Matt Colagiovanni has been with Rutgers Athletics for the last 24 years, most recently serving as Deputy Athletic Director - Facilities, Capital Projects and Internal Operations, where he provides sport administration, oversight of capital projects, strategic planning and facility management for the entire 24-sport athletic program.
Colagiovanni was appointed to serve as the interim athletic director from July 14, 2025 through Aug. 5, 2025. On November 27, 2024, Colagiovanni was selected as one of the 20 members of the Rutgers Presidential Search Committee, which resulted in the hiring of Tate as the State University of New Jersey’s 22nd president. Tate, who took over duties as Rutgers President on July 1, formerly served as President of Louisiana State University.
In his Deputy role, Colagiovanni also served as the sport administrator for the Scarlet Knights’ football, men’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s cross country/track & field programs. He also provided oversight of all aspects for each program, including staff evaluations, scheduling, budgeting and resource management, on top of assisting each program in its donor relations efforts, attending events and relationship-building.
Additionally, Colagiovanni held oversight responsibility for an approximate 55-member facilities staff, including administration, grounds, custodial, electrical, painter and mechanical in daily logistics and event operations for a 24-sport programs in addition to annual external events. He also had direct oversight of the athletic department’s IT staff while remaining integral in the department’s emergency management strategies and efforts to mitigate risks within each venue.
For the past three years, Colagiovanni has served on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Committee, including the previous two years as chair of the committee. He also sits on the Big Ten Conference’s Olympic Sports Oversight Committee.
Prior to being elevated to Deputy Athletic Director, Colagiovanni served as the Rutgers Associate Athletic Director of Facilities and Events from 2014-16, which followed a seven-year stint as Assistant Athletic Director of Operations for Olympic Sports (2007-14). His other roles at Rutgers included serving as Director of Facilities and Events (2002-07) and Assistant Director of Facilities and Events (2001-02).
Before joining Rutgers, Colagiovanni served as the Assistant Facility Manager at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), a private research university located in St. Louis, Missouri. In this capacity, he assisted with the overall operation of facilities, physical education, intramural, and campus recreational programs.
A native of North Providence, Rhode Island, Colagiovanni completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Rhode Island with a Bachelor of Arts in May of 1997. He obtained his Masters of Education in May of 1999 with a focus in sport administration from Wichita State University.
