May 27, 2025
Jim Catanzaro named Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics
Lake Forest College Vice President for Enrollment and Campus Life Chris Ellertson announced that, following a national search, Jim Catanzaro has been selected as the College’s Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics and will officially assume that role immediately.
An 18-year member of the department, Catanzaro has served as Associate Athletic Director for Sports Performance and Career Preparation for several years and was the Director of Athletics in 2021-2022. He has also helped manage the department since the departure of former Director of Athletics Nicki Pieart in early March.
In his administrative roles, Catanzaro has made significant contributions to the department and College. He oversaw the return of athletics to campus after the COVID pandemic and has helped advance the Forester Game Plan, a career preparation program for student-athletes. He also brought a chapter of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society to campus. Catanzaro has also served on numerous committees, including the College’s Coalition Against Sexual Misconduct, the Intercultural Advisory Group, and Campus Conduct and Athletic Conduct Boards.
Catanzaro will also remain the Foresters’ Head Football Coach, a position he has held since 2009. In addition to being the most successful football coach in school history with a 99-57 record and four Midwest Conference titles, he has earned the respect of his peers and been selected to key leadership roles within his sport. Most notable are MWC Football Chairman, NCAA Division III Football Championship Chairman, and the American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustees.
Catanzaro is a graduate of Greenville University, where he was an all-conference football player on both sides of the ball, helped the team capture a conference title his senior season, and also lettered in basketball and tennis. He later earned a master’s degree in communications studies from West Virginia University and is currently a doctoral candidate in higher education administration.
“Coach Cat’s knowledge of and commitment to athletics, the development of student-athletes, and the College make him uniquely qualified for this position,” Ellertson said. “I’m confident that he will build on the department’s success while working collaboratively with campus partners.”
Catanzaro said he is “extremely grateful to Chris Ellertson, the selection committee, and the rest of the College’s administration for their confidence in me to lead Forester Athletics. We have experienced tremendous success in the past and I am going to do everything I can to support our student-athletes, coaches, and administrative staff as we pursue even loftier goals going forward.”