Mary Baldwin University announced this week that Jonas Worth — with more than 13 years of experience in higher education, collegiate administration, and work in professional sports — will become MBU’s next director of athletics, bringing with him an emphasis on promoting inclusivity on and off the field.
Worth, who most recently served as associate director of athletics and NCAA compliance coordinator at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, will oversee administration and personal growth of the athletics staff, strategic planning to expand athletics, scholar-athlete recruiting and retention, and revenue development and fundraising.
“It is a great privilege to join Mary Baldwin during this time of progress,” Worth said. “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with this amazing team of student athletes, coaches, faculty, staff, and administrators as we grow Mary Baldwin University athletics.”
An advocate for inclusivity throughout his career, Worth has worked with various governing bodies to promote more inclusive behavior in coaching and athletics. In 2017, he helped launch the United Soccer Coaches’ “Play with Pride” event, resulting in the participation of more than 4,000 student athletes. His year-round work with the LGBT Coaches and Allies Member Group of the United Soccer Coaches organization has helped launched an online platform for coaches of all levels to get a better understanding of inclusive language and behavior and has pushed for this education to be part of national coaching certifications.
Worth also founded a chapter of Athlete Ally, a national organization that uses professional and collegiate ambassadors to lobby for equity among all athletes, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. He also taught diversity and inclusion modules at Pratt and has a well-established commitment to promoting diversity in access to higher education and leadership roles in athletics. Worth is also a certified Title IX investigator/advocate.
As a coach, Worth led men’s and women’s soccer teams at Pratt. He also coached at Iona, at several Canadian universities, and two USL W-League franchises, formerly the longest standing women’s professional league in North America.
“Coach Worth joins us at a significant time, as we collaboratively work to grow our athletics program in alignment with the mission and character of Mary Baldwin University,” said MBU Provost Ty Buckman. “We are privileged to have his insight and expertise at MBU.”
Born in Canada to American parents and raised in New York, Worth chose McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, for his undergraduate education in cultural studies and Hispanic languages. While in Montreal, he spent the summers immersing in the French language and took advantage of international exchange programs in Brazil and Italy.
After graduation, he worked in several industries, from ESL instruction to journalism, before opting for graduate research at the University of British Columbia. While working as an assistant women’s soccer coach with the national title contenders, his study in sports psychology culminated in the analysis of how to motivate female coaches to pursue careers in the NCAA and other professional leagues, a subject that Worth said he remains passionate about to this day.
Worth is married to Kim Mortreuil, a career professional in student affairs and residential life. Their son, Hugo, was born in April.
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