Governor Charlie Baker speaks in the course of the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial at Ashburton Memorial Park on October 28, 2022 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald by way of Getty Images)
Matt Stone | MediaNews Group | Boston Herald by way of Getty Images
The NCAA mentioned Thursday it has chosen Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker as its subsequent president.
Baker will begin within the place in March, two months after his second time period as governor ends on Jan. 5. He will succeed Mark Emmert, who has held the function since 2010.
Baker’s background in authorities made him a best choice for the NCAA, which has confronted a wide range of nationwide authorized and regulatory controversies lately. The group was embroiled in a Supreme Court case final yr over student-athlete compensation.
“Throughout the search process, Governor Baker’s history of successfully forging bipartisan solutions to complex problems stood out to the search committee as uniquely suited to the NCAA’s present needs,” the NCAA wrote in a Thursday press launch.
Emmert will proceed consulting for the NCAA till June 2023.
Baker, a two-term Republican in a predominantly Democratic state, is the primary NCAA president with no skilled background at greater training establishments or faculty sports activities. He did, nonetheless, play varsity basketball at Harvard.
“The biggest quality he brings is his political acumen,” mentioned Tom McMillen, president of the LEAD1 Association, which represents 131 athletic administrators within the Football Bowl Subdivision. “He understands how to build bridges not only to our schools but to our policymakers.”
Before serving two phrases as governor in Massachusetts, Baker held govt positions at a well being care firm and was CEO of nonprofit Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.