Jamie Pollard
Jamie Pollard is in his 16th year as the Director of Athletics at Iowa State and his vision for success and energy to execute that plan continues to have major impacts on campus, in the Big 12 and nationally.
National observers have noticed the resurgence in Ames and Pollard was recognized as 2019 Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He was also a finalist for the 2019 Sports Business Journal AD of the Year.
Pollard added another prestigious assignment to his resume in 2019 when he was chosen to serve a five-year term on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee. Although COVID-19 cancelled the tournament, Pollard begins his second year of a five-year term this season.
Pollard is a member of the Executive Committee of NACDA and will be the organization’s first vice-president in 2020. He has served previously as President of the Division I-A Athletics Director’s Association and the Collegiate Athletics Business Manager’s Association.
A former national champion long-distance runner at UW-Oshkosh (where he is in the school’s Hall of Fame), Pollard channeled his competitive drive into an athletics administration career. Prior to arrival at ISU he served in various athletic administrative capacities at Wisconsin, Maryland and Saint Louis.
He received a 2003 Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal “Top Forty Under 40” award, the first college administrator honored. Pollard has served as chair of the Big 12 Athletics Directors Committee and as President of the Division 1A Athletics Directors Association.
Jamie and his wife, Ellen, have four children: Thomas, Annie, Maggie and James. Thomas was 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in cross country at Iowa State and Maggie competes collegiately in track for at Nebraska.
The family’s local philanthropic efforts have benefitted Blank Children’s Hospital, Variety Children’s Charity and United Way of Central Iowa.
