SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (July 25, 2023) – UC Santa Barbara Athletics is thrilled to announce the addition of Aaron Rudy as the Gauchos' Associate Athletic Director for Fan Engagement, Marketing and Ticketing, Director of Athletics Kelly Barsky announced today.
"I'm thrilled for Aaron to join our team in this newly redesigned and critical position," Barsky said. "He has a wealth of experience across Division I, a focus on service and engagement with community and background in creating exceptional game day experiences. Aaron will have a significant impact on the connection with and experiences felt by all Gauchos."
"We are incredibly excited to welcome Aaron to the Gaucho family," said Deputy Athletic Director for External Tom Hastings. "His professional background, demeanor and vision will be a fantastic addition as we continue to enhance our presence and offerings within our campus and local communities."
Rudy comes to Santa Barbara from Dartmouth College, where he served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing for four years, working with all 35 of the Big Green's programs. During that time, his responsibilities covered a variety of areas including, but not limited to, game day and special event production, merchandise sales, community outreach, digital advertising and revenue generation. Rudy's efforts led to the largest single-game attendance for a women's basketball game, highest student attendance on record in men's basketball and football, and highest season sales total on record for football and soccer.
Prior to his time in Hanover, Rudy was the Associate Director of Marketing and Promotions at Tulane University. He was responsible for all the marketing efforts for men's basketball, volleyball and the Tulane student body during his time with the Green Wave, helping set new records in attendance in all of the sports he worked with. He was also a part of the marketing team that received honorable mention for the Marketing Team of the Year award.
Rudy also was the Marketing and Fan Engagement Coordinator at his alma mater Syracuse, where he coordinated all of the game day entertainment for the football team while managing the marketing, production and development of creative elements for the women's basketball team. He was elevated into this role after working as a marketing assistant with the Orange.
"I am thrilled to join the UC Santa Barbara Athletics family," said Rudy. "I want to thank Kelly Barsky and Tom Hastings for believing in me, as well as sharing similar goals and philosophies. Within minutes of speaking with Kelly and Tom, I could tell that something authentic and truly special is being established at UC Santa Barbara and that the leadership has a contagious positive energy, which excites me knowing we as a department will have that level of support. I can't wait to get to work, immerse myself in the Santa Barbara culture and put in the time to make positive impacts within the community and on campus. Go Gauchos!"
Rudy earned his master's in sport venue and event management from Syracuse while also earning a bachelor's from the Orange in sport management with a minor in strategic management. He will begin in this new role with the Gauchos on Sept. 5.
