Joe Battista will be leaving his current position as Executive Director of the Nittany Lion Club to become the Director of Major Gifts for the Smeal College of Business.

The Nittany Lion Club is the fundraising organization for the Penn State Athletics Department. His tenure as Executive Director introduced him to a wide variety of Penn State alumni and coaches.

We’ve met Battista a few times through classes and tailgates. He’s a born schmoozer, in large part due to his broad range of experiences with the University. Battista is a 1983 graduate of the business college and has served as the Icers’ coach from 1987 to 2006.

Battista may very well find that his new job is significantly more difficult than his former for a few reasons, most notably, the economy. He will also no longer have the benefit of alumni coming to him for football games and other sporting events; he’ll probably be traveling more often now.

What’s odd is that Battista was pretty acute in saying this is just a transitional job for him.

Battista said he would eventually like to become a director of development for an academic or athletic area or a general manager in professional sports.

Battista said the new position will prepare him “for that type of career down the road,” adding, “you have to have major gift experience.”

Can’t imagine that’s what the University wanted to hear in the Collegian.

[Sources: Penn State Live and the Collegian] | [Picture by Chris Koleno]