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 sixth 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 yearlong collaborative process announced in August of 2019. The following year saw Cal Athletics launch the Cameron Institute, an innovative program that supports student-athletes in career development, community engagement, high performance and well-being, and leadership and personal development. The department also hired its first Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice in 2020.
 
Over the course of Knowlton’s tenure, Cal teams have captured eight team national championships, including three during the 2022-23 academic year – men’s water polo, men’s swimming & diving and men’s rowing. Cal student-athletes have also won more than 20 individual, relay or boat national titles during that span. In addition, the Cal football team has earned two bowl berths, including a win over Illinois in the 2019 Redbox Bowl, and featured more than 50 students, alumni and coaches that participated in the Tokyo Olympics.
 
On the academic front, Cal Athletics posted its highest department Academic Progress Rate ever twice with a score of 989. Last year, the department recorded its highest Graduation Success Rate ever at 91 percent.
 
In addition to his time 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 24, 2023