Bio

Jim Gastner was named athletic director at Penn State Brandywine in December of 2006 following a stint as the Lions' head men's soccer coach.

During his 10 years leading the Brandywine athletic department, Gastner has aided in the campus' transition to the United State Collegiate Athletic Association in 2008, while adding nine varsity sports to Brandywine's athletic offering, including men's and women's track and field, which will debut during the 2017-18 academic year.

The athletic department staff has also expanded under Gastner as he added a full-time assistant athletic director, recruiting coordinator and sports information director. Entering the 2016-17 academic year, Brandywine expects to have over 160 student-athletes competing in varsity sports, over double the number of student-athletes at Brandywine when Gastner began his tenure as athletic director in 2006.

Brandywine is consistently one of the top programs in the Penn State University Athletic Conference, having finished in the top two in the PSUAC Chancellor's Cup standings each of the last five years. The athletic department was the winner of the Chancellor's Cup for the first time in its history during the 2014-15 academic year.

During the past 11 years, Brandywine has won conference titles in women's basketball (2), softball (2), volleyball (1), women's cross country (1) and men's soccer (2). The 2016 softball team then placed fourth at the USCAA World Series, the top showing ever by a Brandywine team.

In addition to his regular duties as athletic director, Jim serves as the chair of the PSUAC Competition & Ethics Committee, along with numerous committees on campus at Brandywine.

A graduate of Wake Forest University with a bachelor's degree in economics, Gastner earned his MBA from Penn State.  Prior to transferring to Wake Forest as an undergraduate, Gastner competed for the men's soccer team at Lafayette College. 

Gastner grew up in Springfield, Delaware County and has lived with his family in Middletown Township for the past 27 years. HE currently resides in Media with his wife, Peggy.