Rutgers Appoints Keli Zinn as New Athletic Director
Rutgers will have a new Athletic Director in Keli Zinn who was appointed Wednesday July 30.
Rutgers has officially appointed Keli Zinn as Athletic Director.
The Rutgers Board of Governors approved Zinn on Wednesday morning after President William F. Tate appointed her to the position. Her first official day is August 6.
Zinn brings to Rutgers more than 20 years of experience in college athletics at the power conference level, with her most recent stint as Chief Operating Officer and Deputy A.D. with Louisiana State University.
According to reports, Zinn is set to be the highest-paid A.D. in school history. NJ.com reported Monday that Zinn is to ink a five-year deal at a base salary of $1.35 million that could rise annually based on the athletic department hitting on multiple incentives.
“Keli Zinn brings the strategic drive, operational excellence, and championship pedigree we need right now for Rutgers Athletics,” Tate said Wednesday.
“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."
In response to her appointment, Zinn stated: “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. 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... ."
Zinn began her career as a Compliance Assistant in the Big East in 2003, before moving to the position of Assistant Athletic Director at the University of Maryland in 2005.
In 2010, she returned to her alma mater, West Virginia University, as Associate Athletic Director/Compliance, and worked her way up to Interim Athletic Director in 2015, and Deputy Athletic Director in 2016, a position she held until 2022 when she took the Deputy A.D. job at LSU.
As noted in a press release issued by Rutgers, Zinn enjoyed great success in her four years at LS,U where she oversaw all 21 athletic programs.
"Zinn helped lead the Tigers to unprecedented success: four national championships (gymnastics, women's basketball, and baseball twice), multiple SEC titles including in women's track & field and women's gymnastics, and a top‑10 finish in the Director's Cup—a measurement of the overall competitiveness of an athletic department—for the first time since 2009. During her tenure, LSU football posted a dominant 10‑win season and won a Western Division title during one of the fastest turnarounds in college football history. She has celebrated 15 national championships and 34 conference championships over the course of her remarkable career."
Rutgers football Head Coach Greg Schiano on Wednesday issued a statement "Very excited about the opportunity to work alongside her. I haven't worked with her before, don't know her, but a lot of people I am very close to have, and speak the world of her; they are excited for us to have her here. I haven't met her yet, but have communicated, and I'm really look forward to working with her and building this thing to the level we know it can get to."
Zinn takes over an athletic program that has seen its share of success in recent years.
Men's Soccer won the Big Ten Tournament in 2022.
Men's Basketball has risen up the ranks both in recruitment and in profile in recent years, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2021 and 2022.
Field Hockey started the 2023 undefeated at 15-0, and received the NCAA Division I National Team Award for four straight years.
In 2024, Softball won its most BIG Ten Conference victories (12) since joining the league in 2014.
And, of course, football has slowly made its way back under Greg Schiano's second stint, including back-to-back bowl berths, and a victory in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl in 2023.
Zinn, as well as Tate, who also hailed from LSU, came to Rutgers at a time of great transition and uncertainty. Former A.D. Patrick Hobbs stepped down last year amid a sex scandal with the former Gymnastics coach, and former College President Jonathan Holloway resigned last year after years of controversy, with the most recent issue coming over the presence of pro-Palestine protests on campus in light of the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.
