GETTYSBURG, Pa. – A new era in Bullets athletics begins with the appointment of Mike Mattia, currently the Deputy Director of Athletics at Johns Hopkins University, as the Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Campus Recreation at Gettysburg College according to an announcement by Vice President of Enrollment and Education Services Barbara Fritze on Tuesday, April 24.
 
Mattia rose out of a national pool of highly-qualified candidates for the lead position in the Department of Athletics. He will replace David Wright, who leaves the institution this summer to become Headmaster of the prestigious Subiaco Academy in Arkansas.
 
"Mike has been involved in intercollegiate athletics since he was first recruited as a prospective student-athlete in high school," noted Fritze. "Since that time, he has been a football coach, athletic fundraiser, and for the past nine years, a senior administrator in the Johns Hopkins athletic department. He has been responsible for strategic planning, fundraising, and had direct responsibility and oversight of varsity sports."
 
Mattia will assume the role at Gettysburg on July 9. He inherits one of the most successful athletic programs in the history of the Centennial Conference. Gettysburg has won 109 conference titles over the last 25 years, second only to Johns Hopkins.
 
"I want to thank President Riggs, Barbara Fritze, and the whole search committee," said Mattia. "Having been a part of the Centennial Conference for the last nine years, I had the utmost respect for Gettysburg.  I had high expectations when I applied, and those expectations were far exceeded with each step in the search processes."
 
A graduate of Georgetown University, Mattia has helped Johns Hopkins achieve unparalleled success since joining the staff as Associate Director of Athletic Development in 2009. Over the course of his last eight years in Baltimore, the Blue Jays have claimed four team national championships and 85 conference titles. Johns Hopkins finished among the top 10 in the Learfield Sports Directors Cup in six of the previous seven campaigns and led the standings following competition this past fall.
 
Mattia oversees an athletics department that features both NCAA Division I and Division III programs and competes in both the Big Ten Conference and Centennial Conference. He played a key role in the men's lacrosse and women's lacrosse programs joining the Big Ten in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Mattia has served as the department's administrative liaison with the Big Ten since 2013.
 
From his first year at the institution, Mattia has been instrumental in the growth of financial support for the athletics department, including serving as part of the Athletic Development Committee (2010-16) that executed a plan to raise over $30 million in capital projects, endowments, and annual funds. He also managed negotiations for an apparel and equipment contract with Under Armour, which recently resulted in a 10-year multi-million dollar deal.
 
While maintaining the Blue Jays' success on the field, Mattia has also been responsible for building a stronger sense of unity among the athletics department and fellow campus entities.
 
"Mike has been committed to contributing to the overall campus community during his time at Johns Hopkins, an approach he feels is integral to a student's success," said Fritze.
 
Mattia manages the Title IX plan as the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for the Department of Athletics. He also serves as the department liaison for a number of campus departments and offices, including Dean of Students, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Academic Advising. Additionally, Mattia has served as a lecturer in the Center for Leadership Education for the last three years.
 
Prior to Johns Hopkins, he served as the Assistant Director of Football Operations and Team Administrative Coordinator at the University of Maryland for three years. He oversaw the operation of all Maryland football activities and was responsible for the organization, development, marketing, and promotion of fundraising activities of the Maryland Gridiron Network, the official booster organization for Maryland football.
 
Mattia's first introduction to the Centennial Conference came as an assistant football coach at Ursinus College in 2001. After one year in Collegeville, he went on to join the football staff at his alma mater for four seasons.
 
He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown before going on to earn a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies. Mattia also received a Master Certificate in Business and Law of Sports from Villanova University's Jeffrey S. Moorad Center for the Study of Sports Law and an Executive Certificate from Johns Hopkins' Carey Business School.
 
Mattia will finish out the spring semester at Johns Hopkins before journeying across the Mason-Dixon Line with the rest of his family for a new start in Gettysburg this summer.
 
"My wife, daughter, and I are excited to become part of the Gettysburg family," said Mattia. "I am looking forward to building upon the successes and traditions that Dave Wright was able to establish during his time."