RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced today, Thursday, December 16, 2021, the appointment of Wesley Mallette as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics following a national search. After several months of leading the department in an interim capacity, Mallette will assume the role (absent the interim tag) beginning January 2, 2022. 
 
In a campus-wide announcement released earlier today, Chancellor Wilcox stated, "I am excited to announce the appointment of Wesley "Wes" Mallette  to the position of Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, following a national search. Last year, at a time when our Intercollegiate Athletics Department faced not only the challenges of a pandemic but accompanying financial threats, Wes stepped in to lead the department on an interim basis. While implementing organizational changes, he successfully managed the return of team competition. Over the course of the last year, he exhibited his leadership and management strengths as well as many of the skills and qualities that show up in high-performing athletes—analysis, strategic thinking, preparation, and mental toughness in the face of adversity."
 
In his short but impactful time in the interim chair, Mallette has helped elevate the UCR Athletics brand to unprecedented heights in the program's 20+ years competing at the NCAA Division I level. In addition to stabilizing and securing the program's future, he successfully steered the program's return of sports back to campus and competition through a global pandemic; created a more efficient and effective Athletics operation; garnered more national and international media attention for UCR Athletics than ever before; shifted the culture within Athletics; has been collaborating with key campus partners on facilities enhancements and working with the Athletics Development team to secure one of the program's most significant fundraising years in its history. 
 
"It is an honor to lead our UC Riverside's Athletics program and one I take very seriously," Mallette said. "I would like to thank Chancellor Wilcox, Vice Chancellor Haynes and the search committee for this opportunity. Also, I want to thank our coaches, staff, student-athletes, donors, campus community and community partners for believing in me and for their support of UCR Athletics. We are part of the nation's fastest rising university and we are proud to represent UC Riverside in best possible way through Athletics. We plan to stay focused on our mission of building and preparing our student-athletes for opportunities in life through sport and continuing to rise in The Big West and nationally."
 
Mallette has been instrumental in both championing and securing the Highlanders' success in and out of the classroom.Last winter, 33.3% of all student-athletes were named to the Dean's List while more than 70% earned a 3.0 GPA or higher. Most recently, 39 Highlander student-athletes from eight different teams were named to the Big West's 2020-21 Winter and Spring All-Academic Team. 
 
Following the 2020-21 season, one of the best in UCR Men's Basketball program's history and its best Big West record since 2007-08, he extended head coach Mike Magpayo who was a month removed from earning the Joe B. Hall Award, presented annually to the top first-year head coach at the NCAA Division I men's basketball level. 
 
UCR Athletics also saw milestone victories for several programs, including the rise of track and field student-athletes breaking school marks and cross country achieving NCAA Academic All-American and NCAA West Preliminary status; and Men's Soccer advancing to the Big West Tournament semi-final round for the third time in four years. 
 
And, in the summer of 2020, Mallette led the department through a successful comprehensive visual identification brand redesign along with an internal restructuring of the Athletics Department that drew immense positivity from the UCR community and the college athletics industry.
 
Mallette joined UC Riverside in 2018 as Senior Associate AD, External Relations and Chief of Staff. In this capacity, he managed all aspects of athletics communications and brand marketing, fan experience, events, and creative services. A former student-athlete at James Madison University, Wes has extensive experience in intercollegiate athletics and the private sector. Prior to his current tenure with UC Riverside, he served as associate athletics director at UC Berkeley (Cal Athletics), vice president of communications at Pac-12 Networks, and in senior level corporate and brand communications roles at BET and Viacom.