Keli Zinn was named the university's next athletic director. She was formerly Lousiana State University's athletic director, and the first female athletic director for West Virginia.

She will lead Rutgers University's 24 varsity sports, with over 730 student athletes. She has 15 national championships and 34 conference championships under her belt. At LSU,she helped lead the Tigers to four national championships including women's basketball, gymnastics, and twice in baseball, as well as multiple SEC titles in track and field and gymnastics.

"The championship piece of it, that's a big part of what drives me. We have some incredible people here who have spent decades at Rutgers, and they want so much to experience that at the highest level of success. And I see part of my job as owing that to them," Zinn said.

So how does she recruit the top tier student athletes, coaches and staff to assist with that goal?

"It's going after the best. I'm going after that right now. And then get them in here to perform at a really high level," Zinn said.

Zinn found creative ways to create program revenue at LSU, which even included a documentary series on Amazon Prime video. She said it all starts with getting in the win column.

"We can certainly put up some good wins and show that there is progress being made," Zinn said.

It's about cultivating a culture of winning, and sustaining it.

"You hear a lot about that grit. You're going to see a mentality that starts at the top, where administrators believe in our success, our coaches believe that they can win here," Zinn said. "And that will translate to our recruits, our current student athletes, and everyone pushing in the same direction."

"Keli Zinn brings the strategic drive, operational excellence, and championship pedigree we need right now for Rutgers Athletics," Rutgers President William Tate said when he announced her appointment. "Her leadership style resonates deeply with Rutgers' mission - competitiveness on the field, integrity in our practices, and excellence in the student‑athlete experience. She will guide Rutgers into a new era, with forward-looking leadership, tapping into the Rutgers edge."