Bio

A Seeley native has become the first associate dean of athletics, exercise science and health education at Imperial Valley College.

Enrique Lechuga Nunez comes to IVC from the three-campus CETYS University System in Baja California, where he served for five years as athletic director. While at CETYS, Lechuga worked on a proposal that eventually changed NCAA legislation to allow accredited schools in Mexico to become members of an NCAA conference.

“We are very happy to bring Enrique aboard to help us reimagine our athletic program and enhance its quality for our incoming and current IVC students,” said IVC Superintendent/President Lennor Johnson. “He is a product of our local schools and comes to us with an excellent background in both sports and in administration.”

He also will carry dual responsibilities as IVC’s athletic director. While at CETYS, Lechuga hire the university's first-ever athletic compliance coordinator and senior women administrator, Lechuga developed a number of team sports for the college, including softball, women’s flag football, women’s volleyball, and swimming. He also developed an annual coaching clinic there and implemented CETYS “One Team One Dream” concept in sports that combined operations of formerly separate teams at the CETYS campuses in Mexicali, Tijuana, and Ensenada.

While he was there, CETYS generated national champions in Mexico for women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, baseball, swimming and flag football.

Lechuga, a resident of Imperial, is a 2004 graduate of Central Union High School, where he played baseball for four years. He holds a bachelors degree in business management from Concordia University and two masters degrees: coaching and athletic administration from Concordia and exercise science from Azusa Pacific University.

He also has a professional sports background.

Lechuga spent two years (2008 and 2009) with the Chicago White Sox organization where he played minor league baseball in Great Falls, Mt. and Kannapolis, N.C. He joined an independent baseball league team in 2010 in Traverse City, Mi. and then continued his professional baseball career for six years in Mexico.

Lechuga, and his wife Paola Velasco, have three boys: Noe, Iker and Mateo. He also has four older sisters, all graduates of IVC and San Diego State University.