Derek Grice Appointed Deputy Director To Vanderbilt Athletics!!!!!!

From the end zone of Dudley Field. Photo Credit Redbird310

On Tuesday morning, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candace Storey Lee announced that she had made her choice to fill the role of Deputy Athletic Director for External Engagement and Revenue Generation. That choice comes with vast experience in facility upgrades, fundraising, and campus growth at a time when Vanderbilt University is in the middle of multiple upgrades and campus improvements with capital projects Vandy United and Dare To Grow in full swing.

Derek Grice makes his way to the West End school from San Diego State University, where he served as Executive Associate Athletics Director. In that capacity, he was a member of the SDSU athletic director's executive team and oversaw trailblazing capital projects. Most notably in his time at SDSU, Grice played a vital role in a 166-acre campus expansion with an estimated $3 billion economic impact. As part of that expansion, Grice was the project executive in charge of planning, design, budget, construction, and revenue generation for Snapdragon Stadium. That facility is now home to SDSU athletics, MLS expansion San Diego FC, the National Women's Soccer League's San Diego Wave FC, and Major League Rugby's San Diego Legion. He also led the final negotiations for stadium naming rights, which is viewed as one of the most lucrative in the nation, as well as the negotiations that resulted in Snapdragon Stadium becoming the permanent home to the San Diego MLS franchise.

While at SDSU, Grice was also the sport supervisor over the SDSU men's and women's golf, and baseball, and held oversight over football, men's and women's basketball post-season travel. He was also the primary team administrator for the Aztec men's basketball program during the NCAA Championships, which culminated with a run to the Final Four in 2023.

Before his time on the West Coast, Mr. Grice previously held similar positions at Georgia Tech University, and North Texas University, as well as beginning his career in athletics administration at Texas State University. A graduate of Southern Miss University in 2002, he is married to Shay and the couple are the parents of Aubrey (12) and Preston (9).