Jamie Joss Named Florida Tech Director of Athletics

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Tech President T. Dwayne McCay has announced that Jamie Joss has been named the next Director of Athletics. Joss will bring to Florida Tech a substantial background and experience in athletics marketing, fundraising and program development. He becomes the department’s sixth athletic director and will assume his new duties on June 7.

“It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Jamie Joss as our new Director of Athletics,” stated Dr. McCay. “Mr. Joss joins us from Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia where he served as Athletic Director and Sports Science Instructor. He has accumulated a wealth of administrative experience that he brings to the Panthers. His skills in administration and sports program management, gender equity, diversity, inclusion and community engagement are particular strengths we are excited to have here at Florida Tech.”

“I want to express my gratitude to President McCay, and everyone involved with the search process,” Joss said. “I am honored and humbled for this tremendous opportunity to lead the athletic program at such a prestigious academic institution in the premier Sunshine State Conference. My family and I are excited to develop relationships with the scholar-athletes, coaches, athletic staff, alumni, and the campus and Melbourne communities. 

“I’m committed to delivering an outstanding scholar-athlete experience by cultivating a family atmosphere within our department through integrity in all facets of our athletic program. We will be aligned with the mission of the University, with coaches and staff focused on education, service to our community, transformative development of our scholar-athletes, and athletic success.”

Joss has served as the Director of Athletics at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia since 2015. After his arrival at the college, he orchestrated the rebranding of the athletic department with the development of the program’s mission statement Developing Excellence through Education, Engagement, Character and Competition. The rebranding also included a new athletics logo and a new athletics website, SenatorNation.com.

During his time at Davis & Elkins, Joss oversaw the addition of 10 intercollegiate sports, including men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track & field, acrobatics & tumbling, triathlon, women’s golf and men’s wrestling, which raised the sport total to 24. This led to an increase in student-athlete enrollment of almost 85% over his five years, from 222 in the Fall of 2015 to over 400 in the Fall of 2020. In the Fall of 2018, Joss steered Davis & Elkins towards a successful bid for membership into the Mountain East Conference.

Joss led advancement efforts at Davis & Elkins that resulted in facility upgrades for Nuttall Field (soccer/lacrosse), Harpertown Baseball Field and a new student-athlete fitness center totaling more than $575,000 and resourced through private funding and other fundraising activities. Additionally, he helped raise $118,000 in alumni donations for the Davis & Elkins Highland Scholar Program during the department’s Spring Golf Classic.

Academically, Davis & Elkins thrived under Joss’ leadership. The athletic program maintained a 3.0 or better grade point average and received the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence for the department having an Academic Success Rate of 90 percent or higher. The athletic department had at least the valedictorian and salutatorian nine out of the past 12 years, including both honors in the same year during his tenure, in 2017 and 2021.

Despite the stresses of the pandemic, student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom this past year. In the Fall of 2020, 114 Davis & Elkins student-athletes earned academic honors from the college, including 53 making the President’s List with 4.0 GPA and 61 on the Dean’s List with a 3.6 GPA or better. This spring, 119 student-athletes received academic honors with 51 making the President’s List and 68 on the Dean’s List.

Joss developed a Gender Equity, Diversity & Inclusion plan at Davis & Elkins that focused on assessing the department’s athletic scholarship and operation budgets. Additionally, in 2016, he established a community engagement program that aligned sports programs with local non-profits organizations. Since the program’s launch, the athletic department has completed over 3,000 community service hours every year, including 4,265 hours in 2019-20 which ranked 10th in NCAA Division II. The Davis & Elkins athletic department was recognized as a finalist for the NCAA DII Award of Excellence in 2018 for its Elkins City Cleanup project, a day of service as part of the athletic year kickoff event in August. On that day, over 300 student-athletes, coaches and athletics administrators took to the streets of Elkins, to serve the community by cleaning up the city.

In addition to his duties as an athletic director, Joss served as an adjunct professor in Sport Management and a Sport Science Instructor at Davis & Elkins. He also developed a First-Year Student-Athlete Enrichment course as well as a Leadership Academy for upperclassmen. 

