Dear HSU Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that Duncan Robins has agreed to serve as the Interim Athletic Director for Humboldt State University.  Duncan’s appointment begins June 1, 2017.

Duncan has had a long career as a CEO and consultant who has helped lead change in multiple organizations, many of them related to sports.  These assignments have included board or senior operating roles in sporting goods, marketing services, consumer products, and education companies that have typically blended operational and financial improvements with social and environmental initiatives.  

Duncan is committed to Humboldt State and our mission of environmental and social responsibility.  He currently chairs the Humboldt State University Advancement Foundation, focusing on major efforts to divest from fossil fuels and to move toward green investing; during his time with the Foundation, the endowment has grown to the largest value in its history.  Duncan served as a Program Leader during the accreditation and launch of HSU’s Leadership Studies program, an online BA degree-completion program offered by the College of eLearning and Extended Education, and he has taught BA and MBA courses in the School of Business on management, organizational change, and finance.

Duncan moved with his young family to Arcata in 1998 to lead Yakima as its CEO through an organizational transformation that led to an era of rapid growth and strong local pride.  Outside Humboldt County, he may be better known for his work with other organizations, including leading a start-up (now known as Experticity) through the Great Recession to an Inc. 100 listing (Inc. Magazine’s listing of the 100 fastest growing private companies in the U.S.).  He was involved in turning around an education-services company that ran eight campuses and credential programs on the East Coast for Johns Hopkins, Skidmore, Fairleigh Dickinson, and Clark University.  During his assignments, Duncan has been part of research teams that have developed innovative products and services for hockey, football, kayaking, hiking, motocross, hydration, headlamps, car racks, children’s products, and educational toys that have generated many commercial patents, including more than 25 patents in his name.

Sports have been a major part of Duncan’s life.  While growing up in Canada, he captained his hockey team to the U17 National Championships, which attracted the interest of both college and professional teams.  By the time Harvard University recruited him, Duncan had hung up his skates to compete for Canada at the U18 World Championships in sprint kayaking and was attempting to earn a seat on the 1984 Olympic team.  While at Harvard, Duncan rowed crew in the 1st Freshman Heavyweight and then the 1st Varsity Lightweight boats before taking his final year off to play football and box.  While earning a master’s degree at Stanford, Duncan captained a club rugby team of graduate students to PAC-10 and then international accolades. He has also coached youth athletes and teams competing in soccer and sprint kayaking to state and national championships.  

Duncan graduated from Harvard with a B.A. in Earth and Planetary Sciences and Economics (summa cum laude) and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  He earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Duncan brings a wealth of experience to the role of Interim Athletic Director at HSU, with the dedication of an athlete, the heart of a coach, and the mind of a business leader.

Duncan and his wife, Darcy, have two children.  Their daughter, Day, recently graduated from Middlebury College after competing as a student athlete in soccer (4 years) and track (2 years).  Their son, Canyon, attends Stanford University where he is enjoying a mix of soccer, basketball, and computer science.

Tom Trepiak, who has served as the Interim Athletic Director since November 2016, will be returning to his position as Associate Director of Athletics at HSU, also effective June 1, 2017. Tom has done a commendable job leading Intercollegiate Athletics during his time as Interim Director.

Please join me in thanking Tom for his service and in welcoming Duncan to his new role as Interim Athletic Director for HSU.  

With best wishes (and Go Jacks!),

Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.
President