Bucknell University Athletics
Jonathan Evans Named Assistant Athletic Director for the Bison Club at Bucknell
1/22/2003 7:00:00 AM | General
Jan. 22, 2003
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Jonathan Evans has been named Assistant Director of Athletics for the Bison Club at Bucknell University. Evans comes to Bucknell from the University of California, Berkeley, where he developed an extensive background in athletics fundraising and development over a five-year period.
Evans primary responsibility will be to work closely with Bucknell's Director of Annual Giving, the Director of Athletics and the Director of the Bison Club to identify and solicit new athletics annual donors to the Bison Club, while at the same time soliciting current members of the organization to increase their annual contributions.
"We are eager to have Jonathan join our staff," said director of athletics and recreation John Hardt. "His background will allow us to move forward with our annual Bison Club fundraising goals, and should remove some of the fundraising burden from our coaching staff. Jonathan's responsibilities coincide with some of the very priorities that are at the top of our department's list at this time. In a day and age when we are challenged to do more with less, successful fundraising has become an absolute necessity."
Evans, who will work with Ann DiStefano, Bucknell's Director of Annual Giving, spent the last two years as the assistant director of athletics for ticket operations and donor relations for the Bears. "I'm excited that Jonathan is joining us at Bucknell," said DiStefano. "I have confidence that he will increase the annual gifts to the Bison Club and the varsity sports programs. He brings a depth of athletic fundraising and great experience with him. His dynamic personality is a perfect match with our constituents."
Bob Kallin, Vice President for Development and University Relations, echoed both Hardt and DiStefano, saying, "We look forward to Jonathan's arrival next month. He will bring to Bucknell fresh ideas and a proven track record in athletics fundraising."
Evans was responsible for managing a ticket operation that supported 27 sports and generated annual revenue of approximately 10-million dollars. He supervised a staff of eight full-time and 40 part-time employees who were involved in ticket sales, stewardship, marketing and event management for over 150 athletic events per year.
In addition, Evans was responsible for identifying and soliciting new potential donors as well working with current donors to increase their giving levels. Prior to his role as assistant athletic director, he spent six months as the director of stewardship, events and communications, and a year as the director of the annual fund and special projects. He had great success working in both those areas, contributing to a fundraising effort that raised giving by 3.7 million dollars from 1999-2000 to 2000-2001.
Evans began his career at Cal as a ticketing supervisor in 1998, and was promoted to the assistant director of ticket operations in August of 1999. A 1995 graduate of Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif., with a degree in business administration, Evans started his professional career in the banking industry. He was employed at Wells Fargo Bank over a nearly a four-year span and was rapidly promoted from teller, to customer service representative, to bank officer.
Following that experience, Evans returned to school and earned his master's in sport management from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., in 1998. While there, he was a graduate research assistant and completed an internship as the women's basketball marketing coordinator for the Mountaineers.
Evans also completed an internship with the New York Mets during the summer of 1997, and with the Humboldt Crabs Semi-Pro Baseball Club for six months in 1995.
Bucknell sponsors 26 intercollegiate sports, 14 for women and 12 for men, at the Division I level (I-AA in football). It is a charter member of the Patriot League and has won the league's all-sports championship in nine of the 12 years it has been contested. Bucknell continually ranks among the top institutions in student-athlete graduation rate in Division I every year, and ranks third in Division I in producing Academic All-Americans.
