  {"id":218200,"date":"2025-07-01T12:49:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T22:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218200"},"modified":"2025-07-01T12:49:27","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T22:49:27","slug":"matt-elliott-new-era-uh-manoa-athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/01\/matt-elliott-new-era-uh-manoa-athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Elliott ushers in new era at <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><figure id=\"attachment_218201\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-218201\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-intro-press-conference.jpg\" alt=\"person speaking in front of microphones\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-218201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-intro-press-conference.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-intro-press-conference-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-intro-press-conference-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-218201\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matt Elliott was introduced as <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s new athletics director after the <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> Board of Regents unanimously approved his appointment at a special meeting on June 16.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even 20 years later, Matt Elliott\u2019s first glimpse of <span aria-label=\"Oahu\">O&#699;ahu<\/span>\u2019s south shore still sparkles in his memory. Raised in Massachusetts and having just completed law school in Chicago, Elliott landed in Honolulu in December 2005 to start a year-long clerkship and eager to explore his new surroundings.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_218202\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-218202\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-family-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"three people smiling \" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-218202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-family-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-family-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-family.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-218202\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A desire to raise their son, Kai, in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> was a driving motivation for Matt and Allison to move back to the state in 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The first time I got in the car I drove out on <span aria-label=\"Kalanianaole\">Kalaniana&#699;ole<\/span> Highway and past Hanauma Bay, and turned that corner and said, &lsquo;this is the most spectacular thing I\u2019ve ever seen in my life,&rsquo;&rdquo; Elliott recalled. &ldquo;I saw that coast and was like I\u2019d better not drive off the road because you can\u2019t not stare at the most stunning view you\u2019ve ever seen.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Instantly captivated by the scenery, Elliott\u2019s connection to and appreciation for the islands would only deepen over the next two decades even as his career took him back to the continent.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_218205\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-218205\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-2006-aloha-stadium-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"person smiling in a stadium\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-218205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-2006-aloha-stadium-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-2006-aloha-stadium-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-2006-aloha-stadium.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-218205\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tailgating at Aloha Stadium and the Rainbow Warriors&#8217; 2006 football game against Oregon State were part of Elliott&#8217;s introduction to <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> sports.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Having ascended the ranks in college athletics administration at <abbr title=\"University of California Los Angeles\">UCLA<\/abbr>, Elliott made a full-time return to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> in 2022 and the path he\u2019s traveled since his first tour of the island led him to his current role as the University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> at M\u0101noa\u2019s newest athletics director. June 30 marked the official start of Elliott\u2019s appointment leading <abbr title=\"东精影业\">东精影业<\/abbr> athletics, a position pairing his affection for the islands with his understanding of the ever-shifting landscape of college athletics.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I want to be in a space where I\u2019m passionate about the work that I\u2019m doing and I\u2019m learning the entire time,&rdquo; Elliott said. &ldquo;If I have those two things in a professional setting, then I\u2019m so motivated to work hard because I feel so good about the parallel goals happening at the same time.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_218207\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-218207\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-and-allison-2006-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"two people smiling\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-218207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-and-allison-2006-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-and-allison-2006-130x73.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-matt-and-allison-2006.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-218207\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tailgating at Aloha Stadium and the Rainbow Warriors&#8217; 2006 football game against Oregon State were part of Elliott&#8217;s introduction to <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> sports.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;(The <abbr title=\"Athletics Director\">AD<\/abbr> role) is an incredible responsibility, but I\u2019m excited about it and motivated about it because it comes back to the passion for this place is so strong.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/admin.hawaiiathletics.com\/feature\/MattElliott\">Read the entire story by Jason Kaneshiro on the <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Related <em><abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> News<\/em> stories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/16\/elliott-approved-by-bor-uh-manoa-ad\/\">Matt Elliott approved by <abbr title=\"Board of Regents\">BOR<\/abbr> as next <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics director<\/a>, June 16, 2025<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/06\/leaders-offer-perspectives-new-ad\/\">Local leaders offer perspectives on Matt Elliott\u2019s appointment as <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa <abbr>AD<\/abbr><\/a>, June 6, 2025<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/06\/05\/matt-elliott-uh-manoa-athletics-director\/\">Matt Elliott selected as the next <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics director<\/a>, June 5, 2025<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_217503\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-217503\" style=\"width: 676px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-athletics-elliott-group.jpg\" alt=\"four people standing and smiling\" width=\"676\" height=\"381\" class=\"size-full wp-image-217503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-athletics-elliott-group.jpg 676w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-athletics-elliott-group-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/manoa-athletics-elliott-group-130x73.jpg 130w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-217503\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> Board of Regents Chair Gabe Lee, Matt Elliott and his wife Allison, and <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matt Elliott brings a deep personal connection to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Hawai&#699;i<\/span> and decades of experience to his new role leading <abbr>东精影业<\/abbr> M\u0101noa athletics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":218201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1362],"tags":[58,714,9,550],"class_list":["post-218200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletics","tag-athletics","tag-student-athlete","tag-uh-manoa","tag-manoa-athletics","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-athletics-matt-elliott-intro-press-conference.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218200"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218228,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218200\/revisions\/218228"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}