CHICAGO – Incorporating nearly 500 additional student-athletes and adding numerous varsity, club and performing arts program to its activities ledger and doing so at the same time as a global pandemic, Roosevelt University's John Jaramillo has been named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Athletics Director of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday morning.
"This award is a testament to the student-athletes, coaches, and staff members within the athletic department and across campus that I get to work with every day at Roosevelt University," stated Jaramillo. "I am immensely grateful to Roosevelt students, coaches, athletic trainers and staff members present and past for their tremendous contributions to this institution. This honor is dedicated to them."
Jaramillo, who has served as Roosevelt's director of intercollegiate athletics for each of the past five years, was tasked with integrating two schools beginning in March of 2020 when Roosevelt University took over Robert Morris University Illinois. Not only were the two institutions members of the same CCAC conference, but were also just two city blocks away from each other in the heart of Chicago.
Robert Morris University was also one of the largest programs in the conference at the time. Besides sponsoring nearly all NAIA sports, Robert Morris brought football to the Roosevelt campus for the first time in the history of the Laker program, as well.
The beginning of the integration also came at the same time as the COVID-19 global pandemic.
"John went above and beyond his regular athletic director duties this past year," said CCAC commissioner Jeff Schimmelpfennig. "Not only did he have to merge another significant athletic department in Robert Morris University, but he also had to do this with added restrictions placed on higher learning and gatherings specific to the city of Chicago due to the pandemic."
Jaramillo overcame all of these obstacles to move the combined programs forward through the change and provide a first-class experience for the students in the new integrated athletic department, which transitioned from 180 student-athletes competing in 16 programs to nearly 700 in 20-plus sports, not to mention club programs and performing arts.
"John never let the additional challenges layered on by the pandemic deter progress," noted Roosevelt President Ali Malekzadeh. "His achievements of the past year highlight his work ethic and his unwavering commitment to support and service our student-athletes, coaches and staff."
One key to the smooth transition was Jaramillo implementing a new athletic leadership structure within the department, establishing deputy director of athletics and associate director of athletics positions. This enabled a strong support and communications system for the coaches, directors and coordinators.
Jaramillo and his staff also had to manage additional relationships and schedules with new facilities in the transition. Besides overseeing Roosevelt's Goodman Athletic Center and numerous other previous rental arrangements, the Laker staff also had to take on both a football/soccer turf stadium and basketball/volleyball arena in Arlington Heights, Illinois, three hockey rinks and practice baseball/softball fields in Bensenville, a bowling alley in Chicago and adding an esports gaming area on campus. Other added venues were football and baseball facilities for club programs in Peoria, Illinois and the Bo Jackson Dome for baseball and softball practices in Lockport, Illinois.
Besides his duties as director of athletics at Roosevelt, Jaramillo also chaired three "New Deal Task Forces" during the Roosevelt/Robert Morris transitional period in the areas of facilities and branding, compliance and eligibility and varsity reserve programs. He also serves on the school's enrollment management team and the current students communications committee.
Jaramillo serves on numerous committees at the conference and national levels, as well. With the conference, he is a part of the eligibility committee and the athletic director liaison for both men's and women's soccer. On the national level, he is the league's representative on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Administrative Council. He is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the NAIA Athletic Directors Association and the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Besides all of the above responsibilities, Jaramillo also finds time to volunteer with the American Heart Association – an organization that he worked for as its communications director for two years prior to his arrival at Roosevelt – and serve as an adjunct instructor in Roosevelt's Sports Hospitality, Communication and Marketing program.
"John has impressed me with his humility, servant leadership and ability to problem solve in just about any situation," noted Trinity International University director of athletics Heather Logue. "When I was a new AD in the CCAC, he made me feel welcome and has always been willing to provide support for my many questions."
Student-athletes have excelled under Jaramillo's leadership, as well. The men's golf team won its first-ever CCAC championship and qualified for the NAIA national championships for the first time this past year, the Lakers' softball program made its first-ever appearance in the conference tournament, its women's soccer team made its second such appearance and the Roosevelt football program earned a NAIA Top 20 ranking in its first season.
On the academic side, 80 individuals were named to the CCAC all-academic team, another 11 earned Mid-States Football Association academic honors and numerous others claimed NAIA Scholar-Athlete status. The number of recipients for CCAC all-academic and NAIA Scholar-Athlete recognition were the most in a single year in the history of Roosevelt athletics.
"This honor is well deserved for John's many accomplishments in leading the athletic department through a truly unique year," said Michael Cassidy, Roosevelt's Vice President of Enrollment Management and Athletics and Jaramillo's predecessor as the Lakers' director of athletics. "It is a testament to John's unwavering commitment to support and service our student-athletes, coaches and staff, as well as the CCAC and the NAIA."
"I give thanks to President Ali Malekzadeh and Mike Cassidy for giving me the opportunity to serve the Roosevelt community in this role and their consistent support," added Jaramillo. "I am also grateful to my fellow athletic directors in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and commissioner Jeff Schimmelpfennig, along with CCAC coaches and staff, for their constant collaboration, particularly this past year during an extraordinary effort to keep our students and communities safe."
