Dear USD Community,

I’m excited to announce that Kimya Massey has accepted my offer to become the University of San Diego’s new Associate Vice President and Executive Director of Athletics. Kimya comes to USD from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon where he currently serves as Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Operating Officer, a position he’s held since December of 2021.

At a time when the collegiate athletics environment couldn't be more complex, I’m excited to have Kimya at the helm of Torero Athletics. After an exhaustive national search, it's clear that Kimya is uniquely qualified to support the next generation of student-athletes at USD. His vast experience and character perfectly align with our vision of a program focused on developing student-athletes who graduate from USD prepared to lead and serve society as changemakers who will confront humanity’s urgent challenges.

Over nine years at Oregon State, Kimya’s tenure has been marked by transformative work in student-athlete development. Under his leadership, the program earned national recognition for excellence, encompassing sub-programs dedicated to student-athlete development, intern placement, graduate admissions, sustainability initiatives, mental health support, professional sport development, and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives.

Prior to his arrival at Oregon State, he served as the University of Central Florida’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services for Student-Athletes from 2011-15. From 2009-11, he served as the Assistant Director at the Center for Athletic Academic Services at the University of Memphis. He also dedicated three years to Indiana University, holding the position of Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services.

Kimya earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Michigan State University, where he also distinguished himself as a four-year letterman pitcher for the Spartans.

I want to thank the search committee, led by Vice President for Student Affairs Charlotte Johnson and Vice President for Mission Integration Michael Lovette-Colyer. I am also grateful to Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Ky Snyder for leading Torero Athletics in the interim.

Please join me in welcoming Kimya and his wife Rose to USD. We will formally introduce Kimya at a welcome event to be held Friday, March 1st, at 12:30 p.m. (PST) in the Jenny Craig Pavilion and the USD community is invited to attend.

Peace,

James T. Harris III, DEd
President