Gov. Charlie Baker has his next job lined up: President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
In an announcement, the NCAA said the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will serve the role effective March 2023.
“We are excited to welcome Governor Charlie Baker to the NCAA and eager for him to begin his work with our organization,” said Linda Livingstone, President of Baylor University and Chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, who helmed the presidential search committee. “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. These skills and perspective will be invaluable as we work with policymakers to build a sustainable model for the future of college athletics.”
“I really do believe that we are at a bit of a pivotal period for the NCAA,” Baker told NCAA officials during a Zoom news conference. “I really do think the challenge is significant, but the possibilities and the opportunities, if we are successful, are enormous.”
“And as somebody, as I said, who really believes in the power of collegiate sports, on all levels, to do all sorts of amazing things, for communities, for schools, for alumni and for student athletes, I think it’s worth doing,” Baker said. “And yeah, it’s big and complicated – so have been a lot of things I’ve done in my life.”
Also speaking at the videoconference, Livingstone reiterated how the committee found Baker, also a former Harvard basketball player, uniquely qualified for the job.
“Governor Baker is truly an exceptionally accomplished individual who, throughout his entire career, has demonstrated an appetite to take on really big and complex problems, as well as the ability to tackle them in remarkably effective and creative ways,” she said.
Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin, one of the longest-running political officials on Beacon Hill, told 7NEWS he agreed with the assessment.
“I think he’s coming to it with a reputation of somebody who works across party lines – I think his bipartisan reputation as well as his reputation for collaboration to get things done will serve him well,” Galvin said.
As noted in the announcement, Baker’s tenure as governor will come to an end on Jan. 5, 2023.
The outgoing governor will succeed Dr. Mark Emmert, who has led the NCAA since November 2010, serving as the fifth president of the organization. According to the NCAA, Emmert will serve as a consultant as Baker begins his role next year.
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