New year. New job.

Same passion.

Vince Baldemor officially takes over as Hawaii Pacific’s executive director of athletics on Wednesday, with priorities not too dissimilar from those he had for 10 years as the executive director and then president of the University of Hawaii’s ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue. The 45-year-old knows well the business side of intercollegiate sports, as evidenced by his success in helping raise $70 million for AKA, the nonprofit fundraising entity for the UH athletic department.

His financial acumen aside, Baldemor brings first-hand experience as a college athlete to the department, which offers 14 Division II sports and an extensive recreation program at the state’s largest private university. Baldemor, who grew up in Kettering, Ohio, played tennis for DePaul, always among the top three in singles and always making up half of the Blue Demons’ No. 1 doubles pairing.

"For me, doubles is my favorite; it has a lot more action," said Baldemor, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in commerce from DePaul and an MBA from Notre Dame.

And there is teamwork involved in doubles, which makes his foray into athletic administration an easy career transition. That he has made the move from Manoa to downtown Honolulu was as unexpected as it was intriguing.

"I was very happy here at UH. They are my family and my friends," said Baldemor, whose hire was announced by HPU in late October. "And I knew I could continue to be happy doing what I was doing. Professionally, I was challenged every day.

"But HPU was something I couldn’t pass up. It was one of those things that fell from the stars, something to take a look at. There’s a challenge there, but there’s also commitment, dedication and passion from the staff and coaches. I think sometimes they win in spite of themselves, given the lack of facilities.

"Obviously, facilities is a priority. We need to be able to provide a little more support salary-wise, as well as for equipment, recruiting budgets and scholarships. I like what I see and hope I can continue to add to it and help elevate it."

Baldemor succeeds Darren Vorderbrugge, who spent the past seven years as both athletic director and men’s basketball coach. Prior to Vorderbrugge, Tony Sellitto held both positions for 14 years.

"I give Coach Vorderbrugge a lot of credit," Baldemor said. "I told him I couldn’t believe how much their teams had done with so little for so long.

"I respect what they have done and I told them that I’m not here to wipe the slate clean. Let me get in the boat with you and let’s chart a new course."

That path includes Baldemor’s strength and comfort zone: financial.

"I do have more experience in handling the business side, the fundraising side of college athletics," he said. "But it’s also about relationship building. I’m looking to build on what we already have at HPU.

"It’s going to be a little different strategy, going from public institution to private, from not having football or a traditional campus. I’ve been spoiled (at UH) with the Stan Sheriff Center, one of the nicest arenas up and down the West Coast. Facilities are an issue (at HPU) and we want to win. We want to be competitive and be able to take it to the next level."

HPU currently rents the Blaisdell Arena for its men’s and women’s basketball games and the St. Andrew’s Priory gym for women’s volleyball. The only sports with permanent on-campus venues are softball and men’s and women’s soccer, and those are located at HPU’s Hawaii Loa Campus in Kaneohe.

The men’s and women’s tennis teams consider Central Oahu Regional Park their home courts. Baseball uses Hans L’Orange Park.

"Baseball needs a home, the softball field is beautiful but could be upgraded, so could the soccer field," Baldemor said. "There is land and space (at the Hawaii Loa campus). There’s the possibilities for the Aloha Tower complex to become a gathering place for the university, including athletics.

"As for adding sports, sand volleyball is gaining momentum. We’ve added acrobatics and tumbling. We’ll look at every opportunity that makes sense for us.

"One of the nice things is (HPU president Geoffrey) Dr. Bannister is very much a visionary and a fan of athletics, and I’m looking forward to working with him on what HPU can become."