St. Joe’s VP and Director of Athletics Named Nike Division I Executive of the Year

Vice President and Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner, JD, MBA, was named the 2023-24 Nike Division I Executive of the Year by Women Leaders in Sports (Women Leaders). The award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions as senior-level executives across each division and in the broader sport industry. Bodensteiner's accolade is a direct result of her deep expertise and involvement in collegiate athletics and the success of the Hawks on and off the court and field. 

Currently, Bodensteiner serves on two NCAA committees and is the vice chair of the Philadelphia Sports Commission. Often called on for her expertise in collegiate athletics, Bodensteiner visited Capitol Hill in the fall of 2023 to serve as an expert witness at the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the Future of College, and again in the House of Representatives in the spring of 2024.

In April, she announced the launch of enhanced NIL programming for student-athletes in conjunction with Van Wagner, Student Athlete NIL and the Brandr Group. The program, which kicked off with a first-of-its-kind NIL fair, was created to educate athletes about the information and connections necessary for them to pursue NIL deals. 

Men’s basketball student-athlete Shawn Simmons II, BA ’27, shows off his aerial skills in one example of NIL opportunities for Hawk athletes in this advertisement for the American Dairy Association of the Northeast.

 

Since Bodenseiner began her tenure at Saint Joseph's University in 2018, athletics has become a powerhouse of Division 1 accomplishments. Field hockey has appeared in the NCAA tournament five out of six years and won its first tournament game in program history. In fall 2023, field hockey reached its highest national ranking in history at No. 6 in the country. The men's and women's lacrosse teams each made their first-ever NCAA tournament appearances. St. Joe's baseball won its first A-10 regular-season championship, as well as its first conference championship since 1974. The men's and women's basketball teams swept through the city opponents to win the Big 5 Championships, and the teams received postseason bids to the National Invitation Tournament and Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, respectively, this year.

Under Bodensteiner's leadership, the department has adopted a powerful and unique culture based on human relationships, with a significant focus on inclusion and authenticity. The people and departmental culture are the driving forces behind the twin goals of the St. Joe’s athletic department: first, to achieve competitive excellence that benefits the University in a myriad of ways, and second, to prepare the 500+ student-athletes on Hawk Hill to be resilient, selfless and bold leaders.