Passing The Baton: Massachusetts Gov. Baker Named New NCAA President

By Barry Janoff

December 15, 2022: Charlie Baker is moving from governor to president, but not in Washington DC.

Stating that he arrives “at a moment of significant transformation,” the NCAA said today that Baker, the current governor (R) of Massachusetts, has been named the next NCAA president, assuming the role effective March 2023.

Baker succeeds Dr. Mark Emmert, who has been NCAA president since 2010 and decided in April to resign, but will continue to serve the NCAA as a consultant through June 2023.

Baker's term as governor ends Jan. 5, 2023. He served eight years in office.

The move — which the NCAA said marks the “culmination of a comprehensive and inclusive national search process” — comes as student-athletes are gaining more independence, fame and income due to the Name, Image and Likeness platform approved by the NCAA.

It also comes after the NCAA ratified a new constitution in January, effective Aug. 1, that gives move power to college and university athletic divisions, committees, departments and student-athletes while reducing its own authority.

"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,” Baker said via the NCAA.

“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."

According to the NCAA, “Gov. Baker arrives at the NCAA at a moment of significant transformation. Legal shifts in the environment surrounding college sports have challenged the NCAA's ability to serve as an effective national regulator for college athletics, resulting in an untenable patchwork of individual state laws.

“Partnering with federal policymakers to develop a consistent, sustainable legal framework to address issues common to student-athletes and athletic departments across the country will be a top and immediate priority.”

“We are excited to welcome Gov. Charlie Baker to the NCAA and eager for him to begin his work with our organization," Linda Livingstone, president of Baylor University and chair of the NCAA board of governors, which helmed the presidential search committee, said via the NCAA.

"Gov. Baker has shown a remarkable ability to bridge divides and build bipartisan consensus, taking on complex challenges in innovative and effective ways.”

According to Livingstone, “As a former student-athlete himself (Harvard varsity basketball team), husband to a former college gymnast, and father to two former college football players, Gov. 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."

NCAA President Emmert Ending 12-Year Tenure

Back to Home Page