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Former Bakersfield resident Shelly Carlin has donated a gift of $500,000 to the Cal State Bakersfield athletics department, which is to be distributed over the course of five years.

The gift will lead to the establishment of the Athletics Director’s Women’s Excellence Fund, and will distribute the money to support the 10 women’s teams at CSUB.

The donation from Carlin, who won a national championship as a member of the UCLA softball team in 1982, will help CSUB softball reach the allowable maximum for scholarships (12) for the first time in program history.

“It is hard to put into words my appreciation for what Shelly has done, and continues to do for our scholar-athletes,” Athletic Director Ziggy Siegfried said in a statement. “Shelly and I share a strong desire to enhance the experience of women scholar-athletes at CSUB. The creation of the AD’s Women’s Excellence Fund will impact women’s athletics on our campus for many years to come. It is our hope that her transformative gift encourages others to support this fund and our women’s athletic programs.”

Carlin, a former chief human resources officer at Motorola, has donated to CSUB before, pledging $170,000 to the school’s softball program in 2016.

“I remember watching CSUB athletics teams in the early years and being so proud of those athletes that represented my hometown,” said Carlin. “But now it’s time for those of us who have been blessed with success to step up and help foster a new era of growth for the Roadrunners.”