Dr. Joe Cascio named new Dean, Kinesiology & Athletics at Rio Hondo College

WHITTIER - Longtime athletics administrator, Dr. Joe Cascio, has been named Rio Hondo College's new Dean of Kinesiology & Athletics. He began in the position on July 8 at the Whittier campus.

"I'm honored to step into this role," said Cascio. "Rio Hondo College has a rich tradition and is in a prime location to be successful."

Cascio brings over 14 years of athletics administration experience at the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) level. He plans to help reposition Rio Hondo as one of the top community college programs in the area.

"My primary goal is to build a culture that promotes and ensures student success, both in sports and in the classroom," Cascio said.

Cascio comes to Rio Hondo after serving the last nine years as Director of Athletics at Porterville College. During his tenure at Porterville, Cascio oversaw the largest sport expansion in the college's history, adding seven new sports to the department (men's & women's cross country, men's and women's track, women's soccer, men's and women's tennis). The number of student-athletes in the department nearly doubled due to this expansion.

Prior to Porterville, Cascio began his career in Southern California, holding the positions of Director of Athletics at Long Beach City College (2013-15) and Athletics Project Manager at Santa Monica College (2010-13). While at Santa Monica, he also served as an adjunct faculty member and was Associate Head Coach of the SMC men's basketball team from 2007-2010. Cascio has over 20 years of coaching experience ranging from high school, AAU, and college.

"I'm really excited to be coming home," said Cascio on his return to Southern California. "I'll have to get used to the traffic again, but other than that, this is a great move for me and my family."

Cascio earned a doctorate of educational leadership from Grand Canyon University in 2023. His research focused on the effects of coach leadership on student-athlete academic success. He also earned a master's degree in physical education administration from California State University, Dominguez Hills in 2008 and received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2007. He was also a student in the California community college system and earned an associate degree in physical education from El Camino College in 2005.

Cascio, his wife Yolanda, and their three children hail from Redondo Beach. His oldest daughter, Jessica is a human resources professional, daughter Marissa is a senior client relations specialist, and son Jackson is an assistant men's basketball coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Cascio's also have two grandchildren – Olivia (8) and Jonathan (2).

(Chris Ruiz, Rio Hondo College Athletics)