Greg Paules, who has been an athletics administrator at Cal State Fullerton since 2013, has been hired as UC Riverside’s next director of athletics. Paules, whose hiring as announced Monday afternoon, has been Fullerton’s senior associate athletic director and that department’s ’ chief opera tion officer since 2020. Previously he was the associate athletic director in charge of development. He replaces Wes Mallette, who left UCR last fall to become South Carolina’s deputy AD. Michelle Almazan, who had been named interim athletic director after Mallette’s departure, was a member of the search committee that selected Paules, 39. The committee was chaired by Brian Haynes, vice chancellor for Student Affairs, and while Paules will report to Chancellor S. Jack Hu, the announcement of his hiring noted that he will have a “dotted-line relationship” to Haynes. “Greg brings deep Division I athletic leadership experience, strong knowledge of the Big West Conference, and a proven record of developing philanthropic support for athletics,” said Hu in the statement released by the university. “He understands that a strong athletic program enhances the student experience, builds pride, and elevates university visibility. I look forward to working with him to lead Highlander athletics to new levels of excellence.” In addition to his experience at Fullerton, Paules attended Big West rival UC Irvine as a student and then worked for the university in an external relations role. He received his bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Irvine. Paules was born in Pasadena and grew up in Monrovia, and played soccer, baseball and basketball at LaSalle High School. He and his wife Peggy have two daughters, Lyla, 10, and Eve, 8. He served as an interim athletic director briefly at Fullerton, during the 2021-22 academic year, and the UCR announcement noted that he most recently ran the day-to-day operations of a department with a $24 million annual budget as well as having a hand in more than $30 million in capital improvement projects with a mix of public and private funds. Community support and involvement has traditionally been a challenge for UCR’s athletic department, and in the statement released by the university he expressed an eagerness to take on that challenge. “What gets me excited is there is so much untapped potential at UC Riverside,” Paules said. “We can really get our arms around Riverside, Moreno Valley, and San Bernardino if we build a great product. It’s a strong sports community and culture, and we just have to tie it to the university. “I wanted to take an AD job where I can have a real impact, and I think I can do that at UCR, riding the momentum of the new chancellor,” he said. “It all felt right and very comfortable. I can’t wait to get to campus.” He will begin his tenure March 23. Related Articles New UC Riverside Chancellor Jack Hu is inaugurated Could this strategy build more affordable housing in the Inland Empire? UC Riverside’s bell tower carillon hosts holiday tunes ...read more read less