University of California Athletics

Jonathan Okanes is the Associate Athletic Director for Communications for Cal Athletics.

Now in his 14th year in Berkeley, Okanes oversees an 11-member staff charged with telling the story of all 30 Golden Bear athletic programs.

Okanes, a former journalist for the Bay Area News Group who covered Cal Athletics as a beat reporter for nine years, also is the editor of the Cal Sports Quarterly magazine and the chairperson of the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame committee. He has won 16 CSC/Fred Stabley District Writing Awards during his career.

In his role as a reporter for the Bay Area News Group, Okanes covered some of the biggest events in sports – including the World Series, Super Bowl, NCAA men’s basketball tournament, BCS Championship Game and Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was also on the voting panel of the Associated Press men’s basketball top 25 and a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Okanes has worked directly with several of Cal’s teams during his time on campus, including volleyball, women’s water polo, men’s soccer, men’s water polo, beach volleyball, women’s golf, men’s and women’s rowing and men’s and women’s swimming.

Okanes earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from UC Santa Barbara.