Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will become president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), effective Mar. 1.
Gov. Charlie Baker
Baker will finish his second term as governor in January, a role the Republican has held since January 2015, but has returned to Democratic hands with the election of Maura Healey, who will be the state's first openly gay governor.
Baker has no previous collegiate administrative experience but has spent most of his career in Massachusetts state government and a decade in health care administration.
Dr. Linda Livingstone, chair of the NCAA's board of governors and president of Baylor University, said Baker stood out because of his track record of building bipartisan consensus during a time when the NCAA is aiming to get federal legislation giving the NCAA legