Even 20 years later, Matt Elliott’s first glimpse of Oʻahu’s south shore still sparkles in his memory. Raised in Massachusetts and having just completed law school in Chicago, Elliott landed in Honolulu in December 2005 to start a year-long clerkship and eager to explore his new surroundings.
“The first time I got in the car I drove out on Kalanianaʻole Highway and past Hanauma Bay, and turned that corner and said, ‘this is the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen in my life,’” Elliott recalled. “I saw that coast and was like I’d better not drive off the road because you can’t not stare at the most stunning view you’ve ever seen.”
Instantly captivated by the scenery, Elliott’s connection to and appreciation for the islands would only deepen over the next two decades even as his career took him back to the continent.
Having ascended the ranks in college athletics administration at UCLA, Elliott made a full-time return to Hawaiʻi in 2022 and the path he’s traveled since his first tour of the island led him to his current role as the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s newest athletics director. June 30 marked the official start of Elliott’s appointment leading UH athletics, a position pairing his affection for the islands with his understanding of the ever-shifting landscape of college athletics.
“I want to be in a space where I’m passionate about the work that I’m doing and I’m learning the entire time,” Elliott said. “If I have those two things in a professional setting, then I’m so motivated to work hard because I feel so good about the parallel goals happening at the same time.
“(The AD role) is an incredible responsibility, but I’m excited about it and motivated about it because it comes back to the passion for this place is so strong.”
Read the entire story by Jason Kaneshiro on the UH Mānoa athletics website.
Related UH News stories:
- Matt Elliott approved by BOR as next UH Mānoa athletics director, June 16, 2025
- Local leaders offer perspectives on Matt Elliott’s appointment as UH Mānoa AD, June 6, 2025
- Matt Elliott selected as the next UH Mānoa athletics director, June 5, 2025
