bio entering 2023-2024 season
Danielle Kelly is beginning her firth year in Athletics at San Diego State University (SDSU). She began her career at SDSU in July 2019, as the Coordinator of Student-Athlete Development. She was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development in June 2022, and recently was promoted to the Aztec Athletics Senior Leadership Team, serving as the Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development since April 2023. In this role she spearheads the Aztecs Going Pro program designed to prepare student-athletes to transition to life and a career after they graduate.
In her role as Associate Athletic Director of Student-Athlete Development, Kelly also teaches four one-unit courses each semester as a part of the Aztecs Going Pro program. Aztecs Going Pro is a comprehensive, student development program designed to provide intentional programming in a classroom setting for more than 500 student-athletes each year to enhance academic preparedness, further personal growth, and create a greater understanding and appreciation of the social connections that are available at San Diego State. Since joining the Aztecs, Kelly redesigned and developed the comprehensive four-year student-athlete development program centered on personal growth, civic engagement, and career development.
Before joining the Aztecs, Kelly served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Services at the University of the Pacific for over a decade. Kelly brought her passion for supporting students and over ten years of higher education, leadership, management, and teaching experience to SDSU. She is a student advocate who thrives on ensuring student equity and success, and has consistently demonstrated effective student support and mentoring through leadership and administrative experience.
Kelly earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, and Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis in Educational Leadership, at the University of the Pacific. During her time as a student-athlete at the University of the Pacific, she was captain of the Field Hockey team, President of Pacific SAAC, President of Big West SAAC, and a member of the NCAA National SAAC where she served as the student-athlete representative for the Championship Cabinet.
Kelly is a San Diego native and has two children, Jackson (6) and Drayden (3) and two stepchildren, Mitchell (21) and Mady (18) with her husband Michael Kelly.
