Hokie Club
Virginia Tech Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White announced on August 5, 2026 the hiring of PJ Mullen as the Hokies' Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Marketing Officer.
A nationally recognized leader in collegiate athletics marketing, fan engagement and brand strategy, Mullen joins Virginia Tech after serving as Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director for Marketing, Fan Experience and Brand Strategy at Rutgers. In his new role, Mullen will provide executive leadership for Virginia Tech Athletics, overseeing marketing and fan experience, athletic communications, creative services, ACC Network operations, broadcast operations and the department's in-venue experience.
Mullen will also serve as a key member of Virginia Tech Athletics' executive leadership team, helping advance the department's strategic priorities while enhancing the Hokie brand, growing fan engagement and identifying innovative opportunities to generate revenue in an evolving collegiate athletics landscape.
Mullen brings more than a decade of collegiate and professional experience spanning athletics administration, marketing, media and live event production. Since arriving at Rutgers in 2021, he has led the department's marketing, brand advancement, creative services, fan experience, spirit and band programs while serving on the Scarlet Knights' Executive Leadership Team.
Under Mullen's leadership, Rutgers transformed its external strategy through integrated marketing, brand development and commercial growth initiatives. He spearheaded the creation of The Rutgers Boardwalk, now the centerpiece of the university's football gameday experience, expanding fan engagement, premium hospitality opportunities and corporate partnerships. He also helped elevate Rutgers' annual Blackout Game into one of the nation's premier college athletics promotional events, earning widespread recognition for its creativity, production quality and fan engagement.
As chair of Rutgers Athletics' Revenue Generation Task Force, Mullen collaborated across the department to identify and implement new revenue opportunities while also leading the Scarlet Knights' NIL branding strategy, maximizing student-athlete visibility and commercial opportunities through integrated storytelling and marketing efforts.
In addition to his collegiate athletics responsibilities, Mullen has contributed to some of the nation's premier professional sports organizations. He serves on the live event production teams for the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Phillies, including the Eagles' Super Bowl LIX championship season, and recently worked with Major League Baseball's live events team during the 2026 MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby in Philadelphia.
Before Rutgers, Mullen spent nearly five years at Penn State as Director of Marketing, overseeing marketing, fan engagement and game presentation initiatives for football and men's basketball, including one of college football's premier gameday environments at Beaver Stadium.
Earlier in his Penn State tenure, Mullen served as Director of Player Development and Community Relations under current Virginia Tech head football coach James Franklin, helping support the Nittany Lions during their 2016 Big Ten Championship season.
Before transitioning into athletics administration, Mullen spent more than a decade in news, sports and entertainment media, producing nationally syndicated programming and leading content and programming operations. He also served as an adjunct professor in Penn State's College of Communications.
A native of Media, Pennsylvania, Mullen earned his bachelor's degree in communications from Penn State in 2007. He and his wife, Alex, have two children.