[Editor's note: As of Jan. 17, Skura is no longer the head men's volleyball coach or employee at Penn State Altoona.]
ALTOONA, Pa. — Penn State Altoona Athletics announced on Jan. 11 the hiring of Joe Skura to be the next head coach of its varsity men’s volleyball program.
Skura becomes the second head coach in the history of the program, succeeding former coach Phil Peterman, who stepped down from the position after serving as the team’s coach for the first 10 years of its existence as an NCAA Division III varsity program at Penn State Altoona.
“I would like to welcome Coach Skura to our program as we look forward to the upcoming season. I eagerly anticipate the continued development of our men’s volleyball program,” said Penn State Altoona Director of Athletics Brent Baird. “I would also like to thank Coach Phil Peterman for his service to the volleyball program at Penn State Altoona. He transitioned the men’s program from the club level to a full varsity program and earned a conference championship. I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Skura brings coaching experience from the high school levels, including stints as the varsity and junior varsity head coach of girls’ volleyball in the Penn Cambria School District and at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School. He was also most recently the Director of Athletics, Communications, and Transportation for the Ligonier Valley School District.
“I am extremely excited and proud to accept the position and begin working with the men at Penn State Altoona. I am looking forward to serving the University, specifically the volleyball athletes, continuing to build on the competitive and respectable program Coach Phil Peterman and past athletes have worked hard to develop,” said Skura. “This team has talented, hard-working men, and I plan to be the best mentor and leader possible for them.”
Skura’s volleyball coaching experience began at Penn Cambria, where he was the girls’ junior high volleyball head coach for three years, beginning in January 2005. He also served as the girls’ varsity and junior varsity assistant coach at Penn Cambria from June 2006 to January 2008. After that, Skura became the head coach of the girls’ varsity, junior varsity, and junior high volleyball programs at Bishop Carroll, positions he held from January 2008 through September 2016. During stretches of his time at Bishop Carroll, he also served as the school’s assistant athletic director and athletic director.
From July 2017 to February 2018, Skura was the athletic director for the Juniata County School District. He returned to the coaching realm from August 2019 through November 2021, when he was the girls’ volleyball coach at Warm Springs Middle School in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. After that, Skura was the director of athletics, communications and transportation at Ligonier Valley for one year, beginning in November 2021.
Skura graduated from Penn Cambria High School before attending Mount Aloysius College, where he earned a bachelor of science in early childhood/elementary education. He has held teaching and advising positions at several schools throughout his career.
Additionally, Skura is the owner of Skura Solutions LLC, a marketing and public relations firm. He has also performed other roles in the communications, public relations, and journalism fields throughout his career, including managing public relations duties for several schools during his coaching and teaching stops, as well as holding positions at the Tribune-Democrat, Latrobe Bulletin, and Mountaineer-Herald newspapers.
Skura is also a PIAA and USVA volleyball official and has officiated locally and throughout several local counties since 2014.
Penn State Altoona men’s volleyball, recently voted into fourth place in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference’s 2023 preseason coaches’ poll, opens its season on the road Friday, Jan. 20, when the team will face non-conference opponent Southern Virginia University.
“We’ve got work to do to prepare for a strong team at Southern Virginia on Jan. 20,” said Skura. “I’m ready to begin!”