Liza David, UCLA’s director of athletic communications, has been named sports information director of the year by College Gym News. David was honored for being responsive and attentive to media needs and going above and beyond her job description to provide necessary information.
David was also recognized for her behind-the-scenes work to elevate UCLA gymnastics’ visibility. Her social media strategy was lauded by College Gym News, who noted the number of floor routines that became viral sensations. She is credited with growing the UCLA gymnastics social media accounts to unprecedented levels, not just collegiately but in all of women’s sports. The only women’s sports team in the U.S. with more Instagram followers than UCLA gymnastics is the U.S. women’s soccer national team.
UCLA Athletics hired David as a full-time intern in 1995, and she was promoted to assistant sports information director a year later. In 2011, she took on a new role in the department as the director of new media, executing and overseeing the UCLA Athletics social media accounts, as well as the department’s official website, UCLABruins.com. She served in a dual role as athletic communications director and director of new media from 2013 to 2015. In fall 2019, she received the UCLA Athletics Wooden Award for distinguished service.
David has worked directly with 14 UCLA sports throughout her career: women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s track and field. She was the sports information director for 10 NCAA Championship teams.