Drew Gwerder joined Cal Poly Humboldt in October of 2022 as the Assistant Athletics Director for Strategic Communications. He directs the department's communications and marketing/promotional efforts, serves as the main point of contact for all 13 teams, and oversees the department’s digital, social, and media relations. Additionally, Gwerder has previously served as the primary sport administrator for Men's Soccer and Men's Wrestling. He also is a member of the senior leadership and executive staff teams at Cal Poly Humboldt.
Since assuming leadership of Cal Poly Humboldt's digital media efforts in 2022, he has overseen consistent audience growth across the department's social media platforms, increasing total followers by 24.51%. As a result, Cal Poly Humboldt now leads the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in total combined social media following and ranks fifth among all NCAA DII institutions in the West Region.
Over the past two years, he introduced a mobile app to drive brand engagement through a new revenue stream and led the website redesign that is set to launch summer 2026. Gwerder also co-created the Cal Poly Clash, a NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry brand connecting the two NCAA Division II Cal Poly campuses. The initiative was developed to boost attendance, generate fan engagement, and create a marketable annual competition across multiple sports. On game days, he manages all in-game and table operations, oversees a conference-innovating live streaming team that has helped establish new production standards across the conference, and works closely with the Deputy AD for Community Partnerships to ensure proper promotional events for sponsors.
Gwerder has previously served as a co-advisor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), is the chair of the Hall of Fame Committee, and collaborates on the hiring and training of all student workers/interns. He has previously held roles on the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Advocacy Committee, the CSC Membership Recognition Committee, and the D2CSC Men's Basketball West Region rankings committee.
Before joining Cal Poly Humboldt, Gwerder worked at Holy Names University (HNU) in Oakland for three and a half years in the sports information office, where he managed communications, social media, and marketing for all 13 teams and assisted with department fundraisers. He was also the co-advisor for SAAC, and served as a liaison for the men's and women's soccer coaches to the PacWest Conference. Gwerder also co-founded the Bay Area Clásico Cup, a soccer tournament involving three PacWest institutions in the Bay Area.
From Elk Grove, Calif., Gwerder attended Holy Names University, earning his Master’s in Education with a concentration in Physical Education in 2022, and his undergraduate degree in Business with a concentration in Sports Management and Marketing in 2019. A former member of the HNU Baseball team, he competed as an Academic All-Conference student-athlete from 2015-2019. Gwerder also earned an Intercollegiate Athletics Administration certificate from Ole Miss in the summer of 2025.
