Brian Burns

Bio

Brian Burns, a native of Ellenville, was appointed as SUNY Orange's new Director of Athletics on August 18, 2025. 

Most recently, Burns was an assistant athletic director at Onondaga Community College. He joined the Onondaga staff in September 2023, coordinating scheduling of practices, games and other events for the Lazers’ 16 competitive National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III teams, as well as cheer and esports. In addition, he was the game-day administrator for all Onondaga athletic events and assisted with fundraising initiatives.

“We are excited to welcome Brian to the Colt family. As a young athlete, he spent time at SUNY Orange in our summer camps and leagues, and now he’s returning to lead our athletic department,” said Dr. Kristine Young, SUNY Orange president.

Burns is no stranger to the Hudson Valley, or NJCAA Region XV. From October 2021 through September 2023, he held several roles at Mount Saint Mary College, including the dual positions of transfer admissions counselor and athletics liaison (2021-22) before transitioning to associate athletic director (2022-23). Those opportunities gave him experience in the areas of institutional admissions and recruitment, academic advising, athletic compliance, athlete eligibility and event management.

Prior to his time with the Knights, Brian served as coordinator of athletic operations and intramurals at Sullivan Community College from January 2019 through October 2021, where he worked with current Region XV athletic directors Brent Wilson (Hostos Community College), Simon Clement (Sullivan Community College) and Ryan Snair (Ulster County Community College).

Burns earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY Plattsburgh, where he was a standout pitcher for the Cardinals. He appeared in 49 games, which still ranks second on Plattsburgh’s career list. His 86 career strikeouts ranked ninth on the program’s all-time chart when he graduated. He finished with a career record of 10-5 and a 3.73 earned run average. As a senior in 2013, he posted a 6-3 record and a 2.02 ERA with two shutouts, earning the team’s most outstanding pitcher award, as well as second-team All-SUNYAC and third-team all-region honors. He remained at Plattsburgh until 2018 as an assistant baseball coach, first in a graduate assistant capacity and then as a full-time assistant from 2015 to 2018.