Galbraith hired as Randolph’s new director of athletics

Tom Galbraith

Randolph College announced Friday the hiring of Tom Galbraith as director of athletics. He will begin on December 1.

Galbraith brings decades of experience at all levels of both the NCAA and NAIA to Randolph’s growing athletics program. He most recently served as director of athletics for Simpson University in Redding, California, where he spent five years leading the school through unprecedented growth in its athletic programs.

“Tom has a great understanding of Division III athletics and the role of the scholar-athlete,” said Bradley W. Bateman, Randolph’s president. “He has extensive and successful experience at increasing athletic recruitment, and we believe he is an excellent fit for our program. We are excited to welcome him and his family to the Randolph community and to Lynchburg.”

For Galbraith, Division III athletics is the chance for student-athletes to experience college the way it should be.

“We educate the whole person, and I think it is done better at the smaller level than at the Division I level,” he said. “The beautiful thing about Division III is there is a place for everyone, and you are able to get a full experience comfortably. When I was an athlete, I was involved all over campus. It’s a more fulfilling experience than just knowing where the gym or the weight room or the training room are. In four years, you not only walk away with an excellent degree, you are prepared to be a successful citizen.”

Carl Girelli, Randolph’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, said Galbraith stood out among the other applicants in the very competitive, national search.

“The search committee, faculty and staff from across Randolph, and I were all genuinely impressed at how Tom distinguished himself in a very competitive applicant pool,” Girelli said. “He is himself a scholar-athlete at heart and in practice, and a highly accomplished administrator. Having attended a Randolph athletics contest with him, I am persuaded that he is already a WildCat to the core.”

He looks forward to being highly involved and sharing his passion for both academics and athletics with the community at Randolph. A native of Iowa, Galbraith and his wife, Janelle, have Central Virginia ties and met at the University of Virginia. They have three daughters, ages 11, 18, and 21.

Before his most recent role at Simpson University, Galbraith served as the assistant director of athletics for communications at Radford in Virginia, assistant commissioner with the Southwestern Athletic Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, and as an assistant athletics director at Alabama A&M, all at the NCAA Division I level. He also spent time at Loras College in Iowa, Lewis & Clark in Oregon, Longwood University in Virginia, and Whitworth in Washington in various athletics administration roles.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and sports administration from Simpson College in Iowa, a master’s in education administration from North Dakota State, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Virginia.

“Central Virginia is one of my favorite places on Earth and to have a chance to move my family back there and to have a job that I have dreamed about is the best of both worlds,” Galbraith said. “It’s a perfect fit on the personal side and the professional side. I’m looking forward to picking up on the many successes that already exist at Randolph and expanding on those. I am excited to be a part of the next chapter here.”