Cal State Bakersfield is officially in the market for a new athletic director after parting ways with Kyle Conder, who had led the Roadrunners since September 2022.
Conder, who came to Bakersfield from SMU, where he served as Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director, was hired by then-President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny and Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Wallace following a nationwide search. He became just the fourth full-time athletic director in CSUB history after a nationwide search.
That 2022 finalist pool proved to be very significant. All three eventual finalists landed Big West jobs at one point, with Shawn Chin-Farrell at CSUN and Adam Tschuor at Pacific.
Conder’s tenure overlapped with a period of upper administration transition at CSUB. Wallace has since retired and taken on a role within the CSU system. Meanwhile, Dr. Vernon B. Harper Jr.—initially named interim president in December 2023—was appointed the university’s permanent president in September 2024, becoming just the sixth person to hold the role.
Unlike the national standard for Division I athletic directors, Conder did not have a multi-year contract at Bakersfield. He operated as an at-will employee with a base salary of $271,000 in 2024. Sources told Hero Sports that Bakersfield intends to extend a contract of at least three years to its next athletic director.
If the numbers feel small—six permanent presidents and what will be the fifth athletic directors—that’s because Cal State Bakersfield is still a relatively new university. Founded in 1965 as Kern State College and renamed California State College Bakersfield in 1968, CSUB became the 20th school in the California State University system.
Athletically, the Roadrunners have traveled a long road. For decades, Bakersfield competed in Division II as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). After leaving the CCAA in 2007, CSUB spent several years as an NCAA Division I independent before joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2013. In 2020, the Roadrunners became full members of the Big West Conference.
The AD search begins at a pivotal moment for Bakersfield athletics. The next leader will inherit a department that has transitioned through multiple conference homes in just over a decade and now faces the challenges of building competitiveness and stability within the Big West.
With presidential leadership firmly in place and a commitment to providing a multi-year contract, CSUB will chart a new course.
