Jim Fitzgerald, currently an assistant athletic director for Student Success at Eastern Washington University, will be switching teams next month when he becomes the new Athletic Director/Dean of Physical Education & Recreation for the Community Colleges of Spokane.
“Jim has a reputation for truly caring about student athletes, in the classroom and in the game,” said Christine Johnson, CCS Chancellor. “Everywhere he has worked, people talk about his dedication and integrity. He will be an excellent leader for our highly esteemed athletic programs.”
Prior to joining EWU, Fitzgerald was the director of Baseball Operations at the University of Washington. In that role, he was the team’s academic coordinator and oversaw other team activities including fundraising. He spent 13 years in the Seattle Mariners organization, where he held positions in marketing, baseball operations and scouting. He was also the director of operations for the Spokane Indians Baseball Club from 1993-95.
His role at CCS will include serving both as the athletic director for one of the largest and most successful community college athletic programs in the region, with 15 teams and a history of championships. Fitzgerald also will be the dean of Physical Education and Recreation programs and courses at both Spokane Community College and Spokane Falls Community College.
He will begin at CCS in July.
"I am honored to be joining the Community Colleges of Spokane family,” Fitzgerald said. “During the selection process, I came to know that CCS is a special place and I can't wait to begin to work with the student athletes, coaches, faculty and staff to advance the mission and values of CCS.”
Fitzgerald, who grew up in San Jose, Calif., attended Bellarmine College Preparatory High School, where he was a baseball team captain. Later, he became a member of the Santa Clara Valley Youth Hall of Fame. He played baseball at Gonzaga University, where he was also a captain, earning his bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and later his master’s degree in Athletic Administration.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Wendy, a Spokane Public Schools teacher, are the parents of two teenage daughters. He is the nephew of the late Dan Fitzgerald, a former Gonzaga men’s basketball head coach and athletic director.