BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- CSU Bakersfield President Dr. Horace Mitchell along with Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Wallace have announced the appointment of Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried as Director of Athletics at CSU Bakersfield following a national search to permanently fill the position.
Siegfried, 34, becomes only the third Director of Athletics at CSU Bakersfield since intercollegiate athletics began in 1971. A search committee composed of CSUB campus, athletics staff and community members made their recommendation to campus leadership following the hiring process.
Siegfried, formerly the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations, has been serving as interim director of athletics since July of 2014.
Siegfried had a very-successful stint as interim director of athletics in 2014-15. Competitively, the Roadrunners won two Western Athletic Conference championships (volleyball and baseball) and the program's first NCAA Division I postseason contest when baseball defeated Ole Miss 2-1 in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional. CSUB also played in the WAC championship finals in men's soccer and softball and won numerous individual titles in swimming and track & field. In total, CSUB Athletics competed in four conference championship games compared to one in 2013-14.
Siegfried has also placed a focus on student-athlete welfare and life skills. In the Fall, Siegfried created a new position and hired the first ever full-time life skills coordinator and established the Runner Ready program. The purpose of this new program is to prepare student-athletes for success in life during and after college athletics. That initiative was rewarded in the summer of 2015 when CSUB Athletics was rewarded the NCAA Accelerated Academic Support Program grant, a multi-year gift of $870,000, much of which will go towards renovating a 7,000 square-foot academics center.
About Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried
Prior to being named the Interim Athletics Director, Siegfried served as the Senior Associate Athletics Director at CSUB. In his role, he managed the athletics department in the absence of the athletics director, was the sport administrator for multiple sports, led the external relations of the department, and was the chair of multiple head coaching search committees.
Fundraising was and continues to be a major strength for Siegfried as Roadrunner Scholarship Fund membership increased by 114% while the total number of donors increased by 65% during his time at CSUB. Roadrunner Scholarship Fund donations also set new records for dollars raised for the third straight year to over $700,000, bringing the overall athletics giving to $2.1 million in 2014-15.
Siegfried arrived in Bakersfield from the University of Memphis where he worked for eight years. During his time in Memphis, he held various positions including serving on the senior staff in the athletics department and also serving on the University fundraising leadership team during a successful $250 million campaign. During his time on the athletics' senior staff, Siegfried was part of the team that raised $16 million to transform athletics facilities. Overall, during his time at the University of Memphis Siegfried successfully solicited four gifts of $1 million or more.
Siegfried attended University of Memphis where he earned a bachelor's degree in education and sports management. He earned his Master of Science degree in sports administration from Middle Tennessee State University and is nearing the completion of his doctorate with an emphasis on leadership in higher education as well.
A native of Memphis, TN, Siegfried and his wife, Karen, have three children, William, Samuel, and their late sister Delilah.
