Janet Lucas, a nationally recognized administrator with extensive leadership and management skills who previously served as the interim athletics director at two different California public universities was named the University of Pacific Director of Athletics on April 12, 2018 and began her new post on May 7, 2018.
“I am extremely honored to be joining this great university,” Lucas said. “The opportunity to lead this program in the pursuit of excellence with integrity and building champions in the classroom, in competition and in the community is truly a privilege.”
“This is a special place and I am excited to begin engaging with the campus and community as we work together to shape the future.”
Joining UC Riverside in November 2006, the executive associate director of athletics and senior woman administrators duties included serving as the department’s second in command and providing leadership and management of the university’s 17-sport program. Her responsibilities have included overseeingthe day-to-day operations, supervising academic services, business operations, compliance, event management and sports medicine. She managed the athletic scholarship program and at times supervised external areas such as marketing, fundraising and media relations. She also served on various Big West committees and the NCAA Division I Leadership Council and the Legislative Review and Interpretations Committee. She was named the 2015 Administrator of the Year for NCAA Division I by National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, now the Women Leaders in College Sport. She served as the interim athletics director at UC Riverside and also at her previous position at California State University, Northridge.
She held similar duties at Cal State Northridge, where she worked from June 2004 to 2006. Her accomplishments included adding a $1 million office building for athletics staff and coaches, stabilizing the department’s finances, and rebuilding the institution’s compliance program.
Prior to Cal State Northridge, Lucas spent 15 years at James Madison University in Virginia, rising to the position of senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator. She was also an athletics department administrator at University of Maine in Orono.
