LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville senior administrators Justin Ruffin, Lauren Rust and Scott Sallade have all been advanced to the title of Associate Athletic Director at UofL. The appointment was approved by the UofL Athletics Association Board of Directors today.

Ruffin has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services, Rust to Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Sport Administration, and Sallade to Associate Athletic Director for Student Services.

All serve as sport administrators within the department, and they have each worked for the university for at least 14 years.

“We’re very excited to have Justin, Lauren and Scott stepping into elevated roles within our athletic department,” said Josh Heird, Director of Athletics. “Each of them has dedicated many years to this university with the well-being of our student-athletes and the success of our athletic department at the forefront. They’re tremendous assets to their departments and the sports they supervise, and we’re fortunate to have them at the University of Louisville.”

Justin Ruffin

A veteran administrator, Ruffin enters his 19th year working in intercollegiate athletics and serves as the sport administrator for the men’s and women’s tennis program. Ruffin is on the senior staff leadership team, and is a participant and a member of several campus wide committees and organizations including the university's Strategically Organizing Against Racism (S.O.A.R.) Committee, Bias Response Team, Name Image and Likeness Board, and Committee on Academic Performance (CAP).

Within his heightened role, he will lead, develop and manage UofL’s nationally recognized intercollegiate student-athlete support program. He will also serve as the Atlantic Coast Conference representative during academic director’s meetings.

At the conference level, Ruffin also serves on the ACC C.O.R.E. (Champions of Racial Equity) committee by representing the University of Louisville and collaborating with other ACC administrators to drive unity and inclusion across the institutions. He is also the Chair of the ACC Women’s Tennis Committee where he addresses committee issues during the senior woman administrator meetings and assists the Conference liaison with various logistical, operational, and administrative issues that may arise during the Women’s ACC Tennis Tournament.

Prior to the University of Louisville, Ruffin served five years at James Madison University. At JMU, Ruffin was responsible for the academic development, management, and coordination of football, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming, wrestling, and men’s and women’s tennis programs. He assisted with developing and implementing academic strategic plans and procedures for programs designed to cultivate both an environment that supports elite performance and a first-class student-athlete experience that prepared them for life after sport.

Ruffin is a former student-athlete at James Madison University, earning All-Conference recognition as a defensive back for the football team and lettering three years on the baseball team. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Science and Technology and later earned his Master of Science in Athletic Administration from JMU.

Justin and Erika have three sons: Justin Jr, Jayson, and Joshua.

Lauren Rust

Rust is in her 14th year at the University of Louisville and her 11th with Cardinal Athletics.

She is responsible for the day-to-day monitoring and administration of select functional areas within compliance with primary emphasis on initial, transfer, and continuing academic and amateurism eligibility certification, financial aid and rules education. Other duties include working as primary eligibility/financial aid liaison with football, and assisting with the Academic Progress Rate (APR) and Graduation Success Rate (GSR). She also serves as the sport administrator for the Cardinals’ men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs.

Rust has been elevated multiple times through UofL’s compliance department, most recently spending seven years as Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance. She joined the UofL athletics staff in August of 2011 after three years as Associate Director of Advising in the UofL College of Arts and Sciences.

Prior to her arrival at UofL, Rust worked six years at the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center at the University of Tennessee. She was an Academic Athletic Counselor for women’s swimming, rowing and women’s golf (2002-05), and then was promoted to Assistant Director overseeing all academic counselors while serving as the primary academic counselor for men’s basketball and women’s volleyball (2005-08). Rust also worked a year in Membership Services for the NCAA as an intern in 2001-02.

Rust earned a B.A. in Exercise Science at Morehead State University (Ky.) in 1999. She graduated with a M.A. in Sport Administration at Morehead State in 2001 while serving as a graduate assistant in athletics.

A native of Louisville, Rust and her husband Rich have two children: Garrett and Brynlee.

Scott Sallade

Sallade has been involved in the academic successes of UofL student-athletes for over 30 years, from his role as a tutor through his previous service as Assistant Athletic Director.

Working in conjunction with Athletic Compliance and the Registrar’s Office, Sallade coordinates the NCAA academic certification process. He supervises members of the Thorntons Academic Center for Excellence staff, as well as serving as the sport administrator for the cheer and dance programs. Additionally, he has maintained an advising/counseling role for a number of our sports teams during his tenure.

He is active in many on-campus roles serving on numerous committees including the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) and the Advising Center’s Directors Council (ACDC).

He enrolled at the University of Louisville in the fall of 1987 and has remained a part of the university for 35 years. He graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, concentrating in sport administration. He received a master’s in education, concentrating in sport administration, in 1994. Additional work experiences at the University of Louisville include the areas of Intramural and Recreational Sports, Admissions and Orientation and Housing and Residence Life.

He and his wife, Tami, have a son, Casey, and two daughters, Kayla and Naica.