J Batt brings trusted ally Jon Palumbo to Michigan State athletics leadership team

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Three weeks after his first official day on the job as athletic director, J Batt on Monday has appointed a right hand man. Michigan State formally announced on Monday the hiring of Jon Palumbo as deputy athletics director and chief operating officer. 

Palumbo comes to Michigan State from Georgia Tech, where he briefly served as interim athletic director after Batt left Georgia Tech to take the Michigan State athletic director job on June 2. Batt’s official first day as athletic director at Michigan State was Monday, June 16.

According to a press release issued by Michigan State on Monday, Palumbo will operate as the primary sport administrator for the football program. Palumbo will provide “leadership throughout the department, overseeing several units, including finance and budget, event operations, facilities, capital projects, strategic initiatives, and equipment.”

Palumbo will begin work at Michigan State in late July, according to the press release.

“I know he will have an immediate impact on our department,” Batt said in the press release. “Having previously served as an athletics director and in several senior administrative roles, Jon understands the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, and he will be invaluable in advancing our strategic priorities.”

Palumbo worked at Georgia Tech, beginning in November of 2022. According to Michigan State’s press release, Palumbo “worked closely with Batt to elevate Georgia Tech athletics through the implementation of several strategic initiatives and key coaching hires.”

This will be the fourth time that Batt and Palumbo have worked together. They were on staff together at William & Mary when Batt worked with fund raising from 2005-07, and Palumbo worked as business manager (2003-06).

Their careers overlapped for four years at Maryland when Batt served as Executive Director of the Terrapin Club from 2009-13.

Shortly after Batt became athletics director at Georgia Tech in 2022, Batt brought Palumbo aboard in Atlanta in November of 2022.

According to Michigan State’s press release, Palumbo played an integral role in the recent rise of the Georgia Tech football program, including earning back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in a decade in 2023 and 2024. Palumbo also led the planning and execution for major capital projects, including the Thomas A. Fanning Student-Athlete Performance Center – a 100,000-square-foot facility slated to house leading-edge resources in training, nutrition, sports medicine, sports science, and analytics.

Additionally, Palumbo oversaw event operations and fan engagement strategies, including the successful launch of the Helluva Block Party, creating a signature gameday tradition for Georgia Tech football.

Palumbo served as athletic director at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi from 2018-22. Previously, he served as deputy athletics director at Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) from 2012-18. He served as the administrator for VCU’s men’s basketball program. VCU earned a bid to five straight NCAA Tournaments from 2013-17 and sold out every home game during Palumbo’s six-year stint in Richmond. 

He also implemented budget management controls that resulted in five-straight years of surpluses, which were then reinvested in capital projects, including the construction of a $25 million basketball practice facility, a project that Palumbo was involved with throughout construction.

Palumbo served as associate AD at Maryland from 2008-12, and American University (2006-08).

Palumbo played baseball at LaSalle. He graduated in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in communication. He earned an MBA from LaSalle in 2003.