Prior to his time at Davis & Elkins, Joss served in the same position at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon from 2012 to 2015. Over his few years at the college, the athletic department saw total student-athlete enrollment increase by over 68%, and retention rate by over 85%. He also oversaw improvements to the college’s gymnasium, fitness center and athletic training room with new equipment and enhancements.

From 2007 to 2011, Joss held the position of Vice President for Operations and Sales at SIDEARM Sports, a website development company based in Syracuse, New York. In that role, he directed all sales efforts for corporate, non-profit, university and athletic websites and in just a few years positioned the company as the No. 1 provider for collegiate athletic websites, landing 477 clients in four years. 

Joss started his career in athletics in 1996 as the Assistant Director of Athletics and Head Tennis Coach at St. Andrews College. He then worked at Lake Superior State University as Director of Sports Information/Marketing and Assistant Golf Coach before moving on to High Point University to serve as the Sports Information Director. Joss served as the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Colgate University for two years and then had stints at Rochester Institute of Technology as the Director of Sports Information and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the role of Director of Athletic Communications before advancing his career at SIDEARM Sports.

A native of Ontario, New York, Joss graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management, Administration and Marketing from Bowling Green State University in 1991. He earned a Master of Sports Science in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy in 2009. In 2018, he finished a certification in NCAA/NFL Athlete Development in Management and Leadership Skills from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Aresty Institute. Joss is currently completing a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership and Business at Liberty University.

Joss and his wife, Jodi, have three sons, Jansen, Jace and Jade.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

Bill Nuttall, Former Chair of the Board of Trustees – Davis & Elkins College

“Florida Tech has made a great choice in Jamie. He is a very good athletic director. He is great at mentoring coaches, building character and setting a really good culture for the athletic department for how athletes and coaches should operate with their business. While I was chair of the Board at Davis & Elkins, I worked on multiple projects with Jamie and have the highest regard for him. I know he will do a fabulous job at Florida Tech.”

Elle Fracker, Head Softball Coach – Davis & Elkins College

“Although I am extremely sad to see Jamie leave Davis & Elkins, I am excited for him and his family. In my time having the opportunity to get to know Jamie, he truly is a caring athletic director and person. He has helped me with so many aspects of not only the softball program but getting myself acclimated to a new school and athletic department. He cares beyond just being an athletic director and works to get to know his staff outside of their field of competition. Jamie will be missed greatly but I know he will continue to do great things.”

Jason Pyles, Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach – Davis & Elkins College

“As much as we will hate seeing Jamie leave, I’m very happy for him and his family to get this opportunity! The importance of family and allowing coaches to keep that family-first balance with the high demands of collegiate athletics is something I greatly appreciated during our years working together. He helped lead a change in the culture of our athletic department, both on and off the playing fields. Jamie started the track and field program here, which gave both myself and many student-athletes the opportunity to rise to success. Given the impact he had at Davis & Elkins, I look forward to watching his success at Florida Tech.”

Craig McPhail, Vice President of Athletics and Club Sports – Lees-McRae College

“Jamie’s innovative business leadership approach combined with a student-centered focus makes him a great fit for Florida Tech. A compassionate advocate for intercollegiate athletics, he is an ideal athletics director. A great father and husband with a strong sense of understanding today’s sports landscape, this opportunity is well deserved, and I am looking forward to seeing the Panthers’ success in the future with his guidance.”

Ruben R. Perez, Jr., Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications and External Operations – Morehouse College

“I’ve known Jamie for close to 15 years and have followed his career from SIDEARM Sports to Davis & Elkins during this time. He is a man of great faith and integrity. I’m very excited for Jamie, Jodi and the Kids. Florida Tech has hit it out of the park with his addition to the Panther family.”

Robert Cashell, Commissioner – Cascade Collegiate Conference

“Having known and worked with Jamie over the years, Florida Tech Athletics will be in great hands. His overwhelming commitment to the student-athlete experience will serve the Panthers well!”

Frank Johnson, Head Men’s and Women’s Wrestling Coach – Warner Pacific College

“Jamie is a forward-thinking leader who prioritizes relationships and consistently puts people first. His core values are evident in the policies he fights for as well his level of accessibility to the student-athletes and coaches he serves. It’s refreshing to come across leaders who truly care more about the future of student-athletes than their short-term athletic careers. Jamie is that kind of leader.”