Joe Parker will step back from his role as Colorado State University Director of Athletics and will become a special advisor to CSU President Amy Parsons.
“Joe has been instrumental to all of our athletic programs’ success during his tenure at CSU,” Parsons said. “On behalf of the entire Ram community, I want to sincerely thank Joe for his leadership and commitment to building a program that values and strives for excellence on the field and in the classroom.”
Parker joined CSU in 2015 and under his leadership the Rams have won 24 Mountain West Conference championships and established record-setting achievements in the classroom. Since 2017, the number of CSU student-athletes earning Mountain West Academic All-Conference (3.0 GPA or better) and Scholar-Athlete (3.5 GPA or better) recognition has increased significantly.
Parker also played a key role in a massive overhaul of CSU athletics infrastructure, including construction of Canvas Stadium and more than $22 million of additional facilities upgrades. During his tenure, Joe secured a record-setting $5 million gift from Bohemian Foundation to support women’s sports.
“It has been a privilege to serve Colorado State University and our students in this role. I want to thank our talented student-athletes, coaches and staff for their commitment and effort,” Parker said. “I also want to thank our many donors, partners and fans for helping to move the department forward and position CSU Athletics for a very bright future.”
CSU is well-positioned and rising in national prominence thanks to Parker’s leadership, Parsons said, while also recognizing that the world of intercollegiate athletics is going through a time of unprecedent change and volatility.
“The Rams aspire to play at the highest levels, and that means we have to look at innovative ways to support our student-athletes and coaches as well as engage our fans, alumni, students, faculty, staff and donors,” Parsons said. “Over the last year, I have spent time assessing and evaluating our athletics program, and navigating the rapidly changing landscape will require a new style of leadership. Joe and I have agreed that he will be stepping into another role.”
Parsons has asked CSU alum John Weber to serve as interim director of athletics. Following a successful career in the corporate world, Weber has served as executive director of The Green and Gold Guard, CSU’s NIL collective, since July 2022. NIL (Name-Image-Likeness) refers to student-athletes’ rights to benefit financially from the marketing and promotion of their name, image and likeness.
“John has built the Green and Gold Guard from scratch, and as part of that incredible effort he has earned the respect and trust of our coaches, student-athletes and supporters,” Parsons said. “Not only is he on the sidelines of nearly every game, but John is engaged on the national level with the fast-changing intricacies of NIL and seeking new and innovative ways to support all of CSU’s student-athletes and programs. I am confident in John’s capacity to take on this interim role.”
Parker has agreed to work closely with Weber to ensure a smooth transition.
“Joe has built a strong foundation for CSU Athletics, and I’m humbled by the trust and confidence President Parsons has placed in me to lead the department during such a critical time,” Weber said. “To our student-athletes and coaches – I will work tirelessly to make sure you have the support and resources needed to compete at the highest levels and to succeed academically. To our amazing alumni and fans – I will work every day to help CSU further build competitive and nationally prominent athletics programs.”
Weber earned a bachelor’s from CSU in Business Administration in 1991. During his time as a student, he was a track and field athlete as a freshman and was involved in Greek Life. Weber went on to a successful career in the high-tech sector. He has deep experience operating across all stages of business evolution including startup, turnaround, funding, M&A and exits. From 2015-21, he served as president and CEO of Long Range Systems, a leading innovator in onsite wireless technology.
Weber is also engaged in the academic life of CSU. He served on the College of Business Global Leadership Council since 2018 and as the council’s chair since April 2022. He has been a valuable board member of the Green and Gold Foundation, which raises funds for CSU programs and scholarships since 2022.
Weber has resigned from his role as executive director of the Green and Gold Guard but noted the program’s stability: “The Green and Gold Guard will continue to serve the Colorado State student-athletes across all their programs. The organization has strong senior leadership and is prepared to continue its growth.”
