Guerrero to take over as USIUSF president after retiring as UCLA Athletics director
By Michael Waldman
May 8, 2020 3:59 p.m.
This post was updated May 15 at 4:31 p.m.
Already set to retire June 30, UCLA Athletics director Dan Guerrero will not even have to wait a full day before starting his next job.
Guerrero was elected president of the U.S. International University Sports Federation, USIUSF announced Thursday in a press release, and is slated to start his term that will run through 2024 on July 1.
After serving as the athletics director since 2002 in Westwood, Guerrero will take over as USIUSF president after previously holding the position of vice president. Guerrero announced in Sept. 2019 that he was planning to step down after 18 years in the position.
The USIUSF facilitates U.S. representation at the World University Games and World University Championships, with membership in the federation shared by the NCAA and other collegiate sports organizations.
The retiring athletics director has first-hand experience with the USIUSF’s tournaments, competing in the 1970 Summer World University Games as an athlete, playing baseball in the Turin, Italy tournament.
Guerrero – whose contract will expire June 30 – witnessed the Bruins win 32 NCAA championships across 15 different sports during his tenure as he earned three NACDA Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year awards.
The final years of Guerrero’s tenure also included the Varsity Blues scandal, which saw the dismissal of men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo due to recruiting violations.
The vacant position is not expected to be filled by senior associate athletics director Josh Rebholz, who did not make the final cut in the hiring process, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Desiree Reed-Francois – the athletics director at UNLV since April 2017 – has been named as a possible lead candidate for Guerrero’s position, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, despite her contract with UNLV running through 2022. She also has connections at UCLA, obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the university while competing as a rower. If hired, she would be the first female Athletics director in UCLA history.
