John Suarez’ vision of making Long Island University athletics grow in many facets has produced noticeable results. As he opens his tenth year as the school’s athletics director so, too, do the doors of the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.

With his initiative of placing the student-athletes’ needs first, Suarez has made noticeable upgrades in helping mold a department where success is abound at a university where opportunities are endless. That includes the new state-of-the-art $40 million dollar facility which houses a 2,000 seat arena, a 25-yard regulation pool and fitness center which will only enhance the training of the student-athletes. The facility also features a wellness center geared towards a growing Brooklyn community.

The Wellness Center comes on the heels of such installations to LIU Field as lights in 1999, Field Turf in 2001, and softball and baseball bleachers in 2003. He also has overseen upgrades of the weight room, locker rooms and scoreboards for all athletic venues.

Suarez has witnessed a sensational rise in the Blackbirds’ on-field success with 22 Northeast Conference crowns under his watch, including an astounding four this past season. LIU won its first-ever NEC Women’s Commissioner’s Cup this past calendar year, capturing NEC titles in the following women’s sports: indoor track, outdoor track, softball and volleyball. Seven of the 10 women’s programs finished in either first or second place

Suarez also has made linking the Blackbirds’ past success to the present a reality. He helped spearhead the creation of the LIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 with 11 inaugural members and the re-establishment of the Blackbird Club in 2002.

Academic success also has been a priority in Suarez’ tenure, witnessed by the department’s cumulative 3.09 grade-point average following the 2005-06 season. The cumulative average continues to rise every single year as teams strive for excellence on both levels. Nine teams have placed among the nation’s top 25 academically over the last eight years, including four in the top 10. In 2001 and 2002, LIU was cited by USA Today for having the highest student-athlete graduation rate above the average of the student body.

Suarez also has continued to make his presence felt outside the downtown Brooklyn campus. He served on the NCAA Management Council and Budget Committee from 2003-2006. Suarez is currently a member of the Division I-AAA Executive Committee.Prior to that, he was on the NCAA Championship Cabinet from 2000-03 and served as chair of the NEC Athletic Directors Committee from 2000-02.

Suarez arrived following a three-year stint as athletics director at Mercer County College in Trenton, N.J, which won two national championships and produced 11 regional titles in that span. Eighty percent of the athletes in his time attended four-year schools and every team produced a winning record his last two years.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he competed on the baseball team, and completed his M.ED in Sports Management at East Stroudsburg University.