UC Santa Barbara Athletics is thrilled to announce the return of Ashlee Klingenberg to the staff, coming on as the Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services. This updated position will support student-athletes during their time at UC Santa Barbara while preparing them for life outside of sports.
“Ashlee Klingenberg emerged quickly as a top candidate for this position,” said Deputy Athletic Director and SWA Jessica Goerke, who led the hiring committee for this position. “Her depth and breadth of experience across Division I athletics, along with her institutional knowledge, make her an unbelievable addition to our staff and will have an immediate impact on the student-athlete experience here at UC Santa Barbara. I look forward to seeing this unit grow under her leadership.”
Klingenberg will return to Santa Barbara after a stint with USC Women’s Basketball as the Director of Operations. During her time with the Trojans, she managed all of the day-to-day operations of the team including travel, external relations and community services, equipment, budget management and camps. Along with that, she worked with various areas of the department to promote the team, increase awareness, and generate more ticket sales.
Prior to her time at USC, Klingenberg was with the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Basketball team in the same role. She helped with all of the same operations as above while also managing the social media channels, assisting with game scheduling, and serving as the liaison for the team with other departments throughout campus.
Overall, Klingenberg has spent 10 years working in college athletics with stops at Seattle University and UC Irvine as well.
“I’m truly excited to come back to UC Santa Barbara,” Klingenberg said. “The opportunity to serve the Gaucho family as Assistant Athletic Director for Student Services is a dream, and I’m honored that Kelly Barsky has chosen and entrusted me with this role. Working with student-athletes has always been a passion of mine, and I’m looking forward to being a part of their development as individuals as well as growing this program at UCSB. My first experience working at this institution was formative, and I’ve continued to follow and cheer on the Gauchos ever since, so it’s wonderful to return to this special place.”
Klingenberg will officially begin this role on July 6. She received her bachelor’s degree in 2008 from San Jose State University with a degree in business marketing.
