Jim Knowlton


James Arthur Knowlton is the current director of athletics for the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, Knowlton served as the athletic director for the United States Air Force Academy and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Early life, education, and career

Knowlton grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts, and graduated from Austin Preparatory School in 1978. Knowlton completed a bachelor's degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1982. While attending West Point, Knowlton played at forward on West Point's Army Black Knights men's ice hockey team.
After graduating from West Point, Knowlton served in the United States Army, first in the 9th Engineer Battalion stationed in Aschaffenburg, Germany as platoon leader, executive officer, and company commander. After completing the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Knowlton returned to Germany to command the 42nd Engineer Company, Berlin Brigade.
After completing a master's degree in civil engineering at the Cornell University College of Engineering, Knowlton joined the West Point civil and mechanical engineering department faculty in 1992. In 1994, Knowlton attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College, after which he returned to active Army duty as assistant division engineer and operations officer for the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division. Knowlton was later assigned to The Pentagon, first as military aide to the Under Secretary of the Army Joe R. Reeder and later as assistant director at the Army Corps of Engineers headquarters. Beginning in 1999, Knowlton led a 750-strong battalion at Fort Carson in Colorado. He followed that assignment with a stint as joint exercise branch chief for Air Force Space Command and deploying to Iraq. In the Army, Knowlton earned the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Ranger Tab, Air Assault Badge, and Senior Parachutist Badge.
Knowlton is also a registered professional engineer in Virginia.

Athletics administration career

From 2003 to 2006, Knowlton was deputy athletic director for the Army Black Knights athletic programs of his alma mater United States Military Academy. Knowlton stepped down from that position in 2006 to direct the Center for Enhanced Performance on campus.
In 2008, Knowlton became athletic director at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, an NCAA Division III school. Returning to the Division I level, Knowlton became the 11th athletic director at the United States Air Force Academy on March 22, 2015.
Knowlton was named athletic director at the University of California, Berkeley on April 9, 2018.