University Southern California Trojans
USC President Carol Folt Announces Athletics Department Transition Leadership
May 24, 2023 | USC Athletics
The future for USC Athletics is exciting. With all the success in the last couple of years, I have no doubt that we will keep our momentum going. Together we will continue to build an outstanding department, designed to meet the needs of the future, to support the best teams in America, and to ensure a student-centered approach and excellence in all areas.
Today, I'm pleased to announce that Dr. Denise Kwok, executive senior associate athletic director, has agreed to serve as interim executive administrator during the transition to a new athletic director. Dr. Kwok has almost two decades of experience within USC Athletics, serving across all aspects of athletic administration. Under her leadership, our student-athlete academic services are the best in the country. She is known for being a deeply collaborative and approachable leader.
I also am appointing an interim leadership team (comprising external and internal members) to ensure USC continues to function seamlessly during the transition and complete its preparation for joining the Big Ten Conference. This team brings depth, experience, and great expertise in championship-level Division I intercollegiate athletics, including NIL, recruiting and facilities management, operations, marketing, finance, and Big Ten conference processes and procedures. They will augment the leadership and staff in our department and provide a broad national perspective on changes taking place nationally.
The external members of the team are Sandy Barbour, Mitch Moser, and Kevin Weiberg.
- Sandy Barbour: Among the country's most respected college athletics directors, Sandy has more than 40 years of experience as an administrator and coach, serving in multiple leadership roles at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Notre Dame; Tulane University; Northwestern University; and Penn State University before joining Huron as a senior advisor in January 2023. She was named the 2022 Sports Business Journal's Athletic Director of the Year. Sandy will provide critical strategic and operational oversight to the athletics department.
- Mitch Moser: Until his transition to Huron earlier this year, Mitch was a key leader in the athletics department at Duke University for more than 25 years, serving most recently as deputy director of athletics and CFO. Mitch will temporarily relocate to Los Angeles to support our team and will be a key point person for coordinating all program initiatives on a daily basis.
- Kevin Weiberg: Kevin brings unique experience after decades in leadership positions at a number of top conferences, including service as commissioner of the Big 12 Conference and vice president of the Big Ten Network. Our entire program will benefit from his deep familiarity with the Big Ten Conference.
To ensure a quick and smooth start, I have instructed senior members of my administration, including Incoming Provost Andrew Guzman; Senior Vice President and General Counsel Beong-Soo Kim; Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Equity & Compliance Felicia Washington; and Presidential Adviser Mark Merritt to work closely with the interim leadership team.
This has been a remarkable year of achievement on the field and in the classroom. We look forward to building on this exceptional record as we Fight On together.
