New Jersey City University Athletics

Jeffrey L. Jordan `91, HOF '20 — a member of the 2020 New Jersey City University athletics Hall of Fame induction class — was promoted to the role of Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations and Development prior to the 2022-23 season. He was initially appointed to the newly-created role of Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Operations at NJCU in June of 2019.

In his role, Jordan, known nationally as a passionate social entrepreneur, is responsible for executive leadership and management of NJCU internal units. NJCU Athletics External Operations oversees short- and long-term financial planning, fiscal management and budget oversight of internal units and sport programs, management of department policy, procedures, compliance and risk, coordination of internal communication with Athletics and University departments, implementation of Athletics onboarding, recruitment and retention programs and the primary liaison to University Human Resources.

Jordan also takes point on all external partnerships with various rentals and camps. He is also the director sport administrator for three of NJCU's varsity athletic programs — men's and women's basketball and softball.

Jordan was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Sportika Sports, a multi-faceted 170,000 square foot indoor sports complex in Manalapan, N.J., featuring three sports academies in basketball, baseball and soccer, he was at the helm of the company during the start-up phase and opening of the $17 million state-of-the-art facility in November, 2016. The complex features a sports performance training facility and physical therapy center, an academic mentoring center, and a special events department. Olympians train at the complex and it is the current home training facility for Sky Blue FC of the National Women’s Soccer League. He was responsible for all executive, financial, human resources, and administrative functions, oversaw shareholder relations and prepared monthly financial/statistical reports and business development updates for all stakeholders including managing partners, members, and banks. Furthermore, he was responsible for working with managing partners on business development activities which included over 10 internal start-up/profit centers and units, was the legal liaison with all attorneys for issues concerning corporate, employee, or other business matters and represented the Sportika brand as the official ambassador and public relations lead.

Jordan also is the Mindful Co-Founder of kid-grit, an educational start-up focused on holistic youth development and staff professional development. Kid-grit has a national initiative to further social-emotional learning, mindfulness, and character-education. Holistic youth development, mentoring and kinetic life coaching of students and student athletes has been a core principle and passion in Jordan’s businesses for much of his adult life. Since 2012, he has been a Corporate Wellness Program Creator, Director and Facilitator and a Holistic Health/Nutrition & Life Coach at Nourished Life Design. Among the business he has built include a holistic health, wellness and life-coaching practice in New Jersey. His mission has been dedicated to a mind, body, and spirit approach to personal empowerment and life balance for adults, families and youth of all ages.

In 2005, Jordan founded the GoodWorx Foundation, a non-profit organization that provided mentoring & life-skills programs for children, young adults, and NCAA student-athletes, including those at NJCU and was the catalyst for NJCU’s first-ever retention program. The GoodWorx Foundation partnered with the New Jersey Department of Education and provided service to over 1000 students over the course of seven years. Concurrently, Jordan mentored and provided life-skills curriculum and support for over 750 student-athletes (all sports) on the University level through a partnership with the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills initiative.

Early in his career, Jordan operated JLM Management Consulting. He was a Managing Partner at Nutraweb, a firm that provided brand development for health and cosmetics companies, from 2005 to 2011 and owned and operated a Max Fitness franchise in Howell, N.J. from 2011 to 2014. Through his unique platform, Jordan has become a national speaker inspiring educators and youth program staff to look at a holistic approach to youth development.

Civically, Jordan served on the executive board of the MENtour (2017-18) — a non-profit organization that provides social-emotional workshops and character development programs to middle school boys in Los Angeles. Over that two-year span, Jordan was part of a group of men who mentored over 500 middle school boys at the Lennox Middle School in South Central LA each year.

A long-time contributor to the athletics department and University, Jordan also established the John Mercier Scholarship Award in 2008 which annually assists two full-time, incoming freshmen who exemplify leadership and are involved in community service or extracurricular activities. He was a volunteer assistant coach on NJCU’s 2018-19 NCAA Tournament men’s basketball team.

A 1991 graduate of then-Jersey City State College with a B.S. in Management, he earned a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix.  

Jordan was a four-year standout point guard on some of the best men’s basketball teams in NJCU history from 1987-91 while playing for legendary coach Charlie Brown. He was the 1991-92 winner of the Thomas M. Gerrity Scholar-Athlete of the Year — the most prestigious honor any NJCU student-athlete can receive. He finished his Gothic Knight career with 934 points (8.6 ppg), 293 assists (2.7 apg), and 156 rebounds, playing in 109 games and was a career .462 shooter (603-1305). He graduated as the career all-time leader in two categories — free throw percentage (805; 161-200 and three-point field goals made (125) with a career .352 three-point percentage (125-355). His three-point record stood for 15 years and his free-throw standard until 2015.

Among his career honors, he was a Second Team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference selection as a senior in 1990-91, when he was also tabbed Third-Team Division II/III All-Met by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. He was team captain in 1991. The Gothic Knights had an astounding four-year record of 89-23 (.795) during Jordan’s career. As a freshman in 1987-88, JCSC went 22-7, advanced to the NJAC Tournament semifinals and ECAC Metro New York/New Jersey Tournament. He played in all 29 games. His sophomore and junior years JCSC enjoyed two of its greatest seasons in any sport. In 1988-89, JCSC was 24-4, advanced to the NJAC Tournament semifinals, NCAA Division III Tournament and NCAA Division III Sweet 16. In 26 games, he scored 301 points (11.6), dished a personal best 82 assists (3.2) against only 54 turnovers and he hit 42 threes. 

In 1989-90, JCSC was 25-3 and won the NJAC championship, advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament Second Round. NJCU was ranked as high as No. 3 in Division III and No. 1 in the Atlantic region. The national ranking is the highest on record in program history. In 27 games he scored 192 points (7.1) and delivered 75 assists versus only 30 turnovers, while shooting 85.7 percent from the foul line. In 1990-91, JCSC went 18-9 and qualified for the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Tournament. In 27 games, totaled 313 points (11.6) with 80 assists.

A resident of Bayonne, N.J., Jordan (54) is the proud father of three daughters — Danielle (29), Lauren (26) and Savannah (15) — and has two grandchildren — a granddaughter, Miael (9) and grandson, Avery (5).