Jeff Bussell became the Director of Athletics in July of 2018, after serving two years as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for the Lions.
During his tenure, the department has grown from 11 programs and 188 student-athletes to 19 programs and over 430 student-athletes. Bussell has oversaw the development of stunt (2017), women’s beach volleyball (2017), men’s and women’s golf (2018), men’s volleyball (2019), men’s wrestling (2019) and dance (2021).
Under Bussell’s leadership, Vanguard athletic teams have achieved unprecedented success over the last seven years with 23 GSAC Regular Season Championships, 12 GSAC Tournament Championships, 68 NAIA National Championship Appearances, three individual Track and Field National Champions, a Stunt National Championship (April 2021), an NAIA Men’s Wrestling Individual National Champion (March 2023), an NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship (April 2023), and an NAIA Beach Volleyball Invitational National Championship (April 2023).
In addition to thriving on the field/court, the Lions have thrived in the classroom by achieving a 3.3 department GPA.
“While we have enjoyed tremendous success on the field/court, the most important thing any Vanguard student-athlete will do in their career is to graduate with a Christian worldview and be equipped to live a life of significance through a lifetime of service to others," stated Bussell.
Bussell was named the 2019-20 Golden State Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year.
Prior to Vanguard University, Bussell served as the Director of Athletics at the University of Antelope Valley in Lancaster, CA, for two years. He led the strategic plan for a brand-new athletics program to become a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). UAV transitioned from a NAIA Independent into the California Pacific Conference for the 2015-16 season. In their first year in the Cal Pac, the Pioneers earned 24 All-Conference honors, which included three Newcomer of the Year recipients, a Pitcher of the Year, and two Coach of the Year accolades. Bussell witnessed the school's first conference championship as the Pioneers baseball team took home the 2016 crown. He also oversaw the successful addition of the first-ever Men's Basketball and Women’s Volleyball programs. The UAV athletic teams earned their first NAIA Scholar-Team Awards in school history by maintaining a 3.0 or above GPA. Bussell served as the Cal Pac representative on the NAIA Athletic Director Association Board of Directors in 2015-16.
Preceding his stint with Antelope Valley, Bussell was a part of an extraordinarily successful era at William Jessup University from 2004 to 2014. He contributed to building a championship athletic department from their first year in the NAIA (2004-05) in a variety of roles such as sports information director, game management director, marketing coordinator and coach. During this time, he was awarded the California Pacific Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year in 2012-13 and followed it up with Sports Information Director of the Year in 2013-14.
Jeff and his wife, Nicole, have two daughters: Grace and Samantha.
