FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
QUEENS, N.Y. (June 30, 2015) – St. John’s University President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D. has appointed Joseph Oliva, Esq. ‘91CBA, ‘94L as interim Athletic Director effective July 1.
“I am most appreciative of Joe’s willingness to assume this interim leadership role as the University continues its search for a permanent Athletic Director,” said Gempesaw.
“This is an exciting time for St. John’s Athletics and our University as a whole,” said Oliva. “Our student-athletes, coaches and support staff have worked hard to infuse great enthusiasm into our program through their successes both academically and athletically in addition to their contributions within the community. We will continue to build on this momentum as we collectively spearhead a new era of St. John’s storied athletic history.”
Oliva has been a member of the St. John’s community for more than two decades. A double alumnus of the University, Oliva currently serves as St. John’s general counsel, a position he was promoted to in 2005 after spending the previous five years as associate general counsel. Oliva is the University’s chief legal officer providing counsel to the President, the Board of Trustees, and other administrative offices of the University.
For the past two years, Oliva has held oversight responsibilities for the Department of Athletics. During his tenure overseeing Athletics, St. John’s was involved in significant strategic moves, including the transition to the new BIG EAST Conference, the BIG EAST’s partnership with FOX Sports, and St. John’s Athletics department-wide partnership with Under Armour. He also played a key role in the recent hiring of Chris Mullin as the head coach of the men’s basketball program. Oliva is experienced in all facets of NCAA compliance.
Oliva graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s College of Business Administration, earning a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1991, and magna cum laude from St. John’s School of Law in 1994.
