Since Conference USA was created in 1995 the league has had just two leaders: Mike Slive, who served as commissioner until 2002 before moving on to the SEC, and his replacement Britton Banowsky. Since taking over in 2002 Banowsky has been at the helm during a tumultuous period for the league, with its membership undergoing significant changes on two separate occasions thanks to conference realignment.
Thursday, Banowsky announced that he would be stepping down from his role as Conference USA commissioner, although he will remain on board until the conference presidents select his replacement. According to the release, Banowsky will serve as the Executive Director of the College Football Playoff Foundation.