Kala Giddish joined the Naval Academy Athletic Association as the Associate Athletic Director for Development in August 2022. In this role, she supports key fundraising efforts for Navy Athletics and the Physical Mission of the United States Naval Academy, with a focus on major gifts.
Since her arrival, annual support for the Fund for Athletic Excellence has increased by more than 60%, accompanied by a significant rise in donor participation. Since joining NAAA in 2022, the number of stewarded donors for the Fund for Athletic Excellence has risen by 72%. She also oversees the department's planned giving initiative, the Athletic Excellence Legacy Fund, which plays a vital role in ensuring the long-term success of Navy’s 36 varsity sports.
Prior to joining NAAA, Giddish was the Major Gifts Officer at St. John's University School of Law, where she served for four years. In this role, she was part of a team that raised $4 million annually in support of all law school initiatives.
Before St. John's, Giddish served as an Associate Athletic Director at UMBC from 2014-18, where she was responsible for the overall management of the department’s compliance office and was the liaison for multiple university offices. Giddish reviewed all departmental contracts and served as sport supervisor for four sports.
Giddish worked at the University of South Carolina from 2012-14, where she served as the athletics department liaison with university admissions and the housing office and oversaw all NCAA initial eligibility.
Giddish, who graduated from Miami University in 2007 and earned her law degree from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio in 2010, started her career at Ohio State University, where she handled compliance for nine sports from 2010-12. She is an active member of Women Leaders and the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD). She currently resides in Severna Park, Md. with her husband Eli and their two children, Brooks and Georgia.
