BJ Merriam

Biography

BJ Merriam serves as Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director & Chief Compliance Officer for Rutgers Athletics. Merriam, who returned to Rutgers in 2023, leads the department's Office of Athletics Compliance, overseeing all aspects of NCAA, Big Ten and institutional compliance while playing a central role in risk management, policy development and revenue-share implementation. In his role, Merriam serves as a key member of the department's leadership team, helping guide strategy related to revenue allocation and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). He works closely with campus partners including the Office of General Counsel, University Ethics & Compliance, Financial Aid, Admissions and the Registrar to ensure alignment across all regulatory and operational areas. Merriam also serves as the sport administrator for baseball and men's soccer, overseeing program operations, student-athlete welfare and competitive success. He manages a compliance staff responsible for directing rules education, monitoring and policy enforcement across all 24 sports. Prior to returning to Rutgers, Merriam served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance & Internal Operations at Rider University, where he acted as Chief Compliance Officer and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. He oversaw compliance for all 19 sports, implemented a new compliance software system, introduced NIL programming and served as sport administrator for nine programs. Merriam's earlier tenure at Rutgers included roles as