NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University Athletics has announced the hiring of Joe Rafanelli as its new Senior Associate AD for Revenue Generation & External Operations.
"We are excited about the addition of Joe to our external staff. He brings a wealth of knowledge in the data analytics and ticketing space and we can't wait to see the improvements we can implement for our fans and community when attending an ODU athletics ticketed event," Executive Senior Associate AD and SWA Carolyn Crutchfield said.
In his new role, Rafanelli will oversee the Athletic Department's revenue and profit growth, revenue operations, fan experience, ticket sales and marketing strategy.
"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the team at ODU and want to thank Dr. Wood Selig and Carolyn for believing in me," said Rafanelli. "I'm excited to hit the ground running and pack S.B. Ballard Stadium this fall!"
Rafanelli joins the Monarchs after spending over five and a half years as the Assistant AD for Ticketing & Data Analytics at Rutgers. In that role, he was responsible for the overall organization of Rutgers' athletic ticket office and ticket sales partnership activities, as well as managing customer relationships and the data warehouse systems and processes. During his time in Piscataway, New Jersey, the Scarlet Knights set multiple season ticket records for both football and men's basketball, to include ranking fourth nationally in 2022 for five-year average football attendance increase and two consecutive seasons of selling out men's basketball.
Prior to joining the staff at Rutgers, Rafanelli spent four years working for IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions from December 2013 to May 2015. He started off as an Account Executive and later a Senior Account Executive with Temple University, then became an Associate General Manager and then the General Manager for Rutgers. An Event Coordinator at Arcadia University from September 2007 to May 2010, he was then a Treasury & Risk Management Intern at GTECH in Providence, Rhode Island for two years and also spent a season as a Marketing Intern for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, a baseball team in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB).
Originally from Exeter, Rhode Island, he earned his Bachelor's of Business Administration degree from Arcadia in 2010 and earned his MBA from Seton Hall University in 2013. Rafanelli and his wife Jackie reside in Norfolk, Virginia.
Joe Rafanelli Joins Athletics Staff as Senior Associate AD for Revenue Generation & External Operations
