UC Riverside Director of Athletics Greg Paules Announces John Vaca as Senior Associate AD for External Relations
10/1/2026 2:00:00 PM | General
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside Director of Athletics Greg Paules announced the hiring of John Vaca as Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Relations.
In his role, Vaca will provide leadership and strategic direction for the Highlanders' external-facing units and operations while also serving as the sport supervisor for men's basketball, men's soccer and softball.
"I'm incredibly excited to welcome John to UC Riverside," said Paules. "He has a passion for higher education, people, and sports. He runs at a fast pace and is known to make exciting things happen. I know he will have a significant impact at UC Riverside."
Vaca brings extensive experience in intercollegiate athletics administration, development, corporate partnerships, fundraising, marketing and revenue generation to Riverside.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity to come to UC Riverside and be part of this community. There is so much potential here, and I'm grateful for the chance to be a part of it," Vaca said. "I want to help build a standard of excellence that goes beyond what happens on the field — a culture of hard work, accountability, pride and doing things the right way every day."
"I'm excited to get to know our student-athletes, coaches, alumni and the Riverside community, and earn the opportunity to help UCR reach its potential," Vaca said. "I'm looking forward to building something special together and representing this university the right way, both on and off the field."
Most recently, Vaca served at the University of Southern California, where he has worked in development since 2024. He currently serves as a philanthropy officer with the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, where he oversees major gift cultivation and solicitation, collaborates with internal departments on fundraising strategies and supervises development staff and interns.
Vaca returns to intercollegiate athletics after spending eight years at Cal State Fullerton, including three years as director of corporate partnerships for Titan Athletics. In that position, Vaca increased corporate partnership revenue by 175% in his first year and 200% in his second year through sponsorship acquisition, renewals and activation initiatives. He also directed marketing, digital content, social media and multimedia-rights activation strategies while overseeing corporate partnerships, donor relationships and numerous donor, community engagement and game-day events annually.
Prior to becoming director of corporate partnerships, Vaca served as administrative coordinator and executive assistant for Titan Athletics. He supported athletics leadership with strategic planning, departmental operations, external relations, facilities, compliance and revenue-generating initiatives while working across multiple units and campus departments.
Vaca began his tenure at Cal State Fullerton as a Titan Athletics development assistant before moving into a university advancement development coordinator role. During his time in university advancement, he helped lead fundraising efforts that resulted in a $1 million endowment supporting first-generation students and oversaw a staff focused on scholarship endowments and university programs.
Vaca earned a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona in 2023 and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Cal State Fullerton in 2018. He resides in the San Gabriel Valley with his wife Dr. Gabriela Dupree-Vaca.
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In his role, Vaca will provide leadership and strategic direction for the Highlanders' external-facing units and operations while also serving as the sport supervisor for men's basketball, men's soccer and softball.
"I'm incredibly excited to welcome John to UC Riverside," said Paules. "He has a passion for higher education, people, and sports. He runs at a fast pace and is known to make exciting things happen. I know he will have a significant impact at UC Riverside."
Vaca brings extensive experience in intercollegiate athletics administration, development, corporate partnerships, fundraising, marketing and revenue generation to Riverside.
"I'm really excited for the opportunity to come to UC Riverside and be part of this community. There is so much potential here, and I'm grateful for the chance to be a part of it," Vaca said. "I want to help build a standard of excellence that goes beyond what happens on the field — a culture of hard work, accountability, pride and doing things the right way every day."
"I'm excited to get to know our student-athletes, coaches, alumni and the Riverside community, and earn the opportunity to help UCR reach its potential," Vaca said. "I'm looking forward to building something special together and representing this university the right way, both on and off the field."
Most recently, Vaca served at the University of Southern California, where he has worked in development since 2024. He currently serves as a philanthropy officer with the USC Arcadia Hospital Foundation, where he oversees major gift cultivation and solicitation, collaborates with internal departments on fundraising strategies and supervises development staff and interns.
Vaca returns to intercollegiate athletics after spending eight years at Cal State Fullerton, including three years as director of corporate partnerships for Titan Athletics. In that position, Vaca increased corporate partnership revenue by 175% in his first year and 200% in his second year through sponsorship acquisition, renewals and activation initiatives. He also directed marketing, digital content, social media and multimedia-rights activation strategies while overseeing corporate partnerships, donor relationships and numerous donor, community engagement and game-day events annually.
Prior to becoming director of corporate partnerships, Vaca served as administrative coordinator and executive assistant for Titan Athletics. He supported athletics leadership with strategic planning, departmental operations, external relations, facilities, compliance and revenue-generating initiatives while working across multiple units and campus departments.
Vaca began his tenure at Cal State Fullerton as a Titan Athletics development assistant before moving into a university advancement development coordinator role. During his time in university advancement, he helped lead fundraising efforts that resulted in a $1 million endowment supporting first-generation students and oversaw a staff focused on scholarship endowments and university programs.
Vaca earned a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly Pomona in 2023 and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Cal State Fullerton in 2018. He resides in the San Gabriel Valley with his wife Dr. Gabriela Dupree-Vaca.
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