Gleason appointed Goshen College Athletic Director
Josh Gleason, an athletic administrator with more than a decade of experience in sports leadership and communication, has been named the athletic director at Goshen College, interim provost Lee Snyder announced Monday.
Gleason, who has filled the position in an interim role since June, served as Goshen’s assistant athletic director for communications from 2008-2014. In that role, he was responsible for the promotion of the Maple Leaf athletic department and a member of the Athletic Leadership Team. Gleason spearheaded and promoted the Leaf Relief community outreach program and served on the public relations teams that oversaw the rebranding of the institution and athletic program.
“After a thorough administrative review and strong affirmation by the athletic staff, it is clear that Josh is the right person to lead the Goshen College athletic department at this time,” said Snyder. “He is committed to creating cohesion between teams, coaches and campus, as well as delivering on the promise that athletics is an essential partner in our academic mission. Goshen College is fortunate to have someone with Josh’s proven leadership skills and collaborative style, and we anticipate the positive spirit and success in athletics continuing as we move forward.”
A California native, Gleason graduated from Simpson University in Redding, California, in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in general ministry. At Simpson, he played baseball for three years before spending five years on the baseball coaching staff. For the last three of those seasons, Gleason was both head baseball coach and assistant athletic director, where he helped develop plans for the school’s first athletic scholarship program and oversaw the addition of three varsity sports. He completed a master’s degree in sports leadership from Duquesne University in 2010.
“I have been blessed to be part of the Goshen College community for the past seven-plus years and am excited about the opportunity to continue to help lead our athletic department in what I am confident is an extremely positive future,” said Gleason. “We have coaches, staff and student-athletes who are passionate and dedicated to pursuing excellence in competition, in the classroom and in their lives as contributing members in the community. We also have an administration that is committed to supporting that vision of excellence and understands how a quality athletic program contributes so positively to the overall mission of the institution. I am thankful to President Brenneman, Dr. Snyder, associate athletic director Josh Keister, assistant athletic director Doug Yoder, and our entire athletic staff for their unwavering support.”
Before his seven years of experience as a college coach in baseball and golf, Gleason was a four-sport letter-winner in high school, earning recognition in soccer, basketball, golf and baseball. That versatility has continued into his professional career, where he served as the chair of the History, Records and Honors committee for the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association. As an administrator, he has spearheaded several successful coaching searches and begun Fellowship of Christian Athletes Bible studies in addition to winning 11 top-ten publication honors from the NAIA SIDA, overseeing staff and developing social media policies.
The fifth athletic director since Goshen combined men’s and women’s athletics into the same department in 1993, Gleason will head up Goshen College’s 13 intercollegiate athletic programs that compete as a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Crossroads League. He replaces Tim Demant, who resigned last May to move to a position at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., after six years in charge of Maple Leaf athletics.
Gleason will be introduced and share his vision for the athletic program in a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 3:30 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center. The campus and community are invited to attend.