Turlock High School and California State University, Stanislaus graduate Nick Stavrianoudakis was recently named the Interim Athletic Director at Modesto Junior College.

Stavrianoudakis received his M.S. degree from the University of Illinois-Champaign in Recreation, Sports, Tourism with a concentration in Sports Management and a M.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder in Economics after he earned his B.A. from CSU Stanislaus, also in Economics.

With more than 20 years of combined management experience in local community development and community college administration, Stavrianoudakis comes into his new role with a breadth of experience.

His career roots were planted in Turlock, where he was born, raised and held his first volunteer position keeping stats for the Turlock High School baseball team. Then, in 1985, he volunteered to help the CSU Stanislaus Women’s Basketball team host a game against the West German national team.

In the early 1990s, he co-owned a baseball card shop in Turlock with Rick Santos, where Stavrianoudakis quickly learned graphic design and landed side-jobs designing team trading cards for major colleges like Stanford University.

He said his early volunteer experiences in Turlock helped to propel his career.

“I’ve always felt Turlock is a close-knit community,” he said. “People may leave but then come back. At the time [when he left for his masters study in Colorado] I never thought it would be useful, but it turned out it did.”

Since 2001, he has served as the public affairs director for Yosemite Community College District, where he was credited for his work with media, legislative and community relations, as well as his overseeing of district policies and procedural reviews. He also initiated and oversaw special projects such as the district’s facilities master plan, bond measure and redistricting.

In over 10 years at Modesto Junior College, he assisted the athletic department with various projects including the annual MJC basketball tournament, Graffiti Bowl, Hall of Fame and other athletic events. He helped coordinate tournament sponsorships, marketing, promotions, and publications.