University of Massachusetts athletic director Ryan Bamford announced his second staff appointment in his short time at the helm of the UMass athletic department, naming Darrice Griffin the University’s senior associate athletic director for internal operations/senior woman administrator on Tuesday.
Griffin will officially take over the newly created position on July 6 and will be responsible for “oversee(ing) several varsity sport internal support units including academic services, equipment, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, student-athlete enrichment and facilities and operations,” according to a press release by UMass athletics.
In addition to these day-to-day operations, Griffin will aid in scheduling and capital planning for various sports.
Prior to her new position at UMass, Griffin spent six years at Columbia, mostly serving as a senior administrator. In her last four years there, she held the title of Associate Athletics Director for Intercollegiate Sports Programs and gained experience in overseeing numerous sports programs and leading gender and diversity initiatives.
“I thank our Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford for this incredible opportunity,” Griffin said in the press release. “UMass is a special place and I believe that under the leadership of Chancellor (Kumble) Subbaswamy and Ryan we will fulfill the tremendous potential inherent in the Commonwealth’s Flagship Campus.”
She added: “I look forward to building meaningful relationships with the talented student-athletes who represent this institution, helping our coaches realize their visions for their teams and to the rich collaborations with our campus partners.”
Bamford said in the press release that Griffin is a “relentless worker, skilled communicator and passionate advocate for the many student-athletes, coaches and staff she’s been associated with.”
Excited about this addition to our senior leadership team. Welcome Darrice! #WeWinTogether #UMassFamily https://t.co/iGviMSdldI
— Ryan Bamford (@UMassADBamford) June 9, 2015
He added that Griffin’s experience at Columbia and as a student-athlete herself – she played basketball at Texas Tech for two years before injuries ended her collegiate career – gives her “exceptional perspective” on the connection between collegiate athletics and academics.
Griffin joins former Rhode Island Athletic Director Tom McElroy as the second staff member to be appointed by Bamford since he was named the University’s athletic director in March. McElroy was hired on May 25 as the senior associate athletic director for external relations.
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
