Ahead Of The Game
Photo courtesy Hawai‘i Athletics
Sports have always been a part of Matthew Elliott’s life.
As a youngster growing up in Framingham, Massachusetts, he and his whole family were fans of the Boston teams and would often go to see the Celtics and Red Sox play. He grew up playing basketball and in high school he competed in varsity soccer, wrestling and tennis. Then, while pursuing his degree in law, jurisprudence and social thought at Amherst College, he became a member of the school’s varsity rowing team.
With his passion for sports and more than a decade of experience in Division I athletics administration — including 13 years at UCLA, where he held positions as chief strategy officer and senior associate athletic director for internal operations — Elliott was the perfect choice to be University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s new athletics director.
Elliott was selected by UH president Wendy Hensel out of more than 100 applicants, and the UH Board of Regents unanimously approved his appointment on June 16. He officially started his new role on June 30.
“That’s one of those moments that I’ll remember for my entire life,” says Elliott when asked how he felt about being offered the position. “She (Hensel) was so kind and gracious on the phone and just so optimistic about what was ahead of us and the opportunity for this program and to feel like we get to be a part of the future of the athletics department.
“Given my experience, having worked in athletics for a long time and knowing how important the athletics department and the university overall is to our entire state and to our community, it felt like a really exciting moment and a really great opportunity to be able to work in college sports, to do something here at UH that would have such an impact in connectivity to our whole state,” he says. “I just love college sports. It’s such a great environment for students to be able to have these amazing experiences that have changed their lives and do it while they’re playing sports but increasing their education.”
As athletics director, Elliott’s key responsibility is, first and foremost, to create the student-athlete experience.
“Obviously, we’ve been doing it for a long time,” he says, “but just to focus on how do we provide all the resources and support for our student-athletes to be able to thrive? That’s the No. 1 priority.”
Beyond that, he hopes to generate revenue. Selling tickets, cultivating partnerships with corporate sponsors, raising funds from donors, and being good members of the the Big West Conference and the Mountain West Conference — these are all things Elliott says can bring resources to the Athletics Department and help student-athletes and coaches be successful.
“As the athletics director, you’re looking at that big picture and figuring out where UH fits and how we’re prepared for whatever the changes are going to be,” he notes. “And then, you’re building a team. You’re working with a staff and all the different, talented and skilled people who do different things in the department. There are so many different skills that have to come together to make an athletics department work and being a kind of leader or captain to that team is really critical so you’re all working in the same direction. You’re all aligned and all figuring out what the plan is together.”
While bolstering the student-athlete experience is crucial, Elliott also hopes to create opportunities so UH teams can go out and win, and thus bring the community together.
“I want UH Athletics to be a source of pride for everybody in this state to feel like, ‘I’m a part of that. I’m a part of that program. I’m proud of what our student-athletes and coaches are doing.’ And it’s just a source of joy where we come together for a football game or volleyball game, and you get to be around those crowds and all those people, and watch the student-athletes perform. It’s really exciting.”
Although Elliott and his family moved to Hawai‘i in 2022 so that he and his wife, Allison, could raise their then 2-year-old son, Kai, here — it wasn’t his first time in the Aloha State.
Upon finishing law school at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, he accepted an offer to do a federal clerkship in Honolulu for the late U.S. District Court Judge Alan Kay. This happened in 2005, which is also when he met Allison, who grew up in Honolulu and graduated from Punahou.
Elliott has also worked as senior director of policy and public affairs at Hawai‘i Community Foundation.
“I have so much respect for that organization,” he says. “They do incredible work there.”
Elliott says the best part of his new role is being around people. At UH sporting events, he enjoys watching fans interact with student-athletes.
When he’s not busy with his new duties, he can be found at the beach or park with his ‘ohana. As a family, they also enjoy attending Kai’s soccer and baseball games. Elliott also loves to cycle — in fact, his favorite areas to bike are Hawai‘i Kai and Makapu‘u.
He concludes with this message to the community, “I’m so grateful. I just thank everybody for their support. I’ve heard so much optimism and positivity about this program and about our student athletes. I’m really grateful for that.
“I would love folks to feel that they’re a part of it in whatever way is right for them. We welcome you to our games. We welcome you if you want to watch on TV … We want to be the team for everybody and we hope we can find a way to engage with each and every one of you.”
