Watson Named Pepperdine AD

John Watson, faculty representative to the NCAA for Pepperdine, has been selected the school’s athletic director. He succeeds Wayne Wright, who retired Dec. 31 after 21 years.

Watson, 49, is teaching in Pepperdine’s International Studies program in London and will assume his new duties May 1. A Pepperdine graduate, he is a tenured professor of education and a former vice president for student affairs at the Malibu school.

In the last 10 years, he has been involved in the hiring of coaches, promoting the program and increasing the number of women’s sports at Pepperdine.