Dr. John Planek took over as the Director of Athletics in the fall of 2023.
For the past 12 years, Planek has administered the intercollegiate athletic department of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, a Division II school that has achieved unprecedented success under his direction.
Planek's leadership also contributed to success in the classroom with a total of 299 Lewis University student-athletes selected to the 2022-23 Academic All-Great Lakes Valley Conference Team, representing the most selections in school history. The Academic All-GLVC honor is awarded to student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 for the academic year. During his tenure, the Lewis Athletics Department also received the Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence, awarded to any Division II institution that achieves a four-year academic success rate of 90% or higher for seven consecutive years.
Under his direction, Lewis recently completed successful renovations of its athletic facilities, including new turf fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse, along with a new track and refinished tennis courts.
An award-winning administrator, Planek was named a NACDA 2016-17 Athletics Director of the Year and has an extensive athletic background, previously serving as athletic director at Loyola University and Saint Ignatius High School in Chicago. He also served as an associate athletic director at DePaul University.
He graduated from fellow Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference member Illinois Tech with a business degree and was a baseball team member. Planek also possesses a master's degree in sports management and a Ph.D. in education leadership.
