Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island and the CSI Athletics Program is announcing that longtime Associate Director of Athletics and Sports Information Director David Pizzuto, is being appointed as Interim Director of Communications & Marketing at the College. The transition will begin in mid-July.

"David has done a fantastic job of branding and highlighting the successes of our students in his career with the Athletics program, and I look forward to seeing him serve in this larger role with the College," said CSI President Dr. William J. Fritz. "We look forward to furthering our brand identity and communications outreach with David serving as interim director."

Pizzuto has a long and storied history working within the Athletics program at CSI. He began as a part-time student employee and later, a gameday staffer until he was promoted to the school's first-ever Assistant Sports Information Director's position in 1999, also serving as Intramurals Coordinator. After a two-year stint at Georgian Court University from 2004-06 as Assistant Director for Sports Information and Operations, Pizzuto returned to CSI as the Associate Director and SID. Since that time Pizzuto has been a part of ushering the program through the digital age of communication, complete with CSI's comprehensive website, streaming services, and social media platforms.  

"I am very excited and humbled by the opportunity given to me by President Fritz and the leadership at the College, to serve it in this larger capacity," he said. "It's very encouraging to know that the advancements we have made in the Athletics program are being seen to now leverage our global communication effort for the College. I'm looking forward to that challenge and helping our campus' communications efforts in the same way."

A graduate of the College, Pizzuto obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Communications and later, his Master's Degree in Liberal Studies. In 2008, he was named to the Cambridge Who's Who of Executives & Professionals and is the former recipient of the prestigious Emerging Athletic Administrator Award, given to him at the NCAA National Convention in 2011. He has served on dozens of campus committees, most recently the CSI Campus Re-Entry Committee and Communications/Borough Stewardship Subcommittee. Pizzuto is also a member of the East Coast Conference's Steering Committee for Gameday Operations and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Regional Rankings Committee, the first national committee appointment for a CSI Athletics staffer since the College's move to NCAA Division II.  

"I couldn't be happier for Dave as he will have a tremendous impact on the broader scope of campus," commented Director of Athletics T.J. Tibbs.  "Personally, Dave and Tony Petosa are who I think of immediately when it comes to the identity of CSI Athletics and our history. His impact here goes far beyond any titles he has held in our department. He is truly one of one. His impact here cannot be put into words. Dave is the truest of professionals and will set the standard in any role he takes on. I can't wait to see the amazing things he does from his new position and look forward to supporting and working with him to get things done."

Around the CSI Athletics program nearly his entire adult life, the decision to  accept this role was an understandingly difficult one for Pizzuto.

"My enjoyment of the profession and the day-to-day duties as the communications liaison in athletics has been trumped only by my love of doing it here at the College," he said. "Being able to conceptualize, implement, and realize some of the gains we have made at my alma mater has made being here such an incredibly rewarding experience."

As one of CSI's longest-tenured staffers in Athletics all-time, it is difficult to measure the scope of Pizzuto's impact on the program. 

At the time of his re-arrival in 2006, the department was beginning the process of introducing what is now CSI's Athletics Website (www.csidolphins.com), and within a year, Pizzuto established CSI SportsNet, one of the nation's first audio and video live web streaming services. Social media accounts and a complete transition to digital software and gameday experience followed.  

"Our website is what drives the bus of our communications effort and my office takes a lot of pride in it," he explained. "Over the years it has transitioned from a simple information source to an encyclopedia and historical reference for our program, a television station and news magazine, an internet radio channel, and a network to social channels that invigorate our style and brand. We try to back that up with an incredible student-athlete experience that's encapsulated in our facility design, gameday operations, and special events. To be a part of furthering that has been energizing and rewarding."

In addition to his day-to-day duties, Pizzuto became the first and since-only Chairperson of the CSI Athletics Hall of Fame Committee in 2010, and he has served as principal organizer and master of ceremonies for the four classes that have followed. He is a two-time winner of a Distinguished Service Award given to him by the College's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and an Appreciation of Dedication Award winner given to him by CSI coaches in 2013.  

On top of all of his duties, Pizzuto is also an Adjunct Lecturer at the College, teaching CSI's first-ever Intro to Sports Management course beginning in 2015. He continues to help design curriculum that has now led to a Sports Management minor at the College, as well. 

Despite the many achievements and levels of continued success, Pizzuto credits the relationships he has forged over the years as the greatest result of his hard work within the department.

"I'm grateful that I've been at CSI during a time where we have made some incredible strides, in my office and beyond, but what stands out the most for me are the friendships I've forged," he explained. "Current and former colleagues who I keep in touch with, alumni who reach out and still remember their experiences, the young professionals and students I've had a chance to mentor who are now doing my job and others like mine at other campuses, those are the true rewards of the profession and what keeps us motivated, invested, and coming back."
 

In his new role on campus, Pizzuto will oversee the communications efforts for the College at large. Alongside being an official spokesperson and voice for the institution, Pizzuto will develop copy and content for internal and external outreach, and public and media relations efforts that shine a bigger spotlight on students, faculty, and staff. Pizzuto's charge will be to use a proactive approach to media dissemination and to utilize some of the branding and creative design approaches he's used in Athletics to create a compelling and immersive visual mark for the College.

"Between our world-renowned faculty, exceptional staff, diversity of academic programs and disciplines, and our dynamic student body, we want our institution to be synonymous with excellence at every turn, and that starts with an outreach effort that engages our audience and makes a visual impact," he explained. "We will look to reinforce that identity and will provide a consistent message to make sure CSI gets the attention it deserves locally, regionally, and nationally."  

Pizzuto will start in his new role on July 12.  ​