 Jake Olkkola, who has served the last seven years in the field of recreation at both the collegiate and community level, was selected as Associate Director of Athletics for Recreation Services in May, 2010.
Olkkola (pronounced “oak-la”), who most recently served for two years as Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation for the Town of Brunswick, Maine.
“We are excited to have Jake join the University of Delaware and lead our recreation department,” said UD Director of Athletics and Recreation Services Bernard Muir. “He brings a wealth of experience from many different areas and we are confident that he will continue to expand the vast amount of recreation programs that we offer to all of our students here at Delaware. I also want to thank Barry Miller for his leadership during the interim and know that he will continue to be a valuable contributor within our department.”
A native of Ossipee, N.H., Olkkola will oversee all aspects of the University of Delaware recreation department, including programs, facilities, services, and personnel. He will also serve as program administrator for the UD men's and women's swimming and diving programs.
The UD Recreation Services program services the entire UD student body and staff and among its features are the Carpenter Sports Building, Rawstrom Natatorium, four fitness centers for students and staff, various playing field and courts, 32 club sport teams, and over 30 intramural leagues and events.
Olkkola earned his associate degree in sports management from New Hampshire Technical Institute-Concord in 1998 and his bachelor’s degree in sports management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2000. He also completed an Alternative Funding Development Program with the National Recreation and Parks Association in 2008.
He began his professional career in the National Basketball Association when he served a front office internship with sales and marketing with the Boston Celtics in 2000-01. He joined the collegiate ranks in 2001 when he was named assistant football coach (wide receivers) at La Salle University in Philadelphia and served through the 2002-03 season. In addition to his football duties, he oversaw daily staffing, scheduling, and security at the Hayman Athletics Center.
Olkkola then moved on to Harvard University where he served for five years as Director of Recreational Services for the Cambridge, Mass.-based Ivy League institution and was instrumental in the project planning and execution of the $16 million renovation of the University’s 100,000 square foot recreation facility.
He was responsible for administering, budgeting, and marketing all university recreational programming which accounted for $4.2 million dollars per year in athletic department revenue and managed scheduling, staffing, and programming for six recreational and intercollegiate athletic facilities. He directed an intramural athletic program that included over 3,500 students and 30 leagues and a club sport program that featured 35 programs and over 900 students. He supervised and managed a staff of 60 employees.
Olkkola was hired as Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation for the Town of Brunswick, Maine in 2008 and served there for two years. He was responsible for scheduling, budgeting, and staffing for over 40 seasonal programs, including coach certification, staff development, and safety, and managed 2009 program revenue to its largest net profit in dept. history
He took the lead role in Brunswick hosting 2010 USATF Region 1 Junior Olympic Track and Field Championship and was responsible for meet operations, sponsorship sales, regional economic development, and marketing.
Olkkola and his wife, Michelle, have two children, Caroline (5) and Jed (3).
Updated 6/15/10 |
