Dr. Michael Lorenzen enters his seventh year at UC Davis. His primary responsibility was creating and now managing the Aggie EVO System, UC Davis’ unique and uncommon student-athletes outcomes program that prepares all student-athletes for a successful launch (defined as graduate school or career-related full-time position) after receiving a degree from one of the top public universities in the nation.
A member of UC Davis' senior administration team, he has previously served as sport administrator for indoor volleyball, swimming and diving, beach volleyball, and baseball and currently is the sport administrator for men’s and women’s soccer as well as men’s and women’s tennis. In addition to his EVO responsibilities and oversight of all leadership and professional development work within the department, Lorenzen collaborates with all student-facing units across campus and advises the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
In his first year at UC Davis, Lorenzen designed, implemented, and continues to operate the nation’s leading program in student-athlete outcomes, the Aggie EVO System. Aggie EVO — named as such to represent a student-athlete’s “evolution” throughout college — focuses on key elements to help UC Davis student-athletes prepare for future launch after graduation by helping them better “know and navigate the World of Work.” The Aggie EVO System is fully integrated into department culture and is a central part of student-athlete life at UC Davis. No other school places a higher priority on postgraduate success for student-athletes.
"I was humbled by Dr. Blue's trust in giving me the opportunity to play a role in developing his vision for student-athlete outcomes at UC Davis," said Lorenzen. "There may be no university more perfectly positioned to focus on the intentional development of young men and women through elite athletic training and competition, given the history of academic achievement and impactful application of theory in the real world for which this university is known.”
Lorenzen previously served as the Director of Student-Athlete Leadership and Development at Georgetown, a position that was elevated to Assistant Athletics Director in 2013. In that role, he helped secure one of the largest gifts in university history, which established the innovative Cooper Athletics Leadership Program. Named for donors Peter and Susan Cooper, the CALP was an initiative that allowed intercollegiate athletics to serve as an arena for personal development and leadership. It offered programs in such areas as education, sociocultural issue advocacy and training; leadership and team dynamics consulting; and personal strategic planning.
During his tenure on the Hilltop, Lorenzen also was an adjunct professor in the Master of Professional Studies program at the GU School of Continuing Studies, teaching sports industry management, a role that he maintains after more than a decade of teaching the sports business. A 1987 graduate of Maryland (BA, Government and Politics), he earned his Master's degree in international relations (management concentration) from Yale in 1989, then completed his Ed.D in higher education administration and leadership from Pacific in 2010. He is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) of the International Coaching Federation, with a specialty in leadership, life, and career coaching.
Prior to his career in athletics administration, Lorenzen spent most of his professional athletics career coaching women’s gymnastics at the NCAA, Junior Olympic, and Elite levels. He served as the head women's gymnastics coach at Iowa, where he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2004. He later was an assistant coach at Stanford for five years, an associate head coach at Arizona State, and served as President of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for a six-year stint.
Prior to his athletics career, Lorenzen spent nearly four years as a management consultant for Bain and Company, working with clients in the US and Mexico in industries ranging from steel to consumer products as well as government policy.
