California State University, Stanislaus named Michael J. Matoso as the university’s new athletic director.

Matoso, the current University of San Diego senior associate director of athletics, will start at CSU Stanislaus on May 21.

“I am very pleased to make this appointment,” said CSU Stanislaus President Hamid Shirvani. “Michael Matoso is an accomplished leader with a wide range of experience in administration, fundraising, strategic planning and NCAA compliance. I am confident he will have an immediate positive impact, and will take our athletics programs and student athletes to higher levels of excellence.”

Matoso has worked for USD since 1999, holding a range of athletics-related posts. In his current post, Matoso oversees 17 NCAA Division I teams and 450 student athletes. USD has been named the top athletic department in the West Coast Conference for the past four years.

Prior to his employment at USD, Matoso worked in the athletic departments at the University of Southern California and Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Matoso will look to follow in the footsteps of former CSU Stanislaus Athletic Director Milt Richards, who in October left the university to accept a director of athletics post at Simon Frasier University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. Under Richards’ 12 years of leadership, CSU Stanislaus constructed the new Student Recreation Complex, hosted the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and generally improved the caliber of its athletic programs.

Matoso said he hopes to build on that tradition while establishing more relationships with the community.

“I am really looking forward to the opportunity to showcase the university, Warrior Athletics and the City of Turlock,” said Matoso. “Building the community within the athletics department, improving linkages with the region and setting common goals to improve athletics programs will be among my first focus areas.”