Daniel Cruz Named UCLA Athletics Deputy AD/Chief Revenue Officer
October 14, 2024 | Bruin Athletics
"I'm thrilled to welcome Daniel Cruz to the UCLA Athletics leadership team and the Bruin family," said Jarmond. "Not only does Daniel have extensive experience driving negotiations for major brand partnerships at global companies, but he is also an expert in leveraging storytelling to tap into the power of those brands. In the midst of transformational change in collegiate athletics, his forward-thinking and innovative approach is going to help us optimize revenue generation on every level to better support our student-athletes."
Cruz comes to UCLA after serving as Vice President of Global Marketing Partnerships within the Disney's Corporate Alliance group. He was responsible for leading negotiations on partnership deals, while creating synergistic marketing opportunities that touched multiple properties at The Walt Disney Company. In his previous role as Vice President of Digital Media and Integrated Partnerships at Marvel Entertainment, Cruz was responsible for growing revenue and brand affinity across several of Marvel's business units for digital, print and onsite activations. Over the years, he has led multimedia promotional campaigns featuring Hyundai, Target, Unilever, Lego, Chevrolet, the Los Angeles Rams and the NBA.
Prior to joining Marvel, Cruz worked at top organizations, including Spotify, ESPN and MindShare, where he led cross-functional teams in the development and oversight of partnering with the largest advertisers and media holding companies. ย
"I am beyond excited and grateful to join the UCLA Athletics family and be part of an incredible program and tradition of excellence," Cruz said. "There is no more powerful brand in collegiate athletics than UCLA. The four letters are known world-wide. I'm looking forward to finding new opportunities to elevate the UCLA brand and optimize the growth potential of this elite institution."
"Our candidate field was very diverse and accomplished," said Jarmond. "Credit to Jocelyn Gates from Turnkey ZRG for their efforts and partnership."
Cruz was a four-year letterwinner in cross country at Fairfield University, graduating in 2002 with a degree in marketing. He is married to Harmoni Chinen Cruz, Associate General Counsel at Amazon Studios. The couple reside in Manhattan Beach, Calif. with their two children, Cameron and Caia.ย