Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will serve as the next president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) when he steps down from his gubernatorial position in January.
The governor will assume the role in March 2023 after he steps down from his current term Jan. 5, the NCAA announced Thursday. Baker will replace Dr. Mark Emmert, who will serve as a consultant through June 2023.
“We are excited to welcome Governor Charlie Baker to the NCAA and eager for him to begin his work with our organization,” President of Baylor University and Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, Linda Livingstone, said, according to the NCAA press release. “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,” Livingstone continued. “These skills and perspective will be invaluable as we work with policymakers to build a sustainable model for the future of college athletics.”
The NCAA is pleased to announce that Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has accepted an offer to become the NCAA’s next president. Read the full press release and statements here: https://t.co/CyTBmL0aw3 pic.twitter.com/reEp5RpYDE
— NCAA (@NCAA) December 15, 2022
Baker did not run for re-election in the midterm elections and is set to be replaced by Democratic Massachusetts Governor-elect Maura Healey. His new role will put him in charge of overseeing the newly ratified NCAA constitution, which gave the athletic conferences, schools and three divisions more power to govern themselves. (RELATED: Massachusetts GOP Gov. Charlie Baker Refuses To Endorse, Campaign With Nominee Diehl)
The governor said he is “honored” to be appointed for his new role and vowed to work with student athletes to “modernize college sports.”
“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,” Baker said, according to the press release. “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 continued.
The governor played basketball for Harvard University in the 1970s and is the father of two former college athletes. Sam Kennedy, CEO of the Boston Red Sox, recommended Baker for the role, the Sports Business Journal reported.