July 22, 2008
DAVIS, Calif. - Cindy Spiro, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Development and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) at the University of the Pacific, has been named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs and Resource Development at UC Davis, it was announced on Tuesday.
Spiro replaces longtime Associate Athletics Director Larry Swanson who retired in June after more than 20 years of service to UC Davis Athletics. Spiro will begin her new position on Aug. 11. She will oversee athletics development, media relations, marketing and promotions, and creative communications in addition to sport supervision. She will primarily assist with fundraising efforts.
Spiro joins UC Davis after serving in a leadership capacity at fellow Big West Conference member Pacific for the past 14 years and after a tenure that began at the school in 1977. She was assistant director of athletics and SWA from 1994-96, was interim athletics director during the 1996-97 academic year and was named the associate director of athletics for operations in 1997. She assumed her current role in 2002.
Her most recent responsibilities at the university involve all aspects of the Tigers' 16-sport athletics program with emphasis on strategic planning, policy formation, academic progress and alumni engagement. Spiro also led fundraising efforts totaling more than $16 million for Pacific's new Klein Family Field baseball stadium, the Janssen-Lagorio Gymnasium, the Roy and Jean Sanders Tennis Clubhouse, and athletics endowments.
She's helped develop marketing and promotion strategies for several sports and was supervisor for baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball. Spiro has served on several committees on the campus, conference and national levels and has been very involved with several organizations in the Stockton community.
"Cindy brings a wealth of diverse experience as an athletics administrator, not only with her responsibilities at Pacific but also at the conference and national levels," said Greg Warzecka, director of athletics. "She will help provide great leadership as we continue to build our Division I program."
Spiro said she is excited to join a growing UC Davis athletics program.
"UC Davis has a stellar reputation in higher education and the path of its intercollegiate athletics program is a reflection of its institutional mission and core values," Spiro said. "I look forward to joining the Aggie program and working to help build a solid foundation for great success in Division I athletics."
Spiro received her undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical education from Pacific in 1976 and 1984, respectively. Her career at the institution began as a graduate assistant instructor and interim director of intramurals in 1977. She became coordinator of women's athletics in 1979.
While at Pacific, Spiro was the tournament manager for NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First/Second Round Championships at Arco Arena in 1998 and 2002, and headed campus operations for the San Francisco 49ers summer training camp from 1998-2001. She currently serves on the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Executive Committee and is chair of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Rules Committee.
Spiro joins a UC Davis intercollegiate athletics program that is moving into its second year of NCAA Division I status. The university currently sponsors 26 varsity sports and will add its 27th next year with women's field hockey.
