John Cochrane began his duties as Wartburg College Athletic Director in January 2022.
Cochrane brings with him the expertise gained from a long career in college athletics that dates to his work as a compliance assistant in the University of Iowa Athletic Department in 1989. After a short time at Iowa, he moved to the University of Detroit Mercy, where he served in several roles before joining the NCAA National Office as an enforcement representative.
Cochrane left the NCAA National Office in 2001, serving his final two years are assistant director of championships to become the commissioner of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, now known as the American Rivers Conference. From 2008-2016, Cochrane served as the director of athletics at Cornell College (IA). Cochrane served as an administrator and management position with Elite Stone Fabrication since 2016.
While serving as commissioner of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Cochrane served on two committees with the NCAA. Cochrane was chair of the NCAA Division III Championships Committee and Chair of the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight panel for all divisions.
A member of NACDA, Cochrane holds a B.S. in Education from Iowa State and a J.D. from Iowa.
Cochrane and his wife Kathleen have three children: Karly (a 2014 Wartburg graduate), Emma and Jack.
