Justin Burtis rejoined the Vanguard Athletic Department in 2021 after going to Iowa to complete his Master’s degree in Sports Management. He serves as the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, where he is involved with statistics, media relations, game operations, website management, and broadcast operations. He oversees coverage across all platforms for the department's 19 programs. With a love of broadcasting, he has spent plenty of hours on-air for VU over the years, having been nicknamed the "Voice of the Lions" during his first tenure on campus. He has a passion for history and storytelling and assisted the departments transition to the NCAA Division II.
During the 2019-2021 school years, Burtis was as a graduate assistant for athletic communications at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa. At WPU, Burtis was involved in all facets of the communications office. Highlights include the creation of the Coffee with the Statesmen Podcast, improvement in video content, broadcasting numerous Statesmen home games, content to introduce the new lacrosse programs and men's volleyball 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 for the Lions between 2017 and 2019, serving as the play-by-play announcer for home events. This was initially baseball in the spring of 2017, and grew to cover all sports that hosted games on campus by the end of the 2019 spring. In addition to what was on campus, Burtis was the main voice for two GSAC baseball tournaments, one GSAC women's soccer tournament, home NAIA opening round events for Vanguard, and was one of two voices behind the 2018 NAIA Men's Soccer National Tournament final site.
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. He graduated from Brethren Christian High School in 2011, and he married his wife, Lauren, in 2025, and they live in Lake Forest.
