Jenny Simon-O’Neill is serving as Co-Director of Athletics at Cal alongside Jay Larson for 2025-2026. Appointed by Chancellor Rich Lyons in July 2025, Simon-O’Neill and Larson are leading the department through a time of sweeping transformation in college athletics under a new, collaborative leadership model.
With more than 17 years of experience at Cal, she previously served as Deputy Athletics Director, Chief of Staff, and Senior Woman Administrator. Simon-O’Neill served as a core member of the department’s executive team as well as Director’s Cabinet. Her portfolio included day-to-day operations of the department, strategic and athletic communications, gender equity, Title IX compliance, and sport supervision for men’s basketball, women’s soccer, and men's rowing. Beyond campus, she is a well-respected voice in collegiate athletics, having served on the Pac-12 Council, ACC Senior Woman Administrator committee, NCAA Division I Women’s Rowing Committee (as Chair) and the MPSF Administrative Board (as Chair).
Before joining Cal, Simon-O’Neill served as Associate Athletic Director at Lewis & Clark College, where she led athletic operations, NCAA compliance, student-athlete development and academic support. A former collegiate rower, she earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and sociology from Mount Holyoke College and an MBA from UMass Amherst.
