Dr. Ty-Ron Douglas has always been a man on the move.

Always – since he was in his mother's womb.

Douglas' mother, Lucy, became pregnant with him while she was a freshman at Oakwood University, a historically black institution in Huntsville, Alabama. She struggled with the decision whether to keep her son or not, but while at a health clinic in Huntsville, Lucy felt her son move for the first time.

"She felt me move for the very first time and knew she couldn't (end the pregnancy)," Douglas said. "I'm a mover. I feel like ever since the womb I've had to do that to survive, to thrive and to help other people know there is life in them. It started with my mother."

Douglas has been moving ever since, and his latest stop is at Cal as the new Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

Along the way, Douglas has become a leading voice in the DEIB space – as an educator, activist, public speaker, author and more. He most recently was an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri, where he also was an affiliate member in the school's Black Studies program. He is the founder and executive director of The Salt City Center, which seeks to bridge community, corporations and university affiliations. Douglas also co-developed the Tiger Leadership Institute, a mentorship program for Missouri student-athletes that focuses on identity development, diversity and inclusion.

"There's always been something about movement for him," Lucy Douglas said. "I truly believe he was a gift, not just given to me but to the world. If I would have went through with the abortion, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I'm in awe of who he has become."

Douglas' propensity for movement has manifested itself in a variety of ways. Whether it's as an elite athlete in cricket and soccer; as a boy growing up in Paget, Bermuda, advocating on behalf of his sixth-grade class for more time to play soccer; overcoming a challenging environment throughout high school; or spending the bulk of his adult life working to break down cultural and social barriers, Douglas' path has allowed him time and time again to rise up where others may have been held down.

"When you first meet Ty, you're like, 'OK, this guy is different. This guy is special'," said Dr. Patrick Ivey, an associate athletic director at Louisville who worked with Douglas at Missouri. "You can tell he has a special anointing on his life. I would classify him as rare and exceptional when it comes to relating and caring about people. It's just part of his DNA."

Lucy Douglas dropped out of college and returned to Bermuda to give birth to her son. She married Stanley Douglas when Ty was 2 years old, and the couple raised him in an environment of empowerment and education. As a reflection of the family's commitment to academia, Lucy is now earning her Ed.D in Educational Leadership from the University of Missouri and Ty just completed his second master's degree in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University.

Ty was was always encouraged to question perceived normalcy and make sure his voice was heard, and a leader was born.

"When I was in elementary school, I literally thought I was the future premier of Bermuda," Douglas said. "I have always been a dreamer."

When Douglas was in Primary 7 in school (equivalent of sixth grade in the U.S.). he wrote a letter to his teacher requesting he and his classmates receive more time to play soccer. The teacher acquiesced.

"There was always this advocacy, writing, vision and speaking up in a way that could let us do what we want to do, which in this case was to play soccer," Douglas said.

Douglas suffered a shoulder injury in high school that prevented him from reaching his potential athletically, but he instead excelled in academia, in serving others, in fighting to do what is right. After initially attending Bermuda College, he also went to Oakwood and earned his bachelor's degree in English with a minor in sociology. From there, he received his master's from the University of Alabama-Huntsville and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

"I had this unfulfilled athletic passion, but what I didn't get access to in athletics I was able to push through that ceiling in academia," Douglas said. "It's almost as if my life has been like a choo-choo train – a life just headed toward this direction that just became more and more incessant. This is who I am, this is what I do, and the world was ready for people like me."

Douglas began at Cal on Jan. 1 after a thorough and meticulous national search. Among his many duties in the department, Douglas utilizes his experience and knowledge to apply advanced diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging concepts to promote diversity training, while also developing programs to increase hiring and retention and improving staff morale – all with a focus on underrepresented and historically marginalized populations.

"He just connected really well with everyone," said Cal Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director Jenny Simon-O'Neill, who chaired the search committee that selected Douglas. "It was very obvious to me that he was going to make an impact very quickly. He's not afraid of being in discussions that may or may not look pretty along the way. But they are discussions that ultimately make the organization better. He's not afraid to say what's on his mind."

Douglas' work is a perfect match for the culture and history of activism at Cal. He called himself "a version of what we aspire for our Cal athletes to be."

"Ty is a transformative leader, and he's a servant leader as well," Ivey said. "He's someone that is going to challenge the status quo. If there is a better way to do something, then you better believe that Dr. Ty Douglas is going to make his voice be heard."