Rutgers University President William F. Tate IV has named Keli Zinn, a collegiate athletics leader with 20 years of power conference experience and a track record of transforming championship-level programs, as director of intercollegiate athletics for the State University of New Jersey on July 30.
The Rutgers Board of Governors approved the appointment of Zinn, currently the executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer at Louisiana State University, where Tate had been president until he took the job in New Brunswick.
Zinn starts her tenure at Rutgers on Aug. 6, 2025. She succeeds Pat Hobbs who abruptly resigned as AD 11 months ago. Rutgers conducted a three-month search to succeed Hobbs. According to NJ Advance Media, Zinn’s contract with Rutgers extends through 2030, and is expected to make a base salary of $1.35 million, making her the highest-paid AD at Rutgers.
“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.”
Rutgers’ Division of Intercollegiate Athletics is composed of 24 men’s and women’s varsity sports serving more than 730 student-athletes competing in the Big Ten Conference.
Zinn becomes the Rutgers AD at a time of great upheaval in college sports as institutions of higher learning are facing financial challenges. Besides enrollment declines and looming federal funding cuts, universities are preparing to comply with a legal settlement that formally took effect on July 1 that allows schools to share revenue with college athletes directly, a development that could recast the economics of college sports.
At LSU, 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 Learfield Director’s Cup — a national measurement of the overall competitiveness of an athletic department — for the first time since 2009.
During her tenure, LSU football posted a 10‑win season in the Southeastern Conference and won a Western Division title. Zinn has celebrated 15 national championships and 34 conference championships over the course of her career.
Zinn’s leadership in two power conferences – the Big 12 at West Virginia University and the SEC at LSU – has prepared her to lead within the Big Ten. At West Virginia, she served as interim athletic director in 2015, becoming the first woman to helm the department, and guided the university through the 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 began embracing the new realities of college sports by advancing LSU’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) strategy, forging a partnership to produce “The Money Game,” a documentary series following Tigers student‑athletes, launched on Amazon Prime Video. She secured NIL agreements and fund‑raising growth across multiple sports.
Zinn began her career as a compliance assistant in the Big East before gaining experience in compliance, governance, and sport administration at University of Maryland and later serving in multiple senior executive roles 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 and a former star basketball player and member of the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame. “Keli will help us build a winning tradition that the world will know.”
Zinn has a staunch college sports advocate in Tate, who was named Rutgers president in May. He built a reputation as a vigorous supporter for LSU athletics. Tate was on board for the hirings of football head coach Brian Kelly, women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey, and baseball head coach Jay Johnson, among others. The Tigers won multiple national championships during his tenure as well, including baseball, gymnastics, and women’s basketball.
