Justin Burtis rejoined the Vanguard Athletic Department in 2021, after going off to Iowa to pursue his Master’s degree. He serves as the Sports Information and Event Management Coordinator, where he is involved with: statistics, media relations, game operations, website management, and broadcast operations, providing coverage to the department's 18 programs.? He also split on-air time on VU broadcasts with Mike Teague and other aspiring student-broadcasters for all home games.
Burtis returns to Vanguard after serving as a graduate assistant at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. At WPU, Burtis was involved in all facets of athletic communications and completed his Master's Degree in Sports Management. Highlights of his time at William Penn include the creation of the Coffee with the Statesmen Podcast, broadcasting numerous Statesmen home games, content to introduce the new lacrosse programs to fans and students alike, planning and broadcasting the opening round of the 2019 NAIA men’s soccer national tournament, and serving as the public address announcer for the 2021 Heart of America Athletic Conference men’s wrestling tournament. Outside of William Penn, Burtis could be heard on KBOE/KMZN, a southern Iowa radio station, broadcasting sports for both Sigourney and Oskaloosa high schools.
Burtis first worked with the Lions between 2017 and 2019, serving as the play-by-play announcer for home events. In addition to those matches, Burtis was the main voice behind two GSAC baseball tournaments, one GSAC women's soccer tournament, home NAIA opening round events for VU, and was one of two voices behind the 2018 NAIA men's soccer final site tournament.
Burtis collected his Bachelor's degree at Vanguard in 2015, graduating Summa Cum Laude, with a degree in history and political science and a minor in music. He was a member of the orchestra for all four years, leading the group as the student-elected president his final two years.
Burtis graduated from Brethren Christian High School and lives in Huntington Beach.
