When Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond last joined a UCLA Alumni Town Hall, only six months had passed since he first set foot on campus. Now, after two and a half years on the job, Jarmond returns to update us on athletics, the student-athlete experience and the department's future. Find out why he is so passionate about building an E.L.I.T.E. mindset in staff and students, an expression of values and character that inspires everyone to be their best.
Interviewed by global marketing executive Chris MacLaughlin, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for Kestra Holdings, Jarmond will bring his signature warmth and humble honesty to this exciting and insightful conversation. Get answers to questions such as:
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What prompted the move from the Pac-12, and what are you looking forward to in the Big Ten?
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The NCAA just celebrated 50 years since the implementation of Title IX. What’s next for UCLA women in sports?
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How has the emergence of the NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) policy changed collegiate athletics, and what NIL opportunities are we providing for our student-athletes?
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How would you like alumni to be engaged with athletics this coming year as UCLA enters the Big Ten in 2024?
Tune in for this and so much more.
Martin Jarmond
The Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics
Martin Jarmond, a nationally recognized leader in college athletics, has built an impressive track record of competitive excellence, innovative strategy and student athlete success. He is a two-time recipient of Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award with 20 years in sports administration spanning three conferences. Jarmond’s results-driven strategies combined with a relentless work ethic to elevate UCLA Athletics creates an exceptional experience for student-athletes and fans alike.
Jarmond is the ninth athletic director in school history. He immediately impacted the Bruins, jumpstarting the Voting Matters Initiative, the first of its kind in the country, which assisted student-athletes in discovering the tools needed to exact meaningful change through civic duty. Jarmond engineered a partnership with Nike/Jordan Brand, UCLA becoming only the fifth Jordan brand school in the nation in its first partnership with Nike. Jarmond exhibits a strong commitment to mental health awareness and his emphasis on diversity and inclusion was recognized in a 2021 SBJ award for being a national leader in diversity and inclusive hiring.
Chris MacLaughlin is executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Kestra Holdings. She leads all elements of integrated marketing for an ecosystem of financial firms delivering wealth management solutions for financial professionals with $123B Assets Under Advisement and $53B Assets Under Management. MacLaughlin previously served as chief marketing officer of the IBM Partner Marketing Ecosystem. She drove the marketing and communications efforts for the next generation partner ecosystem and IBM’s channel business, with a focus on growing business partner momentum in IBM Cloud and AI technologies. Prior to that, she served as chief marketing officer for IBM Global Financing, where she led the global marketing team, supporting the world's largest IT captive financier, with a total asset base of over $41B and clients in over 60 countries spanning more than 20 industries.
The UCLA Alumni Town Hall is a gathering place where Bruins can have their voices heard and ask important questions in search of illuminating answers. Sign up now to submit questions that will help guide the conversation.
