Joel Moersch Named Senior Associate AD for Revenue Generation and Strategic Advancement at Bucknell

LEWISBURG, Pa. – Joel Moersch, a 15-year veteran in the areas of fundraising and marketing, will be joining the Bucknell Athletics leadership team as the new senior associate director of athletics for revenue generation and strategic advancement.

In his new role at Bucknell, Moersch will work closely with director of athletics and recreation Jermaine Truax and his senior leadership council, as well as associate vice president of University Advancement for strategic philanthropy Josh Grill. Moersch will be tasked with managing all revenue-generating initiatives, including annual and major giving, marketing, promotions, ticket sales and operations, and corporate sponsorships.

"I am thrilled to welcome Joel and his family to Bucknell," said Truax. "In collaboration with our colleagues in University Advancement, we have been able to restructure this important senior-level Athletics development position, and Joel's acumen as a fundraiser makes him an excellent addition to Bison Nation. He is well-versed in all the relevant areas of revenue generation, and I am confident he will have a positive impact on Bison Athletics, the University community, and all of our tremendous supporters who care deeply about supporting our student-athletes."

"We are very excited to have Joel join the Bucknell community," said Grill. "He brings a depth of experience and will enhance our fundraising efforts by fostering relationships with the thousands of people who support Bison Athletics each year."

"My wife Mallory and I are beyond excited to embrace the Lewisburg community with our kids," said Moersch. "There are very few places in the country that offer students such an amazing experience holistically. I am honored to be joining the Bucknell family and truly appreciate the confidence Jermaine Truax, Michelle Manning, Scott Rosevear, Josh Grill, and the entire search committee have placed in me. It is gratifying to work in support of coaches, because they play such a key role in developing future leaders. I look forward to collaborating with our 27 Bison teams to maximize the impact alumni, family, and community members can have on Bucknell Athletics. I am eager to meet our Bison Club members, community partners, and season ticket holders who have a shared belief in what the student-athlete experience means at Bucknell."

Moersch's career path features extensive experience in the college athletics setting, but also includes stints in university advancement and the non-profit sector. Most recently, Moersch has served as associate athletic director for development at Idaho State since the fall of 2019. In addition to overseeing the Division I athletic department's fundraising efforts, he was also the sports supervisor for the Bengals' women's golf and men's tennis teams.

During his time in Pocatello, Moersch focused on generating revenue for ISU's 15 teams; he implemented a digital marketing campaign that raised $278,000 in its first year and over $590,000 in year two; he helped secure several new scholarship endowments for the Idaho State football program; he helped negotiate a multi-year contract with a local hospital that funded a new assistant strength coach position; and he worked closely with the athletic director to grow the department's unrestricted account, the Champions Fund.

Prior to his appointment at Idaho State, Moersch was the senior development officer at Intermountain Children's Services, a non-profit organization in Kalispell, Montana that supports children and families impacted by abuse, neglect, mental health issues, substance use and suicide. In his role, Moersch managed a regional development team and oversaw external operations including annual giving, marketing, events and speaking engagements.

In 2014-15, Moersch was the assistant athletic director for annual giving with the UMass Amherst Foundation. He managed a portfolio of 150 major gift donors throughout New England, and he oversaw that Minutemen Club, which raised a record $1.65 million in the 2015 fiscal year, a 29 percent increase from the previous year.

Prior to his year at UMass, Moersch returned to his alma mater, Eastern Oregon University, as director of development in the University Advancement division. He managed the Campaign for Eastern, an $11.5 million scholarship endowment campaign.

Moersch previously served in athletics fundraising positions at Utah State, UCLA and Eastern Illinois. As assistant director for major gifts at UCLA, he secured several five and six-figure gifts for the Campaign of Champions, a $136 million renovation of the historic Pauley Pavilion. He collaborated with head coaches and former UCLA standouts to implement fundraising strategies aimed at securing donations to the Wooden Athletic Fund.

During his two-year stint at Eastern Illinois, Moersch implemented a strategic plan for the Panther Club that resulted in a 67-percent membership growth.

Moersch's first foray into the world of college athletics came as a marketing coordinator at Oregon State from 2006-08. He helped implement marketing and ticket strategies that aimed to capitalize on back-to-back baseball national championships and consecutive football bowl game victories.

Moersch is a 2004 graduate of Eastern Oregon, where he was a student-athlete on the baseball and rodeo teams. He received his master of business administration in marketing from EOU in 2006.

Bucknell competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the Patriot League and has full membership along with American, Army West Point, Boston University, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Navy. Bucknell has won the Presidents' Cup, signifying the Patriot League's all-sports champion, in 18 of 30 years and annually ranks among the nation's best in student-athlete graduation rate.

Joel Moersch Named Senior Associate AD for Revenue Generation and Strategic Advancement at Bucknell

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