The University of Hawai’i Board of Regents will meet on Monday, June 16, to vote on the approval of Matt Elliott as the next athletics director for the Rainbow Warriors.
Elliott, most recently with the Hawai’i Community Foundation, spent 13 years in athletic administration at UCLA, including as chief strategy officer. He played a key role in leading the Bruins into the Big Ten Conference.
According to former UCLA athletics director Dan Guerrero, Elliott is well prepared to thrive in his new role at UH.
“Well, it became very obvious the first time I met Matt that he had something special,” Guerrero said. “Over the course of 10 years that he was with me, he proved that he was one of the finest administrators that I’ve had the ability to work with.”
Guerrero, who was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) 2021 Hall of Fame class, noted that Elliott’s path into athletics administration was unconventional.
“When I first met him, he was a very successful attorney working for Ropes & Gray out of Boston in their sports practice,” Guerrero said. “He was working with agents, writing contracts, doing compliance and infractions issues, all those kinds of things. But he wanted to work on a campus, to be involved with student-athletes. For him to leave a prestigious law firm and a great salary to essentially walk into an entry-level compliance role at a major university took a huge leap of faith. We sort of bet on each other, and it all turned out exactly as I thought it would. He’ll be special for Hawai’i.”
Guerrero believes Elliott’s nontraditional background is a particular strength in today’s rapidly evolving college athletics landscape.
“For him to bring experiences from outside the traditional world of college athletics adds value,” Guerrero said. “In the 10 years he was at UCLA, he was among the very best. He knows how to win. He’s been around it, working with national championship coaches and student-athletes. But he also knows the other parts of the business, the parts that can make or break you.
“I put him in charge of all our risk management. It was a natural fit with his background, and the policies and protocols he implemented saved us many times. He brings that perspective while also managing budgets, working with coaches and student-athletes, and building relationships both internally and externally.”
Looking ahead to Elliott’s transition to Hawai’i, Guerrero acknowledged the unique challenges of running a Division I program in the islands.
“Obviously, the geographic situation creates an innate challenge for any athletics program there,” Guerrero said. “It takes a village, no one does this in a vacuum. You have to build authentic relationships to get the support you need. That requires hard work, really busting your tail to make inroads with the right people.
“One of Matt’s strengths is in governmental relations. At UCLA, he was my point person on that. He often testified to the state legislature on my behalf. He understands that politics play a big part in being successful on any campus, but especially in Hawai’i, where everyone is invested in the welfare of the university and the athletics department. Matt can navigate those waters successfully.”
Elliott was selected by UH president Wendy Hensel to be the next athletics director. If approved by the Board of Regents on Monday, he will officially take over the role.
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