Staff Spotlight: Janina Pollatz

This month's Staff Spotlight goes to the new Assistant Director for Athletics Development, Janina Pollatz! Whether it is managing premium seating or coordinating events, Janina works hard to connect with our Student-Athlete alumni. She is even a former Eagle athlete herself! Get to know Janina a bit more below.

"I’m the Assistant Director for Athletics Development. In a nutshell, anything to do with Student-Athlete Alumni – that’s me! I help manage the Football and Basketball premium seating, and plan different events like team reunions, Homecoming, Hall of Fame, Bowl Games, All-Sports Reunion, lots of things. I also coordinate communications with our student-athlete alumni and donors, along with fundraising and crowdfunding initiatives. 

I really enjoy my job because I’m constantly working on different projects. It’s never the same thing day-to-day. There’s a ton of room to be creative and have fun with it! I also love getting to work with people; building relationships is part of the job description and might just be the favorite part of my job!

My position has changed quite a bit since we began working remotely. Not having fans at events has taken out the event planning aspect of my job, but also encouraged us to think about virtual events. Also meetings – so many Zoom meetings! I can’t wait to be back in our offices to talk to people face-to-face. Working remotely has its perks though, and has helped me (and I’m sure many others) have more family time. During this time, I’ve been able to help my parents and grandparents with things like house projects and grocery shopping, and we’ve all gotten much closer.

Fun fact about me: I lived in Europe to compete as a professional Track & Field athlete in Germany, before coming back to my alma mater for this opportunity!"