Matthew Lerman joined the university in 2016 and was named Director of Communications in 2018 before being elevated to Assistant Athletics Director in 2022 and Associate Athletics Director in 2024. His education and experiences have allowed him to follow his passion and work as a communications professional in the sports industry and return to Southern California where he was born and raised. In addition to degrees in both Journalism (University of Oregon) and Sports Management (Missouri State University), Lerman has experience working seasons at the professional level, NCAA Division I and Division II levels, and in the sports department of a Los Angeles news station. Lerman works with the men’s basketball, men’s and women’s water polo, beach volleyball, and men’s golf teams, handling public relations, communications, and media relation efforts for those teams.