Joe Rood

Background

About Joe Rood

Prior to UWM, I spent my career working in College Athletics and could not be more ready and excited to be have made a career change. My family and I spent six years living in Pittsburgh where I served in two different roles within the University of Pittsburgh athletic department. The first four years I was Director of Marketing and game day producer for Pitt Football while overseeing a staff of Marketing Coordinators and interns responsible for Pitt Olympic sports. During this time I served as the ACC Conference Representative for NACMA and worked for the ACC office at the Men’s Basketball Tournament from 2016-18. The last two years I was Learfield/IMG College General Manager of Ticket Sales overseeing a staff of 7 responsible for generating revenue through season ticket sales, mini packages, and group/theme days.Before that, I worked 8 years full time with Michigan State Athletics. From 2006-2010 as Assistant Ticket Manager and 2010-2014 as Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing. In these roles I gained valuable experience in customer service, record keeping, donor relations, and compliance while expanding MSU’s email marketing campaigns.In 2006 I graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Journalism and spent four years working for Spartan Basketball and HOF Coach Tom Izzo as a student manager. As a manager, I got hands on experience in what it takes to build and sustain a successful organization while learning the importance of versatility, adaptability, and attention to detail. After graduating, I had a short stint as Director of Basketball Operations at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.I earned two degrees from Michigan State University; a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in 2006 and a Master’s of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration on Athletic Administration in 2012.I grew up in Wheaton, IL - a western suburb of Chicago. In 2014 I married my amazing wife Jill, who is a native of Commerce Township and a fellow Spartan. We have a son, Edward (2016); a daughter, Ainsley (2019). I could not be more excited to be at UWM and my family could not be more excited to be back to Michigan and put down roots.