Saint Joseph’s names Jill Bodensteiner as first female A.D.

PHILADELPHIA » Saint Joseph’s has named Jill Bodensteiner as its first female athletic director.

Bodensteiner succeeds Don Di Julia, who retired following a 35-year stint as AD.

Bodensteiner will be introduced Thursday at Hagan Arena, and she starts June 1. She will oversee the Hawks’ 20 NCAA Division Imen’s and women’s varsity sports and membership in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

“If anything needs to change, we won’t hesitate to do so,” she said Tuesday.

She spent 20 years at Notre Dame, the last five as senior associate athletic director. She also served on the Committee on Women’s Athletics and the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

At the start of 2017, there were 35 female athletic directors out of 351 NCAA Division I schools. Pittburgh’s Heather Lyke and Penn State’s Sandy Barbour are among those who have led the cultural shift in college athletics.

“These are historically hard jobs for women to get,” Bodensteiner said. “I am passionate about developing opportunities for women and other people underrepresented in the business. It’d be silly for me not to claim it’s not pretty cool. I’m happy to be that female role model for women coming up in the industry. It’s really special.”

Saint Joseph’s president Mark Reed said Bodensteiner had the experience in a major athletic department needed to lead the program.

“My only concern and hope is that it’s not lost in the fact that Jill was the right person for the job,” he said. “The fact that she’s a woman is sort of icing on the cake, in some respects.”

The Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team is still playing in the NCAA Tournament — where it knocked out SJU rival Villanova — and is led by coach and former 1970s Hawks star Muffet McGraw.

“It’s especially gratifying to see someone I know take over at my alma mater, a place that I love and care deeply about,” McGraw said. “President Reed is a terrific leader, and now with Jill on board, the university has a great foundation to continue Saint Joe’s excellence for years to come.”

Bodensteiner said she will continue to travel and watch the Irish in the tournament.

A Notre Dame graduate, she decided about two or three years ago she wanted to become an AD. Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick encouraged her to chase her passion and find a job that was the right fit. Bodensteiner is convinced she found it on Hawk Hill.

She also wants to help play a role in fixing some problems in college athletics that appear unsolvable.

“I am supportive of exploring ways to compensate student-athletes for their use of their name, image and likeness,” she said.