Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has been selected as the next president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
The NCAA confirmed its decision in news release shared on its website Thursday (December 15).
“We are excited to welcome Governor Charlie Baker to the NCAA and eager for him to begin his work with our organization,” said Linda Livingstone, President of Baylor University and Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, who led the association's presidential search committee, which also included Basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill. “Governor Baker has shown a remarkable ability to bridge divides and build bipartisan consensus, taking on complex challenges in innovative and effective ways. As a former student-athlete himself, husband to a former college gymnast, and father to two former college football players, Governor Baker is deeply committed to our student-athletes and enhancing their collegiate experience. These skills and perspective will be invaluable as we work with policymakers to build a sustainable model for the future of college athletics.”
Baker, a Republican, has served as Massachusetts' governor since 2015.
“I am honored to become the next president of the NCAA, an organization that impacts millions of families and countless communities across this country every day,” said Governor Baker. “The NCAA is confronting complex and significant challenges, but I am excited to get to work as the awesome opportunity college athletics provides to so many students is more than worth the challenge. And for the fans that faithfully fill stadiums, stands and gyms from coast to coast, I am eager to ensure the competitions we all love to follow are there for generations to come. Over the coming months, I will begin working with student-athletes and NCAA members as we modernize college sports to suit today’s world, while preserving its essential value.”
Baker will serve as the successor to Mark Emmert, who reached a mutual agreement with the NCAA board to step down fro his position effective June 30, 2023.
Emmert was named president of the NCAA on April 27, 2010 and assumed duties on November 1, 2010.
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