La Salle University’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation Brian Baptiste, J.D., is a 2021 selection to Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.

Baptiste’s professional achievements were recognized during the publication’s May 20 virtual awards program for this year’s 40 Under 40 honorees.

Baptiste received appointment to La Salle’s Executive Cabinet upon his arrival to 20th and Olney in June 2019. While at La Salle, Baptiste has shepherded a significant multi-year partnership with Adidas and implemented the Defining Your Difference Program to better position senior student-athletes for success after graduation. Under Baptiste, 13 of La Salle’s intercollegiate programs last fall scored a perfect 100 in their NCAA graduation success rates—ranking the department in the top-20 nationally.

“I am truly honored by this recognition from the Philadelphia Business Journal and thankful for the opportunity to lead a talented group within the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation,” Baptiste said. “I am proud to represent a University whose mission is rooted in transforming the lives of students through academic excellence, service to the community, and a commitment to the greater good. To be chosen from such a talented group of leaders from the Philadelphia area is incredibly humbling.”

Baptiste’s leadership is present locally and nationally. He is a past participant in the NCAA Pathway Program—a prestigious, year-long experiential learning opportunity designed to elevate senior-level athletics administrators to the next step as directors of athletics or conference commissioners.

He serves on the board of directors for the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate regatta in North America. Within La Salle’s Atlantic 10 Conference, he co-chairs the Commission for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Nationally, Baptiste is a member of the NCAA’s Minority Opportunities & Interests Committee. He holds membership in the NCAA’s Black AD Alliance, formed last summer to create mentoring and networking opportunities for Black athletics administrators across the country. Baptiste also worked directly with Team IMPACT, a program through which student-athletes in varsity programs ‘adopt’ children in need of support into their respective sports.

Previously, Baptiste served nearly seven years at Northwestern, where he had served as Deputy Director of Athletics for Capital Projects and Operations since 2015. While in the Midwest, his leadership directly impacted a historic $500 million facilities upgrade. The dramatic transformation impacted the daily experience of 19 teams and more than 500 student-athletes.

A 2005 graduate of Towson University, where he studied computer information systems, Baptiste earned his juris doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law in 2008 and is licensed to practice law in the state of Maryland. He and his wife, Jessica, have three daughters—Saniya, Jordan, and Zoe.