Anthony J. Azama (pronounced Az-muh), known as a dynamic and visionary leader, enters his ninth year as the John M. Schael Director of Athletics at Washington University in St. Louis. In August 2021, Azama was promoted to Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs in addition to his role as Director of Athletics.
Azama has guided WashU Athletics to new heights in the University Athletic Association (UAA) and College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW). Over the course of his eight-year tenure, Azama’s vision and strategic planning strengths have been instrumental in improving the student-athlete experience across the Danforth Campus and in the St. Louis community. At the time of his appointment, he was the first Black Director of Athletics at Washington University and in the UAA.
Azama believes that student-athletes can be both academically gifted and athletically talented and that those attributes are not mutually exclusive. “You can earn it all at WashU – a world-class degree and compete for championships while simultaneously preparing for life after graduation.”
Through Azama’s tenure, WashU Scholar-Champions have continually performed outstandingly in the classroom. During the 2024-25 academic year, 343 Scholar-Champions received all-conference academic recognition. Five Scholar-Champions went on to earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors. In December 2024, sophomore Regan Cannon won the women’s soccer Elite 90 award, becoming the first person in program history to win the award. Similarly, in March 2025, sophomore Lucas Vogel won the men’s basketball Elite 90 award, also becoming the first person in program history to achieve the honor. The Elite 90 is an award founded by the NCAA which honors the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.
Additionally, during the 2024-25 academic year, three current and former Bears earned the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships: Gaelen Clayton (women’s soccer), Alex McCormick (men’s swimming and diving) and Emma Kelley (women’s track and field). These scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are at least in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.
In 2024, senior Alex McCormick won the men’s swimming and diving Elite 90 award, becoming the first person in program history to do so. In 2023, junior Will Houser won the men’s indoor track and field Elite 90 Award. Additionally, in 2021, Ally Persky of women’s tennis and Henry Singer of baseball received the prestigious honor, bringing WashU’s total to 19 since the awards’ inception during the 2009-10 academic year. Out of the 19 Elite 90 award-winner recipients, Azama has been at the helm for 10.
Athletically, during Azama’s tenure, the Bears have recorded six Top 10 finishes in the Division III Learfield/IMG College Directors’ Cup (not awarded in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19), most recently earning a fourth-place finish in 2025. WashU also has one NCAA Woman of the Year, five NCAA Top 10 selections, 38 conference titles, 77 Academic All-Americans, 21 individual National Champions, 13 NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipients and five National Championships.
The W Club, Athletics’ Annual Fund, has had a huge impact on department resources due to an increase in members and giving. W Club fundraising has enhanced 19 sports’ budgets and Crew while simultaneously establishing 13 endowments, including an Opportunity Fund to assist student-athletes regardless of economic status.
Azama has added several critical roles to the department – the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations, the Student-Athlete Development and Experience Coordinator, the Varsity Team Travel Coordinator, additional athletic trainers and additional sports performance staff. Additionally, he has made key coaching hires including Head Football Coach Aaron Keen, Head Women’s Soccer Coach Jim Conlon, Head Men’s Basketball Coach Pat Juckem, Head Women’s Tennis Coach Paige Madara, Head Women’s Golf Coach Dave Reinhardt, Head Softball Coach Casey Cromwell, Head Men’s Soccer Coach Andrew Bordelon and Head Women’s Basketball Coach Lisa Stone.
Azama has ushered in a new era for the Bears with more than $25 million in facility upgrades and renovations. A variety of “athletic classrooms” for Scholar-Champions have been improved, including a brand new court in the Field House. Unveiled in August 2023, the court is a Robbins’ MVP Court, which is used by multiple professional and Power 5 teams. It’s a one-of-a-kind system that is tuned to minimize vibration and maximize uniformity, taking athletes’ performance, comfort and safety to unrivaled levels. With this court, athletes are able to use less energy and perform at peak levels for longer periods of time. Additionally, athletes are less likely to be injured due to fatigue.
Unveiled for the 2023 baseball season, was the entirely overhauled Kelly Field, the field features a synthetic turf field with landscape turf surrounding it. The structure of the field was leveled out for safety purposes and a new backstop was added. New batting cages and a bullpen area were installed in the Player Development Area to further develop the Scholar-Champions. Finally, the field received a new press box and a new camera set up for the WashU Sports Network.
In January 2023, the Bears opened the newly-constructed Sports Performance Center. The SPC is a 7,000-square foot facility that features 16 Samson rack stations, Eleiko plates and bars, a 30-by-5-yard turf flooring area, two belt squat lifting machines, nine glute/hamstring machines, medicine balls and a throwing wall, five plyo box sets and 16 side boards. The space also has state-of-the-art Perch technology which uses cameras to track sets, reps, peak velocity, mean velocity, peak power, mean power, eccentric mean velocity and eccentric time. Additionally, the area has a state-of-the-art air conditioning system that uses a desiccant wheel to remove humidity, save energy and make it comfortable for up to 80 athletes. There are also eight large-screen monitors, backpack cubbies and a nutrition cooler.
