Marissa Manko Joins JMU Athletics as Associate AD for Business and Finance

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Director of Athletics Matt Roan announced the hiring of Marissa Manko to fill the role of Associate Athletics Director for Business and Finance to lead all fiscal operations for the department.
 
“Marissa comes to JMU well-equipped to manage the complex finances of a dynamic intercollegiate athletics program,” Roan said. “In her role at Louisville, working together with the university, she demonstrated success in helping address key issues within the athletics budget office that positively impacted the athletics enterprise. More importantly, her approach to her professional endeavors is a perfect fit to contribute to our culture in JMU Athletics and will assist in our pursuit of an upward trajectory. We look forward to welcoming Marissa and her husband Dominic to JMU Nation!”
 
“I am truly grateful to Matt Roan for this incredible opportunity,” Manko said. “JMU has a remarkable culture and a history of excellence, and I’m honored to be a part of that. The passion and commitment demonstrated by everyone on campus is infectious, and I look forward to joining that atmosphere and contributing to the extraordinary success of JMU Athletics.”
 
Most recently, Manko served as Assistant AD for Business Operations at Louisville, where she’s been since 2021, originally starting as an athletic business manager. In her role, she managed the athletic business office staff through the day-to-day business operations of a 21-sport department in the areas of accounting, insurance, accounts payable, travel, contract management and fiscal management. Supporting the chief financial officer, she was involved in planning and implementation of financial strategy for the department as well as reporting mechanisms, such as the NCAA, EADA and audit regulations.
 
Prior to Louisville, Manko worked as an athletics operations manager in business operations for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. She played a key role in support and management of the department’s budget and financial management. Manko also spent five years as a case manager for Hill and Ponton Law Firm in Florida and four years as a report writer for Landmark Event Staffing Services in Pittsburgh.
 
Manko earned her start in sports as a group sales intern with the WNBA Tulsa Shock and as a graduate assistant coach for women’s basketball at Duquense. She also worked as a basketball official for 12 years.
 
A 2013 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Slippery Rock with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and minor in coaching, Manko went on to earn her Master of Science in Leadership from Duquesne in 2016. She earned a certificant in human resource leadership from Louisville in February of 2023. She is a member of the College Athletic Business Management Association (CABMA) and Women Leaders in College Sports.