Pepperdine’s Athletic Department appointed Brian Barrio to the position of associate director of Athletics for compliance. Barrio joined the staff of the Athletic Department Monday, Aug. 1.
“I am thrilled with the addition of Brian Barrio to the Pepperdine Athletics staff,” said Director of Athletics Steve Potts in a press release. “Brian brings considerable experience and commitment to this critical area of our program. He is a man of great character and integrity, and we look forward to welcoming Brian and his family to Pepperdine.”
He had been employed by the America East Conference since 2008, where he got a lot of experience in conference legislation, education, waivers and violation reporting. Beginning as associate commissioner for compliance he later became associate commissioner for compliance/administration and chief-of-staff.
“My top priority is laying the administrative groundwork for our programs to win championships with confidence that we’re doing it in a way that will make our students and alumni proud,” Barrio said.
“I’ve said it before, but I’m inspired every day by Dr. Potts’ vision for Pepperdine Athletics,” Barrio said about his new position. “We have big goals here, and we have a tremendous staff in place supporting our programs. Right now, my role is to help our coaches and student-athletes succeed in what is, nationally, an era of unprecedented regulation and scrutiny from the NCAA.”
Barrio graduated from Old Lyme High School in 1995 and earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston College in 1999. At that time he was head manager of the Eagles’ basketball team and served an internship in the Sports Information Office. He earned his juris doctorate degree from the University of California-Hastings College of the Law in 2005.
Having spent many years on other campus, Barrio appreciates Pepperdine’s distinctive mission.
“It doesn’t take long on this campus to realize that it’s a truly special place,” Barrio said. “I’ve never been a part of a university that has such a strong sense of unity and mission. After just a month here, I feel like part of a family, and there is nothing I would like more than to help this athletic department bring a lot of pride and enjoyment to the student body and to our alumni.
“In terms of athletics, Pepperdine is positioned to be nationally competitive in almost every sport in which it competes, and I’m very excited about the fact that if we’re fielding a team in a given sport, we are committed to excellence,” Barrio said.
Barrio interned at Central Connecticut State and at Ohio State before working as the Compliance coordinator for the Ivy League for two years and the director of Compliance at USC. He has worked in media relations at four different NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament sites. In addition, he worked as an athletics administrator and tournament director for the sports of volleyball and baseball.
