From assistant athletics director for compliance and student services at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, to vice president of Florida-based Jacksonville University’s athletic department, it’s been a busy last ten years for Alex Ricker-Gilbert.
Ricker-Gilbert quickly climbed the ranks at Longwood University in Virginia, at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Indiana and West Chester University of Pennsylvania—of which he is also a graduate—ultimately becoming athletics director at Longwood in 2016.
This year marks a decade of professional success for Ricker-Gilbert within college athletics.
Longwood University, Virginia (2013-2016)
From 2013 until 2016, Ricker-Gilbert served as Longwood University’s senior compliance officer for its 14 Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association programs. He also acted as an academic advisor for the Longwood Lancers softball, men’s soccer, and men’s and women’s cross country teams.
Elsewhere, he successfully oversaw the university’s athletic department’s scholarship budget and was the liaison to admissions, financial aid, housing, and the department’s registrar.
Ricker-Gilbert joined Longwood University in 2013 after working as an interim compliance director at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Indiana. The university promoted him to acting compliance director after a successful initial spell in an assistant compliance role at the Allen County-based institution.
Jacksonville University, Florida (2016-present)
Alex Ricker-Gilbert first headed to Jacksonville University as associate athletic director of student-athlete services and compliance in 2014. The move came after he had enjoyed considerable success in the same role at Virginia’s Longwood University.
Two years later, Jacksonville University promoted him to senior associate athletic director. Fast-forward just four short months, and in May 2016, he entered the prestigious role of senior athletic director. He replaced the department’s chief athletics officer, who had led department operations since 2014.
He became vice president of Jacksonville University’s athletic department in 2018.
Highlights at Jacksonville University
In his seven years at Jacksonville University, Ricker-Gilbert has enjoyed considerable success. Highlights include implementing a distinct set of core values for the university’s athletics department and joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s legislative committee.
The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics also recently named Ricker-Gilbert their Athletics Director of the Year for the Division I-AAA level. Furthermore, he has received considerable recognition for his leadership of Jacksonville University’s athletic department through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since then, he has seen the university’s students capture multiple titles in men’s soccer, women’s lacrosse, and baseball. That’s in addition to sending individuals from Jacksonville University’s men’s golf and women’s track & field teams to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships.
Other Roles
Before joining either Longwood University or Jacksonville University, Ricker-Gilbert served in various higher education-focused roles at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, of which he graduated. Among his multiple roles at the institution was student-services intern.
He also enjoyed success as a graduate assistant and directed numerous fundraising efforts for the university.
Alex Ricker-Gilbert
Alex Ricker-Gilbert specializes in sports management within higher education. His investment in the student-athletes he works alongside routinely sees them achieve outstanding success in and out of the classroom.
Ricker-Gilbert was born and raised in Tolland, Connecticut. He has also lived in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. He now resides in Duval County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida, close to his work at Jacksonville University.
