James Danko


James M. Danko is an American entrepreneur, college administrator, and the 21st president of Butler University.

Early life and career

Danko grew up in Parma, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He started his first business, a medical and fitness equipment company, when he was 19, simultaneously earning a bachelor's degree in religious studies at John Carroll University. He ran the company for 17 years. It became the largest fitness equipment company in Ohio at the time. Danko sold his company in 1990 and attended the University of Michigan to earn an MBA. He went on to serve in business-school leadership roles at institutions including the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dartmouth College, and Villanova University. He was appointed dean of the Villanova School of Business in 2005. During his tenure there, VSB moved from an unranked, regional college to a nationally ranked American business school.

Butler University presidency

Danko is the current president of Butler University, a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana, inaugurated in November 2011. During his term, the university has reported a significant increase in the number of applicants and financial support, and has received several high regional and national rankings. In interviews, Danko has talked of plans to expand the university's reputation and student population, and in 2013, he moved to put Butler in the Big East Conference, a decision that brought a lot of attention to the small Midwest school as their men's basketball team gained national media coverage. Danko also became Vice-Chair of the Big East Board of Directors, and currently represents them on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum. Danko and his wife Bethanie currently reside on Butler University campus.