Georgia Tech names internal ‘central figure’ as interim athletic director
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Jon Palumbo will serve as vice president and interim director of athletics for Georgia Tech, the school announced Wednesday.
Palumbo, the Tech athletic department’s chief operating officer and executive deputy athletic director, assumes the new role with the departure of J Batt, who left Tech to become the athletic director at Michigan State.
Palumbo worked closely with Batt on every major initiative that has helped elevate Tech’s athletic profile in recent years, Tech said.
“Jon has been a central figure in Georgia Tech Athletics’ growth and momentum,” Tech president Ángel Cabrera said in a press release. “He cares deeply about our student-athletes, and brings the experience, vision, and steady leadership needed to keep us moving forward during this transition.”
Palumbo currently serves as the day-to-day administrator and liaison for the football program. He also has led planning and execution for major capital projects, including the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center, which is a 100,000-square-foot facility under construction that will house resources for training, nutrition, sports medicine, sports science and analytics for more than 400 Tech athletes.
Palumbo has overseen event operations and fan engagement strategies, including the launch of the Helluva Block Party. He also has played a role in coaching hires, including Brent Key as football coach, Damon Stoudamire as men’s basketball coach and Karen Blair as women’s basketball coach.
Before arriving at Tech, Palumbo served as the athletic director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
“We made a clear commitment to winning and excellence in athletics, and that commitment remains stronger than ever,” Cabrera said. “We will continue competing at the highest level and seize the momentum in place to recruit the very best to lead Georgia Tech into its next chapter.”
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