Mark Jackson, Villanova’s athletic director with a long time of sports activities administration expertise, has been named Northwestern College’s new Combe Household Vice President for Athletics & Recreation, President Michael Schill introduced Thursday.
Mark Jackson
Jackson will start Sept. 1, splitting time between Evanston and suburban Philadelphia in September as he wraps up remaining duties at Villanova.
“I’m extraordinarily grateful to President Schill and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris for the unimaginable alternative and privilege to hitch the Northwestern household, and I lengthen my honest gratitude to the members of the search committee as effectively for his or her time and efforts,” Jackson mentioned. “Northwestern College is world-class in all of its endeavors and its mission, values and pursuit of excellence in lecturers and athletics are usually not solely aligned with my beliefs and method however are a mannequin for intercollegiate athletics.
“I can’t wait to interact with Wildcat student-athletes, coaches, employees, school, alumni and followers, and my household and I look ahead to sporting the Purple!”
Jackson was chosen after a nationwide search that culminated within the search committee interviewing a various set of extremely certified candidates. TurnkeyZRG assisted with the search.
Schill applauded Jackson for his file of efficient strategic management and keenness for student-athlete success.
“Mark has been terribly profitable at Villanova in supporting college students’ athletic and educational achievements. After speaking to him, I belief that he’ll prioritize the welfare of our student-athletes and provides them the help they should succeed,” Schill mentioned. “I’m absolutely assured in Mark’s capacity to guide Northwestern Athletics to new heights and am excited to see how he’ll remodel our program.”
Jackson was named Villanova’s director of athletics in September 2015 and earned a promotion to vice chairman in January 2020, overseeing 24 varsity applications with greater than 600 student-athletes, plus intramural and leisure applications. Underneath his management, Villanova Athletics has seen 14 of its varsity sports activities applications compete of their respective NCAA tournaments, together with the lads’s basketball crew celebrating two nationwide championships (2016, 2018). Villanova has received 34 convention championships throughout Jackson’s tenure. The ladies’s swimming and diving crew received its tenth consecutive Large East Convention title in February 2023, and the Villanova Wildcats even have captured convention crowns in soccer and softball in addition to males’s and girls’s cross nation, indoor observe and subject and out of doors observe and subject.
Jackson was named a winner of the Underneath Armour AD of the Yr Award in 2020 by the Nationwide Affiliation of Collegiate Administrators of Athletics (NACDA). He has led initiatives to encourage student-athletes to achieve new educational objectives and spurred development by means of fundraising and improvement efforts.
Kelly Amonte Hiller, the Combe Household Head Lacrosse Coach, served on the search committee and mentioned she was instantly impressed by Jackson.
“Northwestern was so lucky to have a slate of candidates for this vital function that clearly understood the tutorial and athletic mission of our College,” Amonte Hiller mentioned. “I’m very assured that everybody on campus will instantly acknowledge the power, ardour and imaginative and prescient for Northwestern athletics that Mark displayed all through the interview course of. Our pupil athletes, coaches, alumni and whole neighborhood will profit from Mark’s expertise, his dedication to relationship constructing and his capacity to navigate the ever-changing panorama of school athletics.”
Northwestern trustee Milton “Chip” Morris ’92, ’04 MBA served as chair of the search committee. He mentioned the confidential search attracted an unimaginable group of candidates from throughout the nation, however Jackson rose to the highest of the record. Morris praised Jackson’s expertise.
“Mark brings a novel mixture of expertise, values, and rigor that resonated strongly with the search committee. We thank President Schill for appointing a committee representing a broad set of stakeholders, together with coaches and college, and I used to be honored to guide the committee’s work for this essential submit for Northwestern,” Morris mentioned. “We imagine in Mark’s capacity to construct on the success and momentum of our student-athletes and coaches throughout a interval of nice change in school sports activities to make sure Northwestern athletics continues to symbolize the excellence of our nice establishment.”
Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris ’74 mentioned the appointment of Jackson is pivotal for Northwestern.
“It’s vital to the success of the College that our Division of Athletics and Recreation succeeds throughout a number of dimensions in a quickly evolving surroundings,” Barris mentioned. “Mark Jackson will likely be an excellent chief to hold us into the following period of Northwestern excellence in our athletically and academically glorious division. I need to thank my fellow Board members who served on the search advisory committee to assist deliver this search to a profitable conclusion.”
The search committee included Morris, Amonte Hiller, historical past professor Geraldo Cadava, who chairs Northwestern’s Committee on Athletics and Recreation, trustees Kip Kirkpatrick ’94, ’97 MBA, Wendy Nelson ’91, ’99 MBA and Pat Ryan, Jr. ’97 JD, MBA, and Julie Allen, secretary to the Board and advisor to the President.
Jackson succeeds Dr. Derrick Gragg, who now strikes into a brand new function as Northwestern’s Vice President for Athletic Technique. Gragg will give attention to the College’s method to a altering school athletics panorama and advise President Schill and his administration in the right way to navigate the longer term.
Jackson steps into the function throughout a interval of great athletic and educational success for the Wildcats and helps two of the College’s key priorities — enhancing the scholar expertise and constructing resilient college students and a way of belonging.
Northwestern’s subject hockey and lacrosse applications have had sustained success together with latest nationwide championships; the lads’s basketball program reached the NCAA Match for the second and third occasions at school historical past; the softball crew received the Large Ten common season crown in back-to-back seasons; and the 2023 soccer crew turned the speak of the nation with a 7-5 common season file and bowl win. The Wildcats captured a faculty file seven convention championships through the 2023-24 educational 12 months.
Within the classroom, Northwestern’s most up-to-date general 98% commencement success fee (GSR) is tied for the highest mark throughout all Soccer Bowl Subdivision (FBS) establishments. Northwestern’s general 98% GSR matches the division’s and Large Ten’s all-time file.
Earlier than taking the helm at Villanova, Jackson served as senior affiliate director of athletics and chief innovation officer at College of Southern California and as govt senior affiliate athletic director at Syracuse College. He oversaw capital initiatives, fundraising campaigns and varsity program operations and improvement.
He has earlier expertise on the skilled degree with the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots, serving as Director of Soccer Improvement with Oakland from 2007 to 2008 and as a training assistant with New England for 3 seasons from 1998 to 2000.
Jackson was born in Boston, Mass. He was a student-athlete at Colby Faculty in Waterville, Maine the place he performed defensive again for the Mules. He acquired his bachelor’s diploma in authorities from Colby and a grasp’s diploma in public coverage from Trinity Faculty. Jackson and his spouse, Tricia, are dad and mom to 4 youngsters: Grace, Hannah, Kevin and Sean.
Extra quotes about Jackson’s appointment
“Mark Jackson is a sport changer for Northwestern,” mentioned Pete Carroll, who serves as an advisor to the Seattle Seahawks and previously served as head coach for Seattle and at USC. “He’ll lead with energy and creativity, and he brings nice background and confirmed management.”
“Mark Jackson is a dynamic and visionary chief,” mentioned Jay Wright, former males’s basketball coach at Villanova. “He is genuine in his relationships and instructions respect and belief from all of his coaches. He and Trish have been the lifeblood of our athletic division. We’ll miss them, and we want them effectively.”
“Mark combines a novel mixture of success and expertise each in skilled and collegiate sports activities in addition to a pointy understanding of the expectations of elite educational profiles,” mentioned Invoice Belichick, former head coach of the New England Patriots. “I look ahead to Mark’s affect with Northwestern.”
