Two months after its launch, Spartan Ventures is looking for a new leader.
The newly created fundraising arm of Michigan State athletics will be looking for a new CEO after Jon Palumbo was announced to be joining former athletic director J Batt, according to the University of Kentucky.
Palumbo served as interim athletic director after Batt’s departure for Kentucky over the summer and was among the candidates to replace Batt in East Lansing. MSU instead hired Dan Bartholomae away from Western Michigan to be athletic director on Aug. 17.
“We all owe Jon a great deal of gratitude for the positive impact he has made on Michigan State Athletics. I am particularly appreciative of the efforts Jon has made to orient me on Spartan Ventures and his partnership
in working to make my transition to campus a successful one,” Bartholomae said in a statement. “While Spartan Ventures successfully launched on July 1, there’s still more work to be done as we move toward full implementation. The structure and staff remain in place to boldly move forward even during a period of transition.”
Bartholomae will take over Palumbo’s duties as the primary sport administrator for football, and MSU will begin a national search for a new Spartan Ventures CEO. Eric Reinke, MSU’s executive senior associate AD/chief business officer, will serve as interim CEO. Deputy AD Jen Smith will assume oversight of Palumbo’s other units in athletics.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Spartan Ventures CEO leaves Michigan State to join J Batt in Kentucky
