Dr. Ted Leland, the Vice President for External Relations and Athletics, took over as the athletic director of Pacific Athletics on July 1, 2011.  Beginning his second stint as the director, Leland will oversee Pacific Athletics for a two-year period while overseeing the implementation of Pacific's new strategic plan for Intercollegiate Athletics - a plan that he and former athletic director Lynn King created while working together over the previous year.

“I love what I do, I love Pacific and I am happy to be back,” said Leland. “I had a wonderful time in Stockton earlier in my career and I am looking forward to helping make this a smooth transition.”

In addition to his duties in the athletic department, Leland will retain his status as vice president for external relations. At the end of the two-year period, Leland will resume full-time duties as vice president for External Relations and conduct a search for a new athletics director. A member of the University Cabinet, Leland is also a part of the Institutional Priorities Committee and the President’s Advisory Council.

Devoted to service in college athletics and his community, Leland is the Chair of both the Stockton Unified School District – Measure C & Q Citizen Oversight Committee and the USA Volleyball Foundation Board. He also serves as a member of the National Advisory Board of the Positive Coaching Alliance, Miracle Mile Improvement Association Board of Directors and USA Volleyball Board of Directors. He is also a member of the San Joaquin Partnership, the San Joaquin Community Foundation Board and the Sutter Health Central Valley Region Board.

Leland last ran Pacific's athletic department from 1989-91. He was instrumental in the fund-raising campaigns that built the Baun Student Fitness Center and helped renovate Stagg Memorial Stadium. Under Leland, Pacific athletics set records for season tickets, while the women’s volleyball team advanced the NCAA Final Four in 1990.

Leland was named The Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics at Stanford University on June 7, 1991, and was the guiding force in leading an athletics program that was voted as "the most admired collegiate athletic program in the nation." From 1991-2005, Stanford won 53 national team championships in 14 different sports, including an NCAA record six national titles in 1996-97. Cardinal teams consistently competed for the national championship in virtually each sport every year. In 2004-05 alone, Stanford had 26 programs finish in the Top 25 nationally, including 10 in the Top 5 and 16 in the Top 10. 

In the area of fundraising, the Athletic Department raised over $270 million in private donations, and its assets and endowments grew from $52 million to $374.9 million during Leland's tenure. In addition, approximately $185 million in new or renovated athletic facilities were completed and funded. 

Leland's peers and colleagues have honored him on several occasions. He was presented the Dick Enberg Award by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) in 2004. In 2000-01, Leland was honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal as the Athletic Director of the Year.

Leland has served on numerous national committees throughout his career. He has been a member of the Division I NCAA Committee on Infractions and the NACDA Executive Committee, and has served on various other NCAA committees. He has chaired the NCAA Water Polo Committee (1989-96) and the NCAA Adhoc Committee on Student Athletic Employment (1997). He was also a part of the rebuilding while serving a two-year term as chairman of the NCAA Division I Management Council (1993-2001). In June of 2002, Leland was named a co-chairman of the United States Secretary of Education's Commission on Opportunity in Athletics. The 15-member panel examined ways of strengthening enforcement of Title IX and expanding opportunities to ensure fairness for all college athletes.

After serving as Stanford's Director of Athletics for 12 years, Leland was granted a "Special Research Leave" from his post in the spring of 2003. During an 11-week absence, Leland was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Hoover Institution on campus, conducted research on a book, and wrote and delivered several speeches on national issues related to intercollegiate athletics. 

In addition to Stanford and Pacific, Leland was also the athletic director at Dartmouth College from 1983-89. His other career stops have included Northwestern University, where he was a Senior Associate Athletic Director from 1981-83 and the University of Houston as an Assistant Athletic Director from 1979-81. He was an assistant football coach and instructor of physical education at Stanford in 1978-79. 

Leland grew up in Northern California, graduated from Hayward High School and later attended Chabot College. He earned both his Bachelor's (1970) and Master's (1972) degrees from the University of the Pacific, prior to adding a Ph.D. from Stanford in 1982 in education/sports psychology. 

While an undergraduate at Pacific, Leland earned First Team All-PCAA football honors as a defensive end in 1969. He later coached football at Pacific, Stanford and East Tennessee State.

As he continues a remarkable career, Leland has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of eight different organizations, including University of the Pacific, Chabot College and Stanford University.

In addition to his work in athletic administration, Leland has held the position of "adjunct professor" at Dartmouth College, Pacific and Stanford, teaching courses in Sports Psychology and the Philosophy of Sport. He currently teaches in Pacific’s Freshmen Seminar program.

Leland and his wife, Stefanie, have two adult children: Amanda and Bo. Bo and his wife Robin have a daughter, Emma.