Jake Olkkola began serving as New York University's Director of Athletics, Intramurals, and Recreation in June 2024.
Entering his second year at the helm of NYU Athletics, Olkkola continues to focus on elevating the Violets on the national stage. In his first year, Olkkola led the department through a period of significant growth and achievement, highlighted by NYU’s second consecutive top-10 finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings. Under his leadership, the Violets saw record-setting success across multiple varsity programs, expanded student-athlete support services, and strengthened alumni and donor engagement. — all reinforcing NYU’s commitment to excellence in academics, athletics, and student experience.
A seasoned collegiate athletics professional, Olkkola came to Washington Square from Johns Hopkins University, where he served in multiple capacities since 2019, beginning as Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation from 2019-21 before becoming Deputy Director of Athletics and Recreation in 2021.
At Johns Hopkins, Olkkola was a key member of the athletics leadership team that guided the Blue Jays to back-to-back Division III Learfield Directors’ Cup titles in 2022–23 and 2023–24. He played a central role in executing the department’s strategic plan and provided oversight across a broad range of core functions, including finance, human resources, student-athlete health and performance, and facilities and event management. In addition, Olkkola facilitated cross-campus collaborations with numerous university offices and co-chaired several high-profile head coach searches, notably for the institution’s Division I lacrosse programs competing in the Big Ten Conference.
Prior to his tenure at Johns Hopkins, Olkkola served as the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics at Colby College, where he provided strategic leadership for the college’s 32 varsity programs. Under his guidance, Colby athletics experienced unprecedented success, highlighted by a 67-place rise in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings and multiple programs capturing their first-ever conference championships. Olkkola also led the development of a peak performance health and well-being model, using the technical framework often seen in professional sports, that continues to drive the sustained success of Colby athletics. Beyond competition, he orchestrated one of the most ambitious fundraising initiatives in the history of liberal arts colleges, resulting in an 89-percent increase in philanthropic support for Colby athletics.
Before assuming leadership roles within NCAA Division III athletics, Olkkola served for seven years (2010–2017) in NCAA Division I at the University of Delaware. During his tenure, he advanced from Associate Athletics Director to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Administration and Finance. In this capacity, he oversaw a comprehensive $30 million portfolio encompassing scholarship distribution, capital project oversight, university financial planning, human resources, and sport administration.
Olkkola’s first administrative role in collegiate athletics was at Harvard University, where similar to NYU's vast offerings, Olkkola was the lead project planner for Harvard's $16 million renovation of the Malkin Athletic Center while managing all facets of select athletics and recreation facilities.
A native of Ossipee, NH, Olkkola is a 2001 graduate of New Hampshire College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. Olkkola earned a Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University in 2019 and completed an Executive Leadership Course at Johns Hopkins in 2022.
