Emory Names Former UCLA Swimmer Keiko Price Director Of Athletics

Courtesy: Emory Athletics

Emory University has appointed Keiko Price as Assistant Vice President of Campus Life and Clyde Partin, Sr., Director of Athletics. She will serve as a member of the Campus Life Executive Leadership Team, reporting to the Vice President and Dean. In her new role, Price will oversee an intercollegiate athletics program with a long and distinguished record of excellence in NCAA Division III, including 27 national championships and 206 UAA team championships. She will also be responsible for recreation and wellness programs. She will begin her transition into the role in December 2020.

Price, a former 22-time, All-American student-athlete, brings 14 years of administrative leadership and academic support experience to her new role, ensuring the success of student-athletes, coaches, and sports teams. She has also collaborated with others in support of recreation and wellness programs. She is the former Senior Associate Athletics Director at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, where she served as sports administrator for several teams, including men’s basketball, which is currently ranked in the Top 10 in preseason lists.

“Keiko’s background in successfully partnering with coaches, trainers, and unit staff to cultivate high-achieving, diverse, student-athletes at elite academic institutions with winning records in athletics left an indelible mark on me and our search committee,” said Enku Gelaye, Vice President and Dean of Campus Life. “We look forward to welcoming her to Emory and working with her and the broader campus community to build on the university’s longstanding eminence in these areas.”

Describing Emory as “an institution that breathes excellence,” Price added, “I am eager to work collaboratively with the talented team of Emory staff members, many of whom I met during the interview process, to provide a system of support that ensures an exceptional well-rounded college experience for all of the students we serve. I look forward to becoming part of a college community that values academic rigor, athletic success, and nurtures wellness for all.”

Her background includes serving as her department’s head of academic services and providing executive oversight of diversity and inclusion initiatives.   She also currently serves as a member of the university chancellor’s Diversity and Leadership Council, the Women’s Resource Center Advisory Committee, the USA Swimming’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, and several NCAA and Big Ten committees. In 2018, she was awarded U of I’s Lorraine Y. Cowan Make a Difference Award.

As the nation continues to grapple with COVID-19 and the pandemic of racism, Price assumes her new role with an eye toward innovation and a deep understanding of competitive sports, both essential to forging the path forward for Emory Athletics.

A former collegiate swimmer and recipient of numerous athletics and academic honors during her student-athlete career, Price is a native of Hawaii and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a graduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley.