University of California Athletics

Knowlton's Notes Newsletter Archives

Jim Knowlton, who has established himself as a dynamic leader and accomplished administrator through service in intercollegiate athletics and the U.S. Army, is in his third year as Director of Athletics at Cal after formally moving into the role on May 21, 2018.
 
Knowlton served as AD at Air Force for three years before his move to Berkeley, and he previously spent seven years overseeing the athletic department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he was named the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletic Director of the Year.
 
Throughout his career, Knowlton has focused on and successfully fostered programs that place a premium on leadership and character development among student-athletes, coaches and staff. He has demonstrated an unfailing commitment to high achievement, both in academics and athletics, has a proven track record as a fundraiser, and has shown a consistent ability to take on complex challenges and develop strategic solutions to meet them.
 
At Cal, Knowlton is the school's 24th director of athletics and oversees an athletics program that sponsors 30 sports and supports more than 850 student-athletes.
 
During his first year in Berkeley in 2018-19, Knowlton embarked on a number of initiatives across many different areas, from academics and athletic performance to gender equity, budget and culture. Prominently among them was his Listening Days plan for all 30 teams and 15 administrative units. After a set period of discussion and analysis, priorities were determined for each program for implementation in an efficient and deliberate manner, all with a goal to move Cal Athletics, using his words, from good to great.
 
Knowlton also oversaw the development of a mission, vision and strategic plan for the athletic department, a nearly year-long collaborative process announced in August of 2019. Other areas of focus have included enhancing student-athlete development and experience, increasing campus integration, developing a sustainable financial model, creating a plan to ensure long-term gender equity, and building a robust fundraising operation with increased engagement with alumni and supporters.
 
Under Knowlton’s guidance, Cal has implemented a number of activities at football games, including free pregame concerts, academic department and athletic demonstrations, and student giveaways, in order to make home contests an opportunity to celebrate the campus. On the philanthropic front, Knowlton and members of his Development team secured a $12.5 million gift to establish the Cameron Institute, an innovative program that supports all student-athletes in leadership and personal development, career development, and community engagement.
 
Over the course of Knowlton’s first year, Cal captured NCAA team championships in women’s rowing (May 2018) and men’s swimming & diving (March 2019), while Golden Bears earned 11 individual, relay or boat national titles. Cal ended 2018-19 ranked 18th in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings for its 20th consecutive year among the top 20. This past fall, the Cal football team earned a second consecutive bowl berth and defeated Illinois in the Redbox Bowl. On the academic front, Cal Athletics posted in highest department Academic Progress Rate with a score of 989 with a record-high 10 teams receiving NCAA Public Recognition Awards, according to the latest data released in May 2020.
 
In addition to his tenure at Cal, Air Force and RPI, Knowlton is a former student-athlete and one-time faculty member at Army West Point, where also served as both a deputy director of athletics and interim athletic director at Army from 2003-06.
 
Outside of collegiate athletics, Knowlton taught in the civil and mechanical engineering department at Army West Point, and he held several leadership positions over more than two decades in the U.S. Army, including as head of a battalion of 750 men and women while stationed at Ft. Carson, Colo., before deploying to Iraq. He retired from the Army in 2008 as a colonel with 26 years of service.
 
Knowlton received his bachelor's degree in engineering in 1982 from Army West Point, where he was a four-year letter-winner and captain of the varsity ice hockey team. After 10 years of organizational leadership positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S. Army, Knowlton received a master's degree in civil engineering from Cornell University and returned to Army West Point in 1992 to teach.
 
Knowlton's career in athletics administration began as deputy director of athletics at Army West Point in 2003, where he oversaw more than 200 staff and supervised 25 intercollegiate teams with more than 1,000 student-athletes. After three years in the department, he left to become director of the Center for Enhanced Performance at West Point, leading a staff of 50 professionals who delivered training for peak performance in athletics, academics and military endeavors to cadets, soldiers and athletes both on and off campus.
 
Knowlton began his tenure as the Air Force athletics director in March of 2015, and the Falcons soon experienced unprecedented success. During his first two years at the helm, Air Force teams combined for nine conference championships – the most during a two-year span in school history. During the 2016-17 season alone, Falcon coaches won six conference coach of the year awards and 38 cadets earned All-America honors. Air Force also led the service academies in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings for the sixth consecutive season.
 
Knowlton's influence at Air Force extended well beyond the competition arena as the Falcons made significant strides in community and alumni outreach, facility improvements, corporate sponsorships and fundraising. He led the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the athletic department, and also introduced a culture and climate officer who developed a healthy relationship training model that was incorporated into all intercollegiate teams,
 
Among the outreach efforts under Knowlton's watch were the creation of a fan engagement committee, a fall concert series and external speaking engagements by coaches and staff to various community groups. Additionally, Air Force hosted the NACDA Spring Symposium, which brought together more than 100 athletic directors from across the country to learn about leadership and character development, as well as sexual assault prevention.
 
Prior to Air Force, Knowlton served as director of athletics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., from 2008 until 2015. While that school primarily competes at the NCAA Division III level, it also supports Division I men's and women's ice hockey programs. Among his accomplishments, Knowlton helped develop a strategic vision for the athletic department, implemented a new branding strategy, and facilitated renovations to RPI's field house, as well as construction of the $102 million first phase of RPI's East Campus Athletic Village. For his efforts, Knowlton was chosen the Under Armour Division III Athletic Director of the Year in 2011.
 
Knowlton also represented RPI on the national level, including on the NACDA Executive Committee, the board of College Hockey, Inc., and as chair of the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee.
 
Knowlton is a registered professional engineer in the state of Virginia. He and his wife, Corey, have five sons: Jimmy, Patrick, Christopher, Mark and Shawn.
 
Updated: July 21, 2020