Director of Athletics Appointed at Penn College
Published 08.25.2016
News
Athletics
Faculty & Staff
Following a national search, John D. Vandevere has been named director of athletics at Pennsylvania College of Technology, President Davie Jane Gilmour announced.
“John brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in athletics,” Gilmour said. “He will certainly bring the energy and enthusiasm that we look for in a leader.”
Vandevere, who takes over the athletics leadership role following the departure of Scott Kennell, will be responsible for the management and development of Penn College’s 15 intercollegiate programs, club sports, intramurals and the Fitness Center, effective Aug. 30.
“After a national search, with an incredibly strong candidate pool, we are excited that John will be joining the Wildcat program,” said Chief Student Affairs Officer Elliott Strickland. “He brings decades worth of collegiate athletics experience and an infectious energy that we know will propel our athletic program to a new level.
“He comes to us with an incredibly well-rounded background in athletics: as a student-athlete at the Division II level, as a coach and administrator at the Division I level, and most recently, at a Division III program very similar to Penn College. Not only do we think John will be a leader for our athletic program, we believe he will be a great ambassador for Penn College in our community.”
Vandevere spent the previous five years as the associate athletic director at Division III State University of New York Canton, where he was responsible for managing a $45 million athletic facility.
His responsibilities included hiring and supervising staff, generating revenue through rental fees and marketing, scheduling internal and external use of the facility, facility maintenance, and advertising.
Vandevere was also a project assistant for a $1.8 million facility enhancement project, and he oversaw fitness programming and game day management for all intercollegiate events.
“This is a great opportunity for me and my family to get back to Pennsylvania, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity at a great institution like Penn College,” Vandevere said. “It’s exciting to have the chance to continue to grow the athletics department and build off the ground work that Scott (Kennell) laid down here.”
Prior to his time at SUNY Canton, Vandevere was the director of facilities and operations at Division I Florida Atlantic University for two years, and he was an assistant football coach at FAU from 2000-07. He was elected to the FAU Hall of Fame in 2007 as a member of the 2003 football team’s coaching staff.
Vandevere graduated from Millersville University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and was a quarterback on the Marauders Division II football team. He earned his Master of Education in sports administration from Millersville in 2004. Vandevere was a First Lieutenant at Valley Forge Military Academy, where he earned an associate degree in criminal justice.
Twelve of Penn College’s 15 intercollegiate athletic teams participate in the North Eastern Athletic Conference: men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross-country, women's volleyball, men's golf, baseball, and softball.
The wrestling team competes at the Division III level as an independent, while the men's and women's archery team competes in USA Archery.
Penn College is in its final year of provisional NCAA Division III membership.
For more information, visit the Wildcat Athletics webpage.
For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, call toll-free 800-367-9222.
“John brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in athletics,” Gilmour said. “He will certainly bring the energy and enthusiasm that we look for in a leader.”
Vandevere, who takes over the athletics leadership role following the departure of Scott Kennell, will be responsible for the management and development of Penn College’s 15 intercollegiate programs, club sports, intramurals and the Fitness Center, effective Aug. 30.
“After a national search, with an incredibly strong candidate pool, we are excited that John will be joining the Wildcat program,” said Chief Student Affairs Officer Elliott Strickland. “He brings decades worth of collegiate athletics experience and an infectious energy that we know will propel our athletic program to a new level.“He comes to us with an incredibly well-rounded background in athletics: as a student-athlete at the Division II level, as a coach and administrator at the Division I level, and most recently, at a Division III program very similar to Penn College. Not only do we think John will be a leader for our athletic program, we believe he will be a great ambassador for Penn College in our community.”
Vandevere spent the previous five years as the associate athletic director at Division III State University of New York Canton, where he was responsible for managing a $45 million athletic facility.
His responsibilities included hiring and supervising staff, generating revenue through rental fees and marketing, scheduling internal and external use of the facility, facility maintenance, and advertising.
Vandevere was also a project assistant for a $1.8 million facility enhancement project, and he oversaw fitness programming and game day management for all intercollegiate events.
“This is a great opportunity for me and my family to get back to Pennsylvania, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity at a great institution like Penn College,” Vandevere said. “It’s exciting to have the chance to continue to grow the athletics department and build off the ground work that Scott (Kennell) laid down here.”
Prior to his time at SUNY Canton, Vandevere was the director of facilities and operations at Division I Florida Atlantic University for two years, and he was an assistant football coach at FAU from 2000-07. He was elected to the FAU Hall of Fame in 2007 as a member of the 2003 football team’s coaching staff.
Vandevere graduated from Millersville University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and was a quarterback on the Marauders Division II football team. He earned his Master of Education in sports administration from Millersville in 2004. Vandevere was a First Lieutenant at Valley Forge Military Academy, where he earned an associate degree in criminal justice.
Twelve of Penn College’s 15 intercollegiate athletic teams participate in the North Eastern Athletic Conference: men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross-country, women's volleyball, men's golf, baseball, and softball.
The wrestling team competes at the Division III level as an independent, while the men's and women's archery team competes in USA Archery.
Penn College is in its final year of provisional NCAA Division III membership.
For more information, visit the Wildcat Athletics webpage.
For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, call toll-free 800-367-9222.