Ryan Pisarri enters his 14th season with Rutgers Athletics, serving as the Interim Athletic Director. Prior to his current role, Pisarri was the Deputy Athletic Director for Competitive Excellence and Chief of Staff. Pisarri oversees the day-to-day operations of the department, managing all aspects of sport administration. He has taken a lead in strategizing how the department evaluates, responds and continues to innovate in the changing landscape of college athletics.
As the Deputy Athletic Director for Competitive Excellence, Pisarri was responsible for the end of year evaluation processes for all 24 athletic programs, including head coach reviews. He spearheaded the implementation of new sports administration policies, procedures and guidelines, while serving as the primary sport administrator for football, men’s basketball, baseball and men’s golf. Pisarri was integral in the creation of a new secondary sport administrator program, offering junior staff members an opportunity for enhanced professional development, while strengthening the overall effectiveness of the sport administration unit.
In addition to his work on the administrative side, Pisarri also has a role with R Fund, the athletic department’s fundraising team. He has helped the unit devise strategies and offer stewardship of key donor relationships, resulting in several successful pledges.
A member of the athletic director’s executive team, Pisarri served as the Chairperson for the Rutgers Athletics five-year strategic vision, “The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence.” He is also the liaison to the Rutgers University Board of Governors and is a department staff member of the Board of Governors for Intercollegiate Athletics.
Pisarri has participated in the hiring searches for several programs, including football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, softball, men’s soccer, volleyball, baseball and women’s lacrosse. He is also the department point person for the partnership between Rutgers Athletics and the McLendon Foundation, an initiative that focuses on offering minority candidates an opportunity to jump start their careers in athletic administration.
His oversight role within the athletic department also extends to the strength and conditioning department as well as supervising the program’s Olympic operations staff members. He also works closely with multiple units on campus such as the Office of the University President, General Counsel and the Office of the University Secretary.
A 2006 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in communication, Pisarri worked in finance following graduation with jobs at firms including Pomona Capital, LCC and Oppenheimer & Co. He performed a litany of services that included extensive research on investment strategies and building relationships with financial institutions.
Pisarri made the career switch to athletics as Assistant Academic Coordinator at Rutgers in August 2011. He worked closely with the men’s and women’s basketball programs to schedule classes and tutoring sessions, while helping the student-athletes manage their time.
In January 2013, Pisarri moved to Assistant Director, Administration and Marketing to provide support and strategic guidance for both the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Administration and the Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Marketing Officer. His position was vital in working to provide leadership in all areas related to marketing and revenue generation such as development, game day hospitality and events, concessions and merchandise.
As a student-athlete on the Penn football team, Pisarri was a member of two Ivy League championship teams. He played football, basketball and baseball at Ramapo High School and earned All-Bergen County recognition in all three sports. He is a member of the Ramapo High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
A native of Wyckoff, N.J., Pisarri received his master's degree in education from the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and earned his MBA from the Rutgers School of Business. Ryan and his wife Christine have three children, Anthony, Sophia and Isabella.
