Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker was named as the NCAA’s next president, the organization announced Thursday.
The 66-year-old Baker, a Republican, has been governor of the state since 2015 and announced last year that he would not seek re-election for the office, clearing the way for him to take the job as his second term ends Jan. 5.
Baker will replace Mark Emmert on March 1, who spent 12 years on the job. Emmert will continue to serve the NCAA as a consultant through June 2023.
The NCAA has run into credibility problems in the last decade, specifically in relation to gender equity, getting a handle on the transfer portal in college athletics, and name, image and likeness, which has no federal legislation as the organization has let individual states and schools make their own rules of enforcement.