RICHARDSON, TX (08.09.17) - Veteran athletic trainer Josh Dreher has been named the Associate Athletic Director for Student Wellness/Head Athletic Trainer at UT Dallas, announced by Director of Athletics Bill Petitt Wednesday. Dreher began his duties at UTD Monday, Aug. 7.

Dreher joins the UTD staff after serving as the Head Athletic Trainer at NCAA Division II Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., and brings more than a decade of experience to one of the top Athletic Training Staffs in NCAA Division III.

"I am very excited for this new opportunity and adventure in Texas," said Dreher. "I hope to continue the long-standing tradition of providing high-quality health care for student-athletes at UT Dallas and push to build on everything that has been established."

Dreher takes over as UTD's Head Athletic Trainer after the departure of Tom Monagan, who led the Comet staff to a pair of American Southwest Conference Athletic Training Staff of the Year awards over the past five years. Monagan held the position for seven years as the University's second full-time Head Athletic Trainer.

"Josh emerged from a national search to take over program that is regarded as one of the top athletic training department's in all of NCAA Division III," said Petitt. "Our top priority is to provide a quality student-athlete environment and their health and well-being is a commitment to each student-athlete. We are excited to bring in a person of Josh's qualifications and know that he will lead a staff that puts the student-athlete first."

Prior to his three years at Adams State, Dreher spent 10 years at the NCAA Division I level as an athletic trainer. A 2003 graduate of Colorado State with a bachelor's in Health and Exercise Science, he went on to collect a master's degree in the same discipline from CSU in 2006, serving as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Rams' football and softball programs. Dreher would later make stops at Northern Colorado, Northwestern, Boise State and Oral Roberts before taking over his latest position at ASU. He served as Assistant Athletic Trainer at Boise State from 2008-11, providing primary coverage for the Bronco football, women's swimming & diving and women's golf teams before taking a similar position at ORU from 2011-13, working with the Golden Eagles' baseball, soccer and women's tennis programs.

A native of Stratton, Colo., Dreher is has been an active member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) since 2005, serving on the association's Young Professionals Committee from 2009-11. During his tenure at Boise State, he was involved as with the Athletic Training Student Association as its advisor and served as the chair of the Idaho Athletic Trainers' Association Scholarship Committee.

While at ASU, he oversaw all aspects of the Sports Medicine team, including athletic trainers, team physicians, team chiropractor and team physical therapists, and manage a staff of six athletic trainers, full-time and graduate assistants. Dreher was instrumental in the development and implementation of ASU's concussion treatment and return-to-play protocol and developed Mental Health Emergency Action Plan in conjunction with the school's Campus Counseling and Return-to-Learn policy, sponsored by the student affairs department.

Dreher's duties at UTD under the newly-defined Associate Athletic Director for Student Wellness will include the coordination of medical care for the school's approximately 400 student-athletes and supervise the certified athletic training staff and the daily operation of the athletic training facility. In addition, he will serve as a member of the Athletic Director's Administrative Staff Council.

Josh and his wife, Alex, were married in July and plan on residing in Desoto upon their arrival to the Metroplex.