse the previous year, along with the development of a comprehensive corporate sponsorship platform that saw more than a 50 percent in increase in revenue. In addition to the external resources, Garzarelli also enhanced the departments overall operating budget by 5 percent, from student fees, and was able to reduce the department's debt service by $500,000 in the first year.
Several student-athlete centered initiates were developed under Garzarelli's leadership, including the Student-Athletic Support Services Ecological Model, designed to illustrate the championship experience that student-athletes receive through access and availability to a team of professionals who provide interconnected support services for life in and out of sports.
Prior to his work at Wisconsin–Whitewater, Garzarelli served as the senior associate athletic director for external affairs at State University of New York at Buffalo; associate athletic director for external affairs and executive director of the NSU Athletic Association at Northwestern State University; associate athletic director for external affairs and major gifts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville; and associate athletic director for marketing, corporate, and broadcast relations, where he was part of the senior leadership teams and was directly responsible for a variety of units within the athletic departments—including fundraising, marketing and promotions, corporate sponsorships and ticket sales, media relations and branding, licensing, radio and tv broadcasts, event management—and had oversight of several sports programs.
He was director of marketing and promotions at the United States Military Academy and marketing associate at the University of Missouri; he increased sponsorship and ticket revenue while in both positions. He was marketing and development assistant at the United States Air Force Academy. He began his professional career as assistant to the director of external affairs at Saint Francis University.
Garzarelli has a master's degree in sports management from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor's degree in sport management from Slippery Rock University.
About
IUP competes at the NCAA Division II level in the ϳԹ State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Its 19 varsity sports include baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's golf, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming, women's tennis, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, and women's volleyball.