The Pac-12 has named Teresa Gould, the league's deputy commissioner, as its new commissioner effective March 1.
Gould, who replaces George Kliavkoff, will become the first woman commissioner of a Power 5 conference. She was appointed by the presidents of Washington State and Oregon State, who make up the Pac-12 board of directors due to the imminent departures of the other six members of the league to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. In December, the two schools were given full control of the league's decision-making after settling a legal dispute with the other 10 members.
The Pac-12 announced last week that it would part ways with Kliavkoff, who took over as commissioner in May 2021.
“Teresa's deep knowledge of college athletics and her unwavering commitment to student-athletes make her uniquely qualified to help guide the Pac-12 Conference during this period of unprecedented change in college sports,” the state president said. of Washington, Kirk Schulz, in a statement issued Monday. “As the first female Autonomy Five conference commissioner, Teresa will be able to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the table as the industry works to find its way through this changing landscape.”
Washington State and Oregon State have partnered for football programming with the Mountain West and will be affiliate members of the West Coast Conference in 12 sports for the next two sports seasons. The Pac-12 “will sponsor select sports, sign media rights partnerships and produce live events and content.”
Gould joined the Pac-12 in 2018 and oversaw the league's championship events, as well as compliance, governance and operations. She previously worked as an administrator at Cal and served as interim athletic director in 2015 and 2016.
