The University of Hawaii is
trusting its athletics future to a “unicorn.”
Matt Elliott, who was an innovative administrator for 13 years with UCLA and the past 18 months with the Hawaii Community Foundation, one of the state’s leading nonprofit organizations, is set to be named UH’s athletic director.
On Thursday morning, UH President Wendy Hensel announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that “after a national search, I’m recommending Matt Elliott as the next
@HawaiiAthletics AD. With (13) years at UCLA, he’s well qualified to lead our D1 program.”
Micah Kane, president and CEO of the Hawaii Community Foundation, said: “I’m really excited about the future of Hawaii athletics with Matt’s leadership coming forward. You’re getting a first-class leader, someone who I think will qualify as a unicorn.”
Kane added: “I’ve never worked with someone who was the full package like Matt. The guy is smart, humble, action-oriented, and a problem solver. I haven’t seen anybody come into a place like ours — it’s a pretty complicated place — and just figure it out pretty quickly and be effective. It’s not just having the skills, it’s having the IQ and EQ.”
Hensel’s choice still needs final approval from UH’s Board of Regents. The recommendation will be added to the agenda of the board’s special June 16 meeting.
If approved, Elliott will succeed Craig Angelos, who was fired
Dec. 1, 2024, after 18 months as UH’s sports leader. Lois Manin, UH’s associate athletic
director for internal operations and senior woman administrator, has been serving as acting athletic
director.
Jack Tsui, co-chair of the search committee, indicated Elliott will receive a multiyear contract, although terms have not been finalized. Angelos had an at-will agreement — no formal contract — and answered directly to then-UH president David Lassner, who retired last Dec. 31. Angelos’ annual salary was $348,000. He received $87,000 in severance compensation.
“It was our recommendation there be a contract (for the new AD), and that has been honored,” Tsui said. “Frankly, I don’t see how anybody can take a job like this without a contract, as a business person.”
Tsui said there were about 110 applicants, and “roughly half had ties to
Hawaii.” Parker Executive Search and the search committee vetted the candidates, then narrowed the field to 10. The three finalists were: Elliott; George Killebrew, a Punahou School graduate who is the chief revenue officer of the United Pickleball Association and former executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the Dallas Mavericks; and UC Riverside Athletic
Director Wesley Mallette.
The finalists met with community and business leaders, including Gov. Josh Green and Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, “after we made our decision,” Tsui said. “I can’t comment on those interviews and conversations … our choices were honored.”
Last week, Elliott had dinner with Hensel, Tsui and Board of Regents Chair Gabe Lee, a co-chair of the search committee. Elliott also had a Zoom meeting with head football coach Timmy Chang. Tsui described Elliott as a “bright, articulate, honest individual who we think will uphold our standards and really lead us to, hopefully, the promised land.”
Last weekend, Elliott emerged as the choice.
“This was the most engaged, thoughtful and well-rounded search committee I’ve ever worked with at the university,” Tsui said. “We had excellent support from Parker Executive Search and deeply appreciated President Hensel’s active involvement throughout. We prioritized Division I experience, fundraising ability and local ties, and I’m confident we’ve selected a leader who truly understands UH, the values it represents, and has the
leadership skills to lead
us in a rapidly changing
environment.”
“I am honored to join UH at such a pivotal time in college athletics, and I want to thank President Hensel and the selection committee for their dedication, thoughtful leadership and the trust they’ve placed in me,” Elliott said in a UH-issued news
release. “I am committed to leading a program that reflects the pride and excellence of our local community. It will be a privilege to
partner with our student-athletes, coaches and fans to chart an ambitious and unified path forward.”
Tsui noted Elliott has the experience and creativity to raise money, work with the Legislature and keep pace in an evolving world of college athletics.
As UCLA’s chief strategy officer, Elliott spearheaded UCLA’s move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. “Every decision or idea about UCLA’s move to the Big Ten has run through Matt Elliott,” the New York Times wrote in a story that first appeared on July 30, 2023, and was updated on April 6, 2024.
Elliott implemented
several improvements to the Bruins’ meal plans and accommodations. Prior to that, according to a UH release, “his overall scope of work included sport oversight, legal affairs, NIL policy, government relations, head coach searches, compliance and supervision of athletic performance and sports medicine.”
Most recently, Elliott has served as senior policy
director at the Hawaii Community Foundation. The nonprofit organization has been instrumental in working with the Maui Strong Fund. Kane said Elliott was a contributor to a collaborative involving Maui County and Gov. Green’s office to secure $1.6 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding to support rebuilding effort from the 2023 Maui wildfires. “He was orchestrator behind the scenes,” Kane said.
Tsui said Elliott should be able to address two key
areas:
>> Tsui said UH needs to lobby for more money from the state Legislature. Tsui also said UH has to find new sources of revenue. “It can’t be the same old people who are giving the money,” Tsui said. “We have to get new faces in the program, and that’s going to be the primary job of the new athletic director.”
Tsui said Elliott has extensive contacts through his work with HCF. Tsui, who is chair of the Clarence
T.C. Ching Foundation, said he and other search committee members are willing to help Elliott expand his contact list.
>> Tsui said UH also is a partner in building a replacement for Aloha Stadium, which was condemned for spectator-attended events in December 2020 because of safety concerns. “The stadium and AD are joined at the hip, fortunately or unfortunately,” Tsui said. “We’ve got to get that stadium built.”
Elliott, who has a Juris Doctor from Northwestern, was a law clerk in Hawaii for the late U.S. District Judge Alan Kay. Elliott’s wife grew up in Hawaii. But after Elliott joined HCF, he attended
an introductory meeting wearing a UCLA shirt.
“We did an introduction of him,” Kane recalled. “He went up, and he took his UCLA shirt off, and he had his UH (shirt). He said, ‘This is me now.’ He was just so proud to be home and be
affiliated with the green. He’s all in, man. He’s all in.”
