Tim Knavel, who began his job as Ohio Athletics’ CFO and assistant athletic director for business operations Monday, arrived in Athens just in time for the Bobcats’ football game two days prior. The only letdown of his night, he said, was that he missed kickoff.
His first trip to Peden Stadium, which held a record crowd Saturday, echoes his new position with Ohio; he arrived just in time for the good part.
Knavel, who is fresh off a 16-year stint as assistant athletic director for business planning at Towson University in Baltimore, Md., will take over tracking the Bobcats’ finances and making sure they’re in line with various regulatory practices — a position that has not been filled full-time since Ohio Director of Athletics Jim Schaus arrived in Athens more than four years ago.
Knavel, who inked a one-year contract worth $70,000 annually, will take over duties previously shared by Ohio Athletics and university finance officials. Andrew Rogers, a budget analyst in the Office of Budget Planning and Analysis, has been handling the brunt of Knavel’s new duties while still performing other tasks throughout the university, Schaus said.
“We’ve had a partnership with personnel and staffing of our business operations,” Schaus said of the athletic department’s relationship with the university finance office. “(Rogers) worked in our office and was an employee of the finance office. We’ve had the staff that has done that, but (Knavel) will be able to devote more time (to the position).”
Schaus said the new hire reflects an enhancement of Athletics’ old model, not necessarily a “new” position.
Knavel is responsible for anything fiscally related to Ohio Athletics, working directly with coaches and administrators to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
Everything from handling teams’ travel and managing budgets to the allocation of resources for home events and facilities will fall under Knavel’s jurisdiction.
His position is as much about tracking funds as it is keeping administrators on the same page financially.
“It’s being able to develop financial reports where everything is user-friendly so Jim Schaus can see where he is at any point in time regarding actual expenditures versus the budget, actual revenues versus the budget and what’s our bottom line,” Knavel said.
Schaus said he sought out Knavel because of his background in athletics but also his experience in the business world.
Before his time at Towson, Knavel worked for the Marriot Corporation for 13 years, the last seven of which were spent overseeing client-owned properties in the northeast.
Because of that experience and the time he will be able to devote to his craft, Knavel said he believes he’s a good fit in the Bobcats’ front office.
“They lack stability or the consistency (here) of someone with the financial background (who) sort of brings a business mentality to the department and treats it financially, as far as reporting and managing, like a big business,” Knavel said. “I don’t think they’ve had that, so that’s what I bring to the table, and that’s what I hope they’re looking for.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
