Cleveland State President Harlan Sands officially introduced Scott Garrett as the new Director of Athletics at Cleveland State on Monday afternoon. After his introduction, Garrett spoke with CollegeAD about the opportunities that await the first time AD as he begins his new role at Cleveland State.
“The opportunities that exist here, the energy around campus, the leadership team that’s assembled, everything totally fits with my leadership philosophy.”
Garrett will officially start April 24, but told CollegeAD he will be sitting in on staff meetings this week before returning to Manhatten.
“We are going to put ourselves in a position to win Horizon League championships and I think there are opportunities for us to do that,” explains Garrett, “from a resource generation standpoint, from an engagement perspective, and from a team building perspective. Really, it’s like an unpolished sculpture, it’s where you can shape something and build a culture of excellence.”
Garrett worked at K-State for nine years and most recently served as associate athletics director and chief financial officer. He oversaw business operations, fundraising, coaching evaluations, fan experiences and student-athlete well-being, according to a CSU press release.
Before landing at Kansas State, Garrett worked at Wichita State and Illinois State University. He will start at CSU with a base salary of $185,000.
Garrett replaces Mike Thomas who resigned at the end of last year to return to athletics consulting. In February, Cleveland State brought in former Missouri AD Mike Alden to serve as a “senior advisor for athletics,” providing interim leadership for athletics programs.
“We are up to the challenge of rolling up our sleeves and getting after it here, this is the place where I think I can have the most impact at this point in my career,” said Garrett.
At Cleveland State, he’ll oversee an athletic department that sponsors 18 sports with a $13.7 million budget.
“Our goal is to provide transformational student-athlete experiences, athletically, academically, socially and personally.”
CSU president Harlan Sands says Garrett “is a very successful leader who has had a tremendous impact at every level of athletics administration he has touched. He is all about building a winning culture with integrity and values — both on the field and in the classroom. We are very excited that he will be joining our team, and I look forward to working with him as we build upon the athletic and academic achievements of our student-athletes.”
This feature first appeared in The NightCap, a nightly newsletter by CollegeAD. Get today’s edition delivered to your inbox tonight!