Alumni

Leo Pickens (A78) named new director of Alumni Relations



Leo Pickens (A78) has been named the new director of Alumni Relations on the Annapolis campus, filling the position held by Jo Ann Mattson. With his many years of experience as director of Athletics and his deeply ingrained sense of the mission of the college, Pickens will be a wonderful representative of the college to its alumni and of the alumni to the college.

An alumnus himself, Pickens was originally drawn to St. John’s by an academic program that appealed to his intellectual curiosity and independence. A devoted reader in high school, he was fascinated by terms such as “a priori” and “existential” and was captivated by the idea of reading great books and discussing them with others. But he also loved sports and was surprised to discover how important they were at the college. Inspired by then-Athletic Director Bryce Jacobsen, who brought a “great egalitarian spirit” to athletics at the college, Pickens played soccer, flag football, basketball, softball and badminton. After graduating from St. John’s in 1978, Pickens eventually went into banking. He was working as an assistant vice president when he learned St. John’s was looking for a new athletic director. “Coming back to the college was like a dream come true,” he says.

Every fall and spring since then, Pickens could be found on College Creek at 6 a.m., coaching the crew club. He refereed soccer, kept score at the basketball games, and kept the gym running smoothly. “I’ve always loved working with the students,” he says. “There’s nothing better than seeing those who have never really participated in sports discover that there is an inner athlete inside them.” The St. John’s College Alumni Association honored Leo Pickens with the Alumni Award of Merit in 2009 on the one hundredth anniversary of Iglehart Hall. His influence has transformed not only the intramural program but countless hearts, minds, and bodies as well.

Pickens carries this same enthusiasm and energy into his new role at St. John’s. “I think my new job as director of Alumni Relations is very similar to what I’ve been doing for past 23 years as director of Athletics: cultivating community, and building participation. It’s just that the playing field, so to speak, is a little different.”

The college will immediately begin a search for a new director of Athletics, and Pickens will serve as the lead figure for the program until a new director is named. There will be no disruption of the athletic program that is so valuable to St. John’s students.

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