Former UCLA administrator Matt Elliott confirmed as next Hawaii Athletic Director

HONOLULU – Sunshine and rainbows in Mānoa.

The UH Board of Regents unanimously voted (10-0) to confirm Matt Elliott as the new Hawai’i athletic director on Monday, officially locking in President Wendy Hensel’s recommendation to lead the Rainbow Warrior and Wahine programs into a new era of college sports. 

“Let me just say, it is a great day for the University of Hawai’i athletics,” Hensel said after Monday’s BOR meeting.

Elliott emerged from an extensive national search that saw over 110 applicants apply to be the new leader of the iconic Rainbow Warrior brand, making a positive impression on the committee and Hensel immediately.

“Matt simply stood out from the competition right from the beginning,” President Hensel told the media. “I personally spent an incredible amount of my time getting to know the candidates, understanding the challenges of the athletics department and thinking about where we need to go in the future to support our student-athletes to the highest possible levels that we can … but also ensure that our students leave here with an excellent experience.”

Hensel specifically referenced Elliott’s experiences across 13 years with UCLA and ability to consistently climb the ranks in the Bruins’ athletic department while leading important projects for an extremely recognizable west coast brand. He is credited with overseeing UCLA’s transition from the Pac-12 to the Big 10 and was part of the team that negotiated the largest shoe and apparel deal ($280 million) in college athletics history.

“From beginning to end, Matt was the guy,” Hensel emphasized. 

Elliott immediately met with the media following the board approval, thanking the Regents, the committee and President Hensel for the opportunity and support. He took time to recognize interim AD Lois Manin for her “direction and leadership” over the spring semester, sliding over control of the department after handing out a pair of short contract extensions for football head coach Timmy Chang and women’s volleyball head coach Robyn Ah Mow and hiring new Rainbow Wahine softball head coach Panita Thanatharn.

“To the people of Hawai’i, to the UH community, to the coaches, to the staff, the student-athletes; I am honored to be your next director of athletics,” Elliott said in his opening statement. “I’ve been a fan for many years, and I am so excited to now be part of the team.”

A native of Massachusetts, Elliott shares a 20-year history with the islands after moving to Hawai’i first in 2005 to clerk for U.S. District Court Judge Alan C. Kay. His original stay in the islands saw some of the prime years for UH football and allowed him to meet his wife, Allison, a Punahou alumna, before eventually taking a job with UCLA.

The Elliott ‘ohana returned to Hawai’i after more than a decade on-site with the Bruins, stating a desire to raise their son in the islands. Elliott would stay with UCLA in a remote capacity, helping lead the school’s move to the Big 10 while overseeing the creation of the five-year strategic plan – an experience that he will likely be able to pull pieces from as Hawai’i prepares for a conference switch.

Elliott shared his belief in the role that college athletics play as a source of inspiration, communal camaraderie and opportunity for students to pursue greatness in academics and athletics. He also acknowledged the unique nature that UH presents as the lone Division I school in the state and how the shared success of the program helps the state.

“UH is everyone’s team, and UH’s success is everyone’s success,” he said to close his opening comments. “Together, we will build a department that operates on integrity. We will create the best possible student athlete experience, and we will set our teams up so that they are in position to win – and when I say win, I mean win championships.” 

The new head man for UH will be tasked with leading the athletic department through one of the more chaotic eras in recent memory, captaining the ship immediately following the landmark House vs. NCAA settlement that officially changed the status quo and allows revenue sharing between schools and athletes at a sum totaling over $20 million annually.

 While revenue sharing and new Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policies are some of the newest challenges facing everyone, the University of Hawai’i also must navigate the move between conferences in 2026, seeing most of the programs join the football team as members in the Mountain West.

“College athletics is always changing,” Elliott said of the challenges the job presents in 2025. “A few years ago, we were talking about we’re going to add to cost of attendance, or now we’re going to have the transfer portal, and there’s just this evolution where we have to be [prepared while still looking ahead].”

When asked about the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) and his plan of attack, Elliott cautioned that he had not started the job yet and that he still needed to learn a lot about the state of the project and have discussions before he could share a true concrete plan while still underscoring the importance of having a quality stadium to the program.

“I do know, absolutely to be a successful D1 program, you need a permanent stadium. For sure, that has to happen, so I would be an advocate for that and support that on behalf of the department,” Elliott said.

He went on to list the additional value he sees to having a permanent stadium beyond wins and losses for the football team, pointing out the revenue creation opportunities, tailgating chances and overall community aspect that can make lifelong memories for people of all ages.

While understanding the amount of responsibility that comes with the title, Elliott calmly stated that he doesn’t feel pressure as he assumes the role of athletic director but rather finds the fun in the opportunity and the challenges that arise. 

“Sure, I understand there are challenges,” he said. “But that’s what we do, right? We navigate new challenges; we respond to change.” 

Elliott also discussed the importance as an AD to figure out the best revenue opportunities possible and explore new possible revenue opportunities while still creating the top student-athlete experience.

“You look at how can we increase our ticket sales, how can we increase our donations, let’s look at our sponsorship opportunities, multimedia rights, and then obviously, your conference disbursements and huge media deals are a big factor in that,” he listed off. “Live sports on television [are] one of the biggest revenue generators out there. So, we have to put UH in a position that we are the most desirable, that every conference wants to either play against us or be a partner with us or have us as one of their members.”

The new athletic director went on to answer other questions from the media before finishing off his first official availability reiterating his gratitude for the opportunity and his desire to give the people of Hawai’i the athletic program that they deserve.

“We are going to be in this together,” Elliott closed off saying. “Our success is your success, and we want all of you to be a part of it. From the littlest ones to the oldest in our community, this is something for everybody. I can’t wait to get started.”

 The former UCLA administrator and Hawaii Community Foundation Senior Director of Policy and Public Affairs will begin his term as UH’s AD on June 30, 2025, taking over for interim athletic director Lois Manin after seven months. The 48-year-old Elliott signed a five-year contract with a base salary of $425,004 with performance-based incentives.

Welcome to the Elliott Era.