Morod Shah was appointed Director of Athletics on July 24, 2024, and officially took over the role on Aug. 1, 2024.
Shah was previously appointed the Acting Director of Athletics in September of 2023 and was later named the Interim Director of Athletics in the Spring of 2024. Under his leadership, the Department of Athletics saw historical academic, athletic and fundraising success.
Academically, CSUSM's teams combined for a 3.311 grade-point average in 2023-24, sustaining the department's run of having a 3.0 GPA or higher for the eighth consecutive year. The Cougars earned three CCAA Elite 13 awards and one NCAA Elite 90 award for having the highest GPA at the final site of both the conference and national championships, respectively.
Athletically, 12 of the Cougars' 13 teams competed in postseason events in 2023-24 with women's basketball making its first Final Four appearance. CSUSM's programs won four conference tournament championships and one regular-season championship. Three coaches went on to be named the CCAA Coach of the Year.
CSUSM broke a department record on Giving Day in 2023 with $180,000 – a 95% increase from 2022. Athletics raised over $1 million in 2023-24 – the highest total for the department in the last 22 years.
Shah was appointed Associate Director of Athletics, Facilities and Operations on July 1, 2015, after previously serving as the External Operations Coordinator from October 2013 to June 2015.
As Associate Director of Athletics, Facilities and Operations, Shah has overseen The Cage (CSUSM Soccer Field), the CSUSM Baseball and Softball Fields, The Clarke Field House and is the Director of The Sports Center.Â
Previously, Shah served with the San Diego Chargers as a public relations assistant. During his time with the Chargers, Shah assisted the public relations team with media relations, website and print publications, and player community outreach events.
Additionally, Shah was a part of the San Diego marketing team for Glacéau- vitaminwater & smartwater as an area sales and marketing manager. Here, Shah was a key part of the promotions and marketing campaign for vitaminwater and smartwater, increasing brand awareness in Southern California.
Though born in Dallas, Texas, Shah has lived in San Marcos for most of his life. Shah attended San Marcos High School and then went on to receive his Bachelor’s in Communication from CSUSM in 2008. From 2006-08 he was selected to play on the Afghanistan National Basketball team in hopes of qualifying for the Olympics. As a member of the Afghan National Team, Shah was able to travel and play in basketball tournaments all around the world.
Currently, Shah lives in San Marcos with his wife Adrienne, his daughter and son. He enjoys playing basketball, golf and spending time with his family and friends.
