Athletic director Knowlton moving from Rensselaer to Air Force

Rensselaer athletic director Jim Knowlton (right) is taking the same position at Air Force (photo: Melissa Wade).

Rensselaer athletic director Jim Knowlton has resigned to take the same position at Air Force, Rensselaer announced Tuesday.

The move to Air Force is effective March 1, and Rensselaer said it will appoint an interim director while a search takes place.

Knowlton also is chair of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey committee. It’s unclear how the change in schools will impact that appointment.

The six-member committee includes one person from each Division I men’s hockey conference, and with Knowlton moving from ECAC Hockey to Atlantic Hockey, the ECAC would be left without a representative.

Knowlton, a former Army hockey player, took over at RPI in March 2008 after serving in athletics positions at West Point.

During his tenure at Rensselaer, he was credited with helping the school increase revenue and enhance fundraising, leading to the renovation of Houston Field House.

“This is an excellent example of a leader who has grown, through his Rensselaer experience, to take on an important role at another noteworthy institution of higher education,” Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson said in a statement.

Knowlton also serves on the board of College Hockey Inc.