Aug. 31, 2016 San Diego, Calif. - University of San Diego President, Dr. James T. Harris, announced today that Ky Snyder has been elevated to the position of Vice President of Operations and Chief Operations Officer. This role is an expansion of his current vice president duties. In addition to Athletics and Facilities Management that he currently supervises, his expanded duties will include providing oversight and leadership for Public Safety, Parking Services and Campus Scheduling. Snyder will assume his new role on October 1, 2016 and continue his responsibilities for the day to day operations of Athletics until a new Executive Director of Athletics is hired. The university anticipates beginning a national search for that role by the end of the semester.
“Ky Snyder has done a remarkable job leading our athletic program as well as our facilities management team”, said Dr. James T. Harris, USD President. “We are very fortunate to have someone with his experience and knowledge of the University as well as the San Diego community serving in such an important position as we attempt to set the standard for a contemporary Catholic University in the 21st century."
Snyder was promoted to Vice President for Athletics and Facilities Management on February 27, 2015, after holding the position of Associate Vice President for Athletics and Facilities Management since the start of the 2014-15 school year. Over the past eighteen months he has provided leadership to facilities management and helped assemble a team of talented individuals in both areas.
“I am excited to serve the University of San Diego in a new and expanded role,” said Ky Snyder. “Although I will miss the day to day interaction with our student-athletes, coaches and staff, I am energized by the vision of President Harris and the opportunity to assist our students, faculty, staff and the USD leadership in fulfilling that vision. Just like in Torero Athletics, USD has high goals as an institution. I look forward to my new role to assist us in achieving them.”
In directing the Facilities Management department, Snyder oversees a diverse division that includes Building Maintenance, Environmental and Health Safety, Grounds Maintenance, Planning Design and Construction, and Transportation. With approximately 150+ full-time employees, the department's mission is to efficiently operate, maintain, and support the development of quality facilities, grounds, and services, and at the same time to support the campus community, students, faculty, and staff. With Athletics, Snyder oversees an athletic department that includes seventeen NCAA Division I intercollegiate teams and over 450 student-athletes. He is responsible for all administrative, management and supervisory aspects of the Department of Athletics. Additionally, he oversees the strategic long-range planning and monitoring of budgets, personnel, programs, facilities, fundraising, promotions and marketing, and public relations for an NCAA Division I program consisting of eight sports for men and nine sports for women.
He is a former member of the NCAA Leadership Council, Olympic Liaison Committee, Division I Football Rules Committee, and Chair of the WCC Executive Committee. He currently serves on the West Coast Conference Strategic Long Range Planning Cabinet, and is an Ex-Officio Board member of the San Diego Hall of Champions. He was on the Board of the San Diego Chapter of JDRF and held the position of Corporate Chair of the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes for two years. He was honored as a 2010 Volunteer of the Year by Combined Health Agencies (CHAD) for his outstanding volunteer work with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Since Snyder's official start date of February 9, 2004, USD teams have won thirty-five conference championships and advanced to the post-season sixty times. For the first time in school history, all four 2014 fall teams (football, women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's soccer) advanced to the NCAA Postseason. From 2008-2012 the USD athletics program won an unprecedented five straight West Coast Conference Commissioner's Cups. The conference trophy goes to the school with the top performing athletics program in the ten-team West Coast Conference. During the 2012-13 school year USD hosted the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer College Cup (Final Four) and opened its doors to a brand new state-of-the-art baseball ballpark, Fowler Park and Cunningham Field. At the 2010 NACDA Annual Convention, Snyder was the recipient of the 2009-10 FCS West Region Under Armour AD of the Year award.
He was named USD’s Executive Director of Athletics in December, 2003. Prior to returning to USD, Snyder was President of the San Diego International Sports Council. With the San Diego International Sports Council, Snyder's primary responsibility was to promote San Diego/Tijuana as the preferred region for sporting events and activities that benefit the community both economically and socially. Accomplishments of the Sports Council bid efforts during Snyder's tenure included securing San Diego the 1997 and 1998 ESPN Summer X Games, the Suzuki Rock & Roll Marathon, the 1999 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, the Bank of America/U.S. Olympic Cup, NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First & Second Round (2001) contests, the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championships (2001) and Super Bowl XXXVII.
In the spring of 2001, Snyder was named the President of the San Diego Super Bowl XXXVII Host Committee. He still serves as President of the San Diego Super Bowl Task Force. Snyder was also the Executive Director of the San Diego International Sports Foundation. Prior to joining the SDISC, Snyder was the Director of Athletic Development at the University of San Diego for six years (1990-96). During his first stint at USD, he was responsible for establishing the Torero Athletic Association, fund-raising efforts for athletics, managing athletic special events and generating corporate sponsorship of athletics.
Snyder played football at San Diego State University. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and Master's in Hospitality and Tourism Management from San Diego State University, and has studied in the Master's Leadership Program at the University of San Diego. Additionally, Snyder is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Institute of Educational Management.
Snyder, who has been a San Diego resident for 33 years, has a very athletic family. His wife, Sue, was a former standout member of the United States women's national volleyball team who played at San Diego State and also coached the Aztecs and University of San Diego's women's volleyball teams. In addition, Snyder's father, Lester, held the position as President of the United States Tennis Association.
The Snyder's have three children - son Riley (USD graduate), and daughters Sydney (LMU) and Cammy (PHS).
