SEARCH COMPLETE YSU names Strollo as director of athletics

YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University President Dr. David Sweet announced today that Ron Strollo has been named the 11th executive director of intercollegiate athletics.
After a national search, Sweet said he did not have to look far to find the next leader of the Penguin athletic department and has been impressed by Strollo's dedication to YSU and the community.
"Ron Strollo has dedicated almost a third of his life to the Youngstown State athletic department and we are very privileged to have an individual like him in charge of our athletic program," Sweet said. "He is very involved in the local community and served an important role to former Director of Athletics Jim Tressel and interim Athletic Director Pauline Saternow.
"He was instrumental in helping YSU move into the Horizon League this year and has the respect of the University administration, athletic administration, coaches, student-athletes, Penguin Club members and YSU supporters in the community."
Strollo takes over for Saternow, who was named the interim director in February.
Tressel held the post as Athletic Director from 1994 through January before being named the head football coach at Ohio State.
Local ties: Strollo, who has spent five years in the athletic department's administration, has strong ties to the local community and to the athletic department. He grew up in Austintown and attended Fitch High School. He played football at YSU from 1988 through 1991 for Tressel and was a captain on the Penguins' first national championship team in 1991.
Strollo has been a member of the YSU athletic department since 1996 when he was named business manager. In March 2000, he was promoted to Associate Executive Director of Athletics. Strollo helped spearhead YSU's move into the Horizon League and was responsible for the accounting, budgeting, purchasing and business operations of the department. He also oversaw the operations of the men's and women's basketball programs.
Strollo said he is honored to be chosen for the position.
"The people in the athletic department at YSU are very special to me and I am excited to have the chance to become the school's athletic director," Strollo said. "I look forward to continuing the relationships I have established within the community and around the country to help our program grow as we enter the Horizon League and begin our first football season under Jon Heacock."
Before joining the athletic department, Strollo spent three years as an accountant for Hill, Barth & amp; King, Inc., in Youngstown. He also worked at University Hospitals in Cleveland as an assistant financial analyst. He has also worked in the Fiscal Service Department at Western Reserve Care System and in the accounting firm Anness, Gerlach & amp; Williams, both in Youngstown.
His playing days: Strollo was a tight end and co-captain on the 1991 national championship team. A four-year letterman, he was selected as the offensive player of the year in 1991 and was The Vindicator's 1992 Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Youngstown State in 1993.
Strollo was a volunteer in the Stambaugh Stadium expansion project in 1997. He served on the Youngstown-Warren LPGA Classic Finance Committee in 1995 and 1996. He has also worked as a volunteer for the United Way & amp; American Cancer Society.
Strollo and his wife, Nicole, reside in Austintown and have a 6-year-old son, Ryan, and 3-year-old daughter, Rachel. His father, Pat, works with the YSU football team as a videographer.