BERKELEY – Dr. Marissa Nichols, one of the leaders in the landscape of intercollegiate student-athlete development, has been named the first-ever director of the newly formed Cameron Institute, Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton announced Tuesday.

Dr. Nichols, a former NCAA Woman of the Year finalist and first-team All-American softball player at UNLV, has spent the past two years at Boston University where she was the institution's first-ever Director of Leadership & Career Development and oversaw the inaugural Bloom Family Leadership Initiative, which focuses on the holistic development of student-athletes.

"We had an amazing pool of candidates, and throughout the process one candidate stood out because of her background and vision to make the Cameron Institute the model student-athlete development program in the country," Knowlton said. "We think Marissa will be a wonderful ambassador for Cal Athletics in this unique role that will impact recruits, current student-athletes, alums and the Cal community."

In May, Cal Athletics announced the formation of the Cameron Institute, an innovative program to support student-athlete development. The institute was made possible through a $12.5 million gift from C. Bryan Cameron and will be based upon three pillars – leadership and personal development, career development and community engagement.

"I truly believe the Cameron Institute has the potential to be a world-class model for the development of student-athletes, coaches and staff," Dr. Nichols said. "To have this type of gift from Bryan Cameron in the field of student-athlete development is incredible. I want to thank Jim Knowlton and his team for entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity. I'm very excited to pave our path and get started."

Known for being on the cutting edge of intercollegiate student-athlete development, Dr. Nichols is considered a national leader in the field. In addition to having sole oversight of 13 personal, leadership and career development programs and initiatives at Boston University, she also created and managed over 25 campus and community partnerships. In addition, Dr. Nichols designed and launched The Terrier Network – a thriving program that connects student-athletes with Boston University alums and industry professionals through career mentorship, internship and job opportunities and networking events.

"I think Marissa will be an exceptional leader of the Cameron Institute and be able to build a team and program to enable Cal's student-athletes to learn, grow and develop during their time at Cal, and as a result be well prepared for their adult lives after graduation," Cameron said. "She impresses people with her intelligence, thoughtfulness, work ethic and integrity. I think everyone in the Cal community will enjoy partnering with Marissa to achieve the goals for the institute."

Dr. Nichols has given multiple presentations at the annual National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention and is consistently invited to lend her expertise to other institutions on methods of measuring student-athlete success. She also has been heavily involved in various NCAA leadership development programs.

"She's the next big game-changer in our field," said Dr. Kristina Navarro, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Leadership Development & Strategic Partnerships at Rutgers University. "She's a visionary. She has the ability to speak the language of faculty and academics, and also of coaches and student-athletes. She's become my go-to person in the field as a trusted collaborator."

The Cameron Institute is expected to be fully operational by the start of the 2020-21 academic year, allowing sufficient time to create specific programming and build the necessary infrastructure. Dr. Nichols' first day at Cal will be Sept. 18.

"Marissa has a dynamic, engaging personality that gives her the ability to relate to all the constituents and partners in this position," Knowlton said. "She's the perfect fit to lead the Cameron Institute and will be a great addition to our director's cabinet."