Johns Hopkins University Athletics

Jake Olkkola joined the Johns Hopkins staff as Senior Associate Director of Athletics on November 18, 2019 and was elevated to Deputy Director of Athletics on July 1, 2021.  Olkkola previously served as the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics at Colby College.
 
As the Deputy Director of Athletics, Olkkola oversees the day-to-day operations of the department and works closely with Director of Athletics & Recreation Jennifer Baker to define, shape and advance the Department of Athletics and Recreation.  He serves as the main sport administrator for several of Johns Hopkins’ 24 varsity athletic programs, provides oversight for a number of internal areas within the department and is the primary liaison with  many of the departments and offices on campus that work closely with athletics and recreation.

In addition to his sport and administrative oversight responsibilities, Olkkola has been the lead administrator on the development of the Department of Athletics and Recreation's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Team.  The DEI Team, which officially debuted in 2020, provides robust programming and educational initiatives for student-athletes, coaches and staff.
 
Olkkola served as the Director of Athletics at Colby from 2017-19.  There, he managed a successful 32-sport athletic program that featured more than 650 student-athletes and 21 head coaches.  He was actively involved in Colby’s “Dare Northward” campaign that earmarked $200 million to athletics; the focal point of the commitment to athletics was a state-of-the-art 350,000-square-foot athletic center.
 
Under his direction, Colby jumped 67 spots in the Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings in just two years, advanced to the Frozen Four in men’s ice hockey and produced a national champion in track and field.  In addition, he collaborated with Colby’s Office of Advancement on a campaign that resulted in the endowment of three head coaching positions.
 
Prior to his time at Colby, Olkkola spent seven years at the University of Delaware (2010-17), where he worked for five years as the Associate Director of Athletics before being promoted to Senior Associate Director in 2015.  He was the sport administrator for six of Delaware’s 21 Division I athletic programs and managed a $25 million renovation of one of Delaware’s main athletic facilities.  When promoted to Senior Associate Director of Athletics, he served as the department’s chief financial officer and oversaw an operating budget of $30 million while serving as the liaison with a number of on-campus partners.
 
Olkkola had previously spent five years as the Director of Recreation at Harvard, where he was the lead project planner for a $16 million renovation of the Malkin Athletic Center and managed the scheduling, staffing and budgeting for selected athletic and recreation facilities.  He also led a club sports program that featured more than 30 programs and 900 participants.
 
A 2001 graduate of New Hampshire College with a degree in sports management, Olkkola earned his master’s in organizational leadership from Wilmington University in 2019.  He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters, Caroline and Josie, and one son, Jed.