In this episode of the Director Download, host Grady Sheffield, the director of Campus Recreation at Towson University and senior advisor to Campus Rec Magazine, sits down with Jeff Keenan, the director of Rec Sports at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-La Crosse).
Keenan’s journey in campus recreation is one of adaptability, growth and a willingness to embrace new challenges. From his start as a student employee in outdoor recreation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout to leadership roles at the University of California, Riverside, the University of Maryland and Towson University, his career has taken him across the country and into various areas of recreation. Each experience — whether managing outdoor excursions, overseeing sport clubs or supervising professional staff — helped shape his leadership style and prepared him for his current role as a director.
Keenan shares how his passion for student development, leadership and collaboration has influenced his approach to campus rec. While outdoor recreation was his entry point, he quickly realized recreation is about much more than just programming — it’s about mentorship, building community and providing meaningful experiences for students.
In the conversation, Jeff Keenan discusses:
- The experiences that sparked his passion for campus recreation.
- How transitioning from outdoor recreation to sport clubs broadened his skill set.
- The importance of professional staff supervision and how it prepared him for a director role.
- The challenges of leading a small but highly collaborative team at UW-La Crosse.
- How he unexpectedly became the lead for his department’s esports program and what he’s learned from the experience.
- His approach to leadership, including the importance of trust, delegation and adaptability.
Keenan also reflects on the biggest surprises of stepping into a director role, including the realization that directors don’t always have as much control as it seems from the outside. He emphasizes the need for trust — both in his team and in the students who help drive programming. One of his key takeaways is the importance of leaning on students’ expertise, particularly in recently trending areas like esports.
Another major challenge he discusses is managing a small but high-performing team. With only eight professional staff members supporting over 200 student employees, Keenan highlights the necessity of collaboration, efficiency and finding ways to improve existing programs rather than adding new ones that could overwhelm staff.
Enjoy the episode!
