Pac-12’s Gould 1st woman Power 5 commish

The Pac-12 has appointed Teresa Gould, the league’s deputy commissioner, as its new commissioner beginning March 1.

Gould, who takes over for George Kliavkoff, will become the first woman to be 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 because of the impending departures of the league’s six other members to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC. In December, the two schools received full control of the league’s decision-making after settling a legal dispute with the 10 other members.

The Pac-12 last week announced it was parting ways with Kliavkoff, who took over as commissioner in May 2021.

“Teresa’s deep knowledge of collegiate athletics and unwavering commitment to student-athletes makes her uniquely qualified to help guide the Pac-12 Conference during this period of unprecedented change in college sports,” Washington State president Kirk Schulz said in a statement issued Monday. “As the first female commissioner of an Autonomy Five conference, Teresa will be able to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the table as the industry works to find its way through this shifting landscape.”

Washington State and Oregon State have entered a football scheduling partnership with the Mountain West, and will be affiliate members of the West Coast Conference in 12 sports for the next two athletic 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.