July 28, 2025
Lake-Sumter State College Names Jay Miller as Executive Director of Athletics
By Kyle Coppola
Lake-Sumter State College Names Jay Miller as Executive Director of Athletics
Lake-Sumter State College announced the appointment of Jay Miller as the new Executive Director of Athletics, following a successful term as Interim Director since August 2024. Jay, who will continue his role as Head Softball Coach, has been a driving force behind the transformation of Lakehawk Athletics.
“Jay has proven to be an exceptional leader who brings energy, vision, and heart to everything he does,” Dr. Laura Byrd, Interim President of LSSC, says. “His commitment to student-athlete success and his ability to lead with both strategy and compassion make him the ideal person to guide Lakehawk Athletics into the future.”
Coach Miller, who joined LSSC in 2015, has become the winningest coach in the history of the College’s softball program, with more than 250 career wins and 39 of 45 all-time program records shattered under his leadership.
“I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason, and this is one of those moments,” Coach Miller says. “This is an amazing opportunity to go from impacting the softball program to all twelve sports.”
His leadership over the past year has elevated the Athletics Department to new heights. Ten of LSSC’s 11 teams advanced to postseason play, Beach Volleyball earned a 4th-place finish at the national tournament, and over 100 student-athletes achieved GPAs of 3.0 or higher.
“Jay’s impact on our student-athletes and the overall athletics experience at LSSC has been remarkable,” says Dr. Joseph Mews, Vice President of Enrollment & Student Affairs. “He leads with integrity, a student-first mindset, and the competitive spirit that defines what it means to be a Lakehawk.”
As the department grows to 12 teams this fall with the addition of Women’s Golf, Miller is focused on fostering both athletic and personal excellence.
“Lakehawk Athletics is committed to doing things the right way and that means developing student-athletes into great people,” Coach Miller says. “Winning is a result of that purpose. I’m excited to build on the strong foundation and help every Lakehawk program reach its potential.”
For more information about Lakehawk Athletics, visit www.lakehawksports.com.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
