From her bilingual classrooms throughout San Diego to the basketball court at San Diego High, Amie Callaway’s journey through basketball and life has brought her back home, this time to lead behind the scenes for SDSU women’s basketball.

When Amie Callaway stepped onto campus this summer as San Diego State’s new Director of Basketball Operations, (often referred to as a DOBO (pronounced DOE BOE)), she already knew the rhythm of the city. She’s a native daughter returning not just to a place, but to a pulse that has shaped her from childhood.

“I love being a San Diego native,” she said. “When I was really young, we would go to Balboa Park every morning, take walks, and my mom would buy us McDonalds. It was just a simple joy.”

That sense of place, and of people, runs through everything Callaway does, from the way she approaches logistics to how she fosters connection in a locker room. It’s what makes her uniquely equipped for the balancing act that is the life of a DOBO: a job that’s equal parts air traffic controller, cultural interpreter, and creative problem solver.

Callaway’s path to SDSU winds through nearly every corner of San Diego County. “I was technically born in Murrieta,” she said, “but I went to school in Escondido for kindergarten, first through third grade at Sherman Elementary in the downtown area. Fourth through eighth grade at Language Academy down the street. And then for high school, I went to San Diego High.”

Her education was bilingual from the start. “I’m fluent in Spanish because of those schools. They were all dual immersion,” she said. “Up until middle school, half the day was in Spanish, half the day was in English. Then after that I had specific classes that were in Spanish.” It’s an experience that not only shaped her linguistically, but taught her how to bridge cultures, a trait she carries into every relationship she builds.

Her mother, a German immigrant and longtime educator, made sure Amie’s schooling was grounded in strong female leadership. “As my vice principal, my mom always chose my teachers for me, and she was adamant that they always be women,” Callaway said. “Up until high school, I had all women teachers, which was a pretty cool experience.”

Education and empathy were the family’s cornerstones. “My mom used to say, ‘Did you try your hardest?’” Callaway recalled. “If I said yes, she’d say, ‘Then that’s all you could do. If you did all you could do in that moment, then there’s no use dwelling on it. Just make sure to try for better next time.’ That’s always stuck with me.”

That lesson in effort over outcome became a compass, especially as her world expanded.

Callaway’s family grew in unexpected ways when her mother turned her passion for education into humanitarian work. “My mom got into adoption,” Amie said. “I have four adopted siblings. My mom was born and raised in Germany, but she started doing humanitarian work in Africa and Haiti.”

Her mom’s journey included a failed adoption from Colombia, followed by trips to Africa where she adopted a brother and sister, and later two more sisters from Haiti. “She would go back and forth pretty frequently,” Callaway said. “I did a supply drive with my middle school. We collected school supplies, French books, and went to Haiti to donate them.”

Her mom and four siblings were in Haiti during the devastating 2010 earthquake. “They were there at the time,” she remembered. “We did another supply drive during that period because the big conglomerates, while they do help, it’s not very quick or instant.”

That global upbringing, rooted in compassion and resourcefulness, shaped how Amie now approaches people and problems. “I’m always actively thinking about how I can include different groups, different people,” she said. “Everyone’s differences, everyone’s different tracks of life really help the big picture go.”

Despite her future in the sport, basketball wasn’t love at first sight. “My dad signed me up for the South Bay YMCA coed league against my will,” Callaway said, laughing. “I was a nervous kid. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone by being bad.”

That first season, she admits, wasn’t pretty. “On offense, I’d follow my defender so I was never open,” she said. “And if I did get the ball, I passed it right to the team ball hog.”

But eventually, her confidence grew. Later, she played at Mission Valley YMCA, joining the boys’ league when she outpaced the girls’ division, and went on to become a multi-sport athlete at San Diego High, excelling in volleyball, track, and basketball.

She became a standout on the basketball court, finishing in the top 16 of the CIF San Diego rankings for both rebounds and blocks every year she played. “I think volleyball helped me a lot with body control and timing,” she said. “That’s why I was a good shot blocker.”

Even her track and field events reflected her drive to adapt and learn. “I started as a jumper and fill-in for the four by one (hundred), but then I fell through the high-jump mats once,” she said with a grin. “So I was like, ‘I’m gonna be a thrower.’ AAU practice was always right after track practice, and the throwers didn’t run. I was like, ‘that’s for me.’”

That blend of humor and determination carried her to UNLV, where she played college basketball and later began her path behind the scenes as the team’s Director of Basketball Operations.

In her new role at SDSU, Callaway oversees all the moving parts that keep a college basketball team in sync. “What a DOBO is usually responsible for is everything logistics: team flights, bus, meals, scheduling, itineraries,” she explained. “Literally anything logistical you can think of.”

But her approach goes far beyond spreadsheets and flight manifests. She’s part designer, part director, and all in on building culture. “I’m also more creatively inclined,” she said. “I love figuring out how to make things myself… because when you make it yourself, you can make it exactly as you want.”

At UNLV, she directed the team’s intro videos by choosing songs, storyboarding shots, and collaborating with the team videographer. “I basically directed all the intro videos,” she said. “In my head, I’d see the scenes that I wanted and then convey them to the best of my abilities to get the shots we needed.”

She also found joy in creating experiences that brought teammates closer. “We did goat yoga,” she said with a smile. “Those proceeds went to a farm in Vegas. We also did rug tufting—making your own rugs—and I’d partner with small businesses so it helped them too.”

Her creativity is matched by a meticulous organizational style. Her itineraries for team travel read more like artful blueprints than wordy memos. “I’m very cognizant of how people receive information,” she said. “If you can break it up visually and make sure people aren’t getting lost in a bunch of words, they’re more likely to read it.”

That attention to detail extends to every interaction. “I always tell everyone, be nice to everybody, build your relationships,” she said. “You’re more likely to get those random, last-minute asks here and there if you have good relationships.”

For Callaway, returning to San Diego isn’t just a career move, it’s a homecoming layered with meaning. “It’s similar to what made me excited about UNLV,” she said. “There, I was an alum coming back. Here, I’m a San Diegan coming back.”

She’s eager to use her local roots to strengthen the bridge between the Aztecs and the city’s next generation of athletes. “I want to get more kids to games, do more school visits,” she said. “You can hit so many things just by doing that: get more involved in the high school or middle school space, create connections, even help small businesses.”

It’s the same community-minded vision that once had her collecting French books for Haitian children and now has her designing team-bonding sessions for college athletes. Whether she’s mapping flight itineraries or community partnerships, the through line is care.

And though she jokes about still learning “how to be an adult in San Diego,” she already knows exactly who she is. “I have a deep appreciation for being from San Diego,” she said. “I love how different everyone is here, and how that makes us better.”

For a woman whose life has spanned cultures and countless spreadsheets, coming home isn’t about settling down. It’s about giving back to the people and place that made her who she is.