Keli Zinn has been appointed as the new director of Intercollegiate Athletics for Rutgers-New Brunswick, following approval from the Rutgers Board of Governors. Zinn, who currently serves as executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer at Louisiana State University (LSU), will begin her role at Rutgers on August 6, 2025.
Rutgers President William F. Tate IV expressed confidence in Zinn’s ability to lead the athletics department. “Keli Zinn brings the strategic drive, operational excellence, and championship pedigree we need right now for Rutgers Athletics,” Tate said. “Her leadership style resonates deeply with Rutgers’ mission – competitiveness on the field, integrity in our practices, and excellence in the student‑athlete experience. She will guide Rutgers into a new era, with forward-looking leadership, tapping into the Rutgers Edge. We are thrilled to welcome Keli and her husband, Nate, to the Scarlet Knights Family.”
During her time at LSU, Zinn contributed to significant achievements including four national championships across gymnastics, women’s basketball, and baseball; multiple Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles; and a top-10 finish in the Director’s Cup for overall athletic competitiveness—the first such ranking for LSU since 2009. The football program also achieved a 10-win season and secured a Western Division title during her tenure.
Zinn has held leadership roles in both the Big 12 Conference at West Virginia University—where she was interim athletic director in 2015—and in the SEC at LSU. At West Virginia, she became the first woman to lead its athletics department and managed its transition into the Big 12.
“I am honored to join Rutgers at this exciting juncture, and I want to thank President Tate and the Board of Governors for this incredible opportunity,” Zinn said. “Where there are challenges, there are also opportunities, and I look forward to working with our campus leaders, student-athletes, coaches, staff, donors, and fans to build on Rutgers’ strong tradition, amplify opportunities to support our athletic programs, maintain top‑tier compliance, and pursue excellence both on and off the field. We will compete with the nation’s best and we will represent the university with integrity and pride in all we do.”
At LSU, Zinn played a key role in developing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) initiatives by partnering on “The Money Game,” a documentary series about Tigers student-athletes released on Amazon Prime Video. This approach helped secure NIL agreements across sports programs.
Board of Governors Chair Amy L. Towers commented on Zinn’s appointment: “Keli Zinn is a dynamic leader who brings a powerful combination of competitive excellence, strategic acumen, and deep integrity to this role. Her experience operating at the heart of major collegiate athletics, commitment to student-athletes, and proven ability to elevate programs make her the right leader at the right time for Rutgers Athletics,” Towers said. “We are excited to welcome Keli and her husband Nate to the Banks and look forward to partnering with her as we build on Rutgers’ proud legacy and drive toward even greater success in the Big Ten and beyond.”
Zinn began her career as a compliance assistant in the Big East before moving into governance roles at University of Maryland. She later held senior positions at West Virginia University.
“With experience in the Northeast, in the SEC, and at land-grant universities like Rutgers, Keli understands the values, mission, and regional pride that defines our community,” said Hollis Copeland—chair of the Board of Governors athletics subcommittee—who is also recognized as a former standout basketball player for Rutgers.
Rutgers’ Division of Intercollegiate Athletics consists of 24 varsity sports teams serving over 730 student-athletes competing within https://bigten.org/ . The university is known as The Birthplace of College Football after its win against Princeton on November 6th ,1869 . The Scarlet Knights have earned several team championships—including consecutive bowl appearances for football—and individual titles across men’s basketball , soccer , field hockey , track & field ,and wrestling .
Founded in 1766 , https://www.rutgers.edu/about ranks among America’s oldest higher education institutions . With more than 69 ,000 students plus faculty/staff totaling around 27 ,000 across New Brunswick , Newark , Camden campuses along with https://rutgershealth.org/ , it remains New Jersey’s largest public research university .
