Georgetown University Athletics

Lee Reed came to Georgetown University in April of 2010 as the 17th director of intercollegiate athletics (Francis X. Rienzo chair), bringing with him an outstanding record of service in higher education. His commitment to the student-athletes and coaches is an integral part of his core philosophy and leadership style. This is reflected in his oft-mentioned adage, “Georgetown Athletics is STUDENT-ATHLETE centered, COACH driven, and ADMINISTRATOR assisted.” This principle guides all strategic decision making within the Department of Athletics.
 
Reed oversees one of the largest broad-based intercollegiate athletics programs in the nation with 30 varsity programs and more than 700 student-athletes, nearly 10 percent of the undergraduate population at Georgetown. Under his leadership, the Hoyas have remained prominent on the national landscape while maintaining their commitment to the values that define the oldest Catholic and Jesuit University in the country. 
 
Throughout Reed’s tenure, Georgetown Athletics has continued to be a national and conference powerhouse, claiming 45 conference tournament and regular season championships.  Five head coaches have received national coaches of the year honors under Reed and eight team national championships have been earned, including the 2019 men’s soccer NCAA Championship, an NCAA women’s cross country title in 2011, three men’s lightweight rowing championships (2016, 2023, 2024) and four ICSA national sailing titles (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016).
 
Reed continues to earn respect within his profession and among his peers. He served as the president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) for the 2018-19 academic year becoming the first former NACDA intern to be elected president.  He was also recognized as one of 28 recipients of NACDA’s Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award in 2017.
 
Reed serves as president of the John McLendon Foundation Board and is chair of the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Issues Working Group. He is also a mentor in the NCAA Pathways program, on the advisory board for the LGBTQ Center at Georgetown, a member of the Black AD Alliance and is a frequent guest speaker at the NCAA, NACDA and other national programs. In 2024, he was named to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee.
 
Reed was instrumental in the smooth transition to the new BIG EAST Conference in 2013, which welcomed three new institutions. In 2015, he negotiated a lucrative 10-year multimedia rights deal with FOX Sports on behalf of Georgetown Athletics, joining an exclusive list of institutions to partner with FOX Sports in this national trend. He was also a part of the newest rights deal which was signed in 2024.
 
Reed has overseen the opening of two on-campus facilities. In 2016, The Thompson Center became the first varsity athletics facility on the Hilltop since 1951. It is a 144,000-square-foot state-of-the-art training facility that has elevated the infrastructure available to Georgetown’s student-athletes. In 2020, Cooper Field was completed which features permanent football and field hockey locker rooms, stands for 3,750 people, lawn seating, permanent restrooms and a concessions area and a state-of-the-art press box.
 
In the classroom, Georgetown athletics teams have been equally competitive as they continue to excel, posting cumulative GPAs consistently over 3.4, the highest mark since that figure has been tracked. In the past year, 14 teams were recognized by the NCAA for high Academic Progress Rate scores, 98 percent of student-athletes graduated and more than 400 student-athletes were selected to the BIG EAST Academic Honor Roll. 
 
Under Reed’s guidance, the Athletics Department has continued to build its holistic approach to the student-athlete experience. Reed established the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program and brought on two full-time counselors exclusively for student-athletes as well as full-time dietitian. Additionally, Reed developed the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Working Group and brought on the department’s first full-time director of diversity, equity & inclusion to aid in the mission of the department.  
 
Before coming to the Hilltop, Reed served as the director of athletics at Cleveland State University for eight years.  Reed also spent time at Eastern Michigan University for seven seasons prior to his return to CSU.  He received his master in sports administration from the University of New Mexico, where he also served as an assistant men’s basketball coach.
 
A former basketball standout at Cleveland State, he joined the Viking athletics department in the summer of 2002. During his time at CSU, the athletics program moved into the upper ranks of the Horizon League and was recognized as one of the top programs in the state of Ohio. While there, he served as president of the NCAA I-AAA Athletic Director’s Association, served on the NCAA Management Council and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Academic Enhancement Group. 
 
In 2005, Reed was recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful African-Americans in Sports by Black Enterprise magazine.  He began his career in athletics administration as a NACDA intern from February 1994 to April 1995.
 
Reed and his wife, Katafa, and their children reside in Great Falls, Virginia.