Cal Poly announced that Carter Henderson had been selected as the new Cal Poly Director of Athletics during a press conference Thursday morning, replacing previous athletic director Don Oberhelman after 15 years in the position.
Henderson had been the deputy athletics director for external relations at Stanford University since June 2024, and was a part of their communications and athletics departments for nearly five years.
He will officially take over the position on Oct. 13.
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Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong gave remarks alongside Henderson in the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center lobby.
“Carter is committed to making Cal Poly Athletics better every single day, encouraging those around him to be a little faster, a little stronger and a little smarter,” Armstrong said.
Before his time at Stanford, Henderson had spent over 10 years in the communications department at the University of Washington and before that four years at Jacksonville University.
In his remarks, Henderson emphasized his desire to balance competitive success alongside academics and community support.
“We will look at community, we will look at the classroom and we will look at competition,” Henderson said. “If we’re not competitive from a conference perspective and chasing national championships we’re doing a disservice to all of our supporters and our student athletes in our program.”
Oberhelman had announced his retirement last June, beginning a national search for his replacement.
He continued to serve in his role throughout the process, despite the original announcement that the new athletic director would be appointed by the end of the summer.
In the past year, Cal Poly has increased efforts surrounding athlete compensation, including the decision to opt into the House v. NCAA settlement and to establish the Cal Poly’s Players Trust.
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Oberhelman had faced controversy in the past year following the decision to discontinue Swimming and Diving in March and elevate STUNT to varsity sport status, sparking widespread conversation about department funding and the future of non-revenue sports.
Henderson will inherit Cal Poly Athletics at a tumultuous time in college sports, with the responsibility to guide the program through a rapidly changing landscape.