Jim Merritt - Associate Athletics Director for Basketball Development - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Jim Merritt

Title:
Associate Athletics Director for Basketball Development

Merritt, a 1988 graduate of the University of Richmond and a former Spider baseball player, returned to Richmond in August 2025 as the school's first Associate Athletics Director for Basketball Development. In his role, Merritt is charged with helping the Spider men's and women's basketball programs develop the resources required to continue to compete at a championship level in the Atlantic 10.

Merritt began his professional career as Richmond Athletics' Coordinator for Athletic Marketing immediately following his graduation from UR in 1988. Over the next 30 years, he held various leadership positions across both Spider Athletics and the University. He served as the Director of the Spider Club from 1991 to 1994 before becoming Richmond's Director of Athletic Marketing & Alumni Programs. In 1998, he ascended to the role of Assistant AD for Marketing, a position he held until 2003.

From 2004 to 2009, he managed Richmond Athletics' corporate partnerships as the Assistant AD for Corporate Marketing before moving into University advancement, first as a Regional Development Officer (2009-15) and then as a Major Gifts Officer (2015-22). For the last three years, he's served as the Vice Chancellor for Principal Gifts at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.

Merritt was also an advancement staff representative on the Robins School of Business' Executive Advisory Council for 13 years (2009-22) and has been a member of the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame Committee since 2015. In July 2025, Merritt was named to the Board of Trustees for the College Baseball Foundation, which manages the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Overland Park, Kans.