In 2022, the WashU softball and intramural facility received a major renovation. The field was completely redone with turf and includes new sunken dugouts with storage, three new batting cages, elevated ADA seating, a new press box, storage sheds, a semi-permanent fencing system, new aluminum bleachers with Dream Seat chair backs, a new tension netting backstop and a walkway with step lights. The Intramural Field now allows space for different programming such as soccer, flag football, ultimate Frisbee and spikeball.
Additionally in 2022, the baseball and softball hitting space was outfitted with a HitTrax batting cage which allows for interactive play and real-time competition. HitTrax helps with hitting, catching and pitching and is able to measure pitch location, point of impact and exit speed to help improve a student-athletes’ overall game. New squat racks were purchased for the Varsity Weight Room prior to the completion of the new Sports Performance Center. Finally, Tao Tennis Center was set up for livestream with the installation of Playsight Technology, allowing WashU to live stream tennis events for the first time ever. Additionally, in the summer of 2022, the bleachers at Francis Olympic Field underwent a renovation to widen the aisles and install hand railings.
In 2021, WashU purchased a new LED scorers’ table for the fieldhouse and new dumbbells for the Varsity Weight Room. Additionally, the Athletic Complex added nationally-recognized athletics branding to the stairwells.
The Hall of Champions received an upgrade in 2020, including a new sound system, new windows, glass inlay doors, a new floor and acoustic tiles.
A new timing system and scoreboard was purchased for the Millstone Pool in 2019. Additionally, Francis Olympic Field received new artificial turf, lighting was updated on level two of the Athletic Complex and the HVAC was retro commissioned.
In 2018, a new video board and sound system was installed at Francis Olympic Field, the varsity weight room received a new sound system, a new state-of-the-art Golf Training System was purchased, new banners were installed along Olympian Way and the fourth floor lobby and office area received new branding.
In Azama’s first year, 2017, Bushyhead Track was upgraded with an entirely new surface. Additionally, the softball and the men’s and women’s swimming and diving locker rooms were renovated.
The expansion of partnerships both on and off campus has improved the accessibility of WashU Athletics. Starting with becoming one of the first Division III institutions to implement an app for streaming live events on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire in 1080HD with play-by-play announcing.
In August 2021, WashU launched its brand new website with SIDEARM Sports, inking a five-year deal with the industry-leader for the website, video streaming and a mobile app.
In June 2020, Azama inked the first apparel deal in WashU Athletic Department history when he announced a multi-year partnership with BSN-Nike to be the exclusive apparel provider for WashU Athletics and Recreation. In collaboration with Advent, a leading collegiate design firm, WashU captured its core brand narrative. This process allowed for more direct story-telling and has spearheaded several campaigns for student-athletes, coaches and alumni, including #WhyWashU, #UnitedPursuit, #BuilttoImpact and #BattleOn. Several campaigns were nationally recognized by the National Association of College Marketing Administrators (NACMA) in the “Best Of” annual award categories.
The Sumers Recreation Center continues to be a favorite destination for both graduate and undergraduate students. Within the first two years of operation, Sumers Rec Center totaled more than one million visitors.
Azama’s impact on collegiate sports is felt on a local and national level as he serves as a board member on the St. Louis Sports Commission and was named to the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee for a 2020-24 term. In 2024, he was voted on by the membership to serve as an at-large member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA). He is also a member of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) and has participated in the NCAA DIII Student Immersion Program to mentor minorities.
Additionally, in 2020, Azama launched the WashU Athletics Podcast “Outside the Game with Anthony J. Azama.” The podcast provides another medium to reach Bears’ fans, family, alumni and parents while discussing pressing topics in the world of college athletics.
Azama was awarded with a Telly Award in 2022 for his role in the development, storyboard and voiceover to “Celebrating WashU Athletics’ Return to Full Competition”. The Telly Awards honor excellence in video and television across all screens.
He brings 20-plus years of experience to WashU, making stops at the Ivy League Columbia, Mid-American Conference (MAC) Miami (OH) and Florida Citrus Sports, where multiple collegiate bowl games are played with conference tie-ins to SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, while graduating from the SEC Vanderbilt.
Prior to WashU, Azama spent two years as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations at Columbia University in New York City. He was responsible for the strategic direction, oversight, coordination, leadership and active participation in the revenue generation and external functions while at Columbia.
In less than a year, he restructured the External Operations units – Marketing & Promotions, Communications, Sponsorship, Ticketing, Memberships, Licensing, Branding and Merchandising to create double-digit growth in each of its revenue streams while taking the department through a rebranding process.
A cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University, Azama was a three-year letterwinner on the Commodore football team and received his bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development. In 2006, he completed the Sports Management Institute (SMI) Executive Program at University of North Carolina nad University of Southern California. In 2015, he received his master’s degree in Business Administration from Miami University (OH).
Updated July 2025
