Jim Sterk became the seventh Director of Athletics at Western Washington University on June 14, 2023.
A veteran of over 35 years in athletics administration, Sterk takes the helm of a program that is consistently among the best in NCAA Division II for both academic and athletic success.
Sterk returns to his alma mater at WWU where he is a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame. A native of Whatcom County who was born in Bellingham, raised in Everson, Sterk is a product of Nooksack Valley High School. He was a four-year letterwinner and team captain in football (74-77) at Western and lettered one year in basketball. Sterk earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Physical Education at WWU.
Following his time as a student-athlete in Bellingham, Sterk completed a Master of Science in Sports Administration at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, beginning his journey in athletics administration that resulted in over 26 years as the Director of Athletics at an NCAA Division I institution. Most recently, Sterk was the AD at the University of Missouri from 2016-2021, with previous stops as the lead figure in athletic departments at San Diego State University (2010-2016), Washington State University (2000-2010) and Portland State University (1995-2010).
No stranger to his Northwest roots, Sterk has spent over half of his career working in high levels at collegiate institutions in Washington and Oregon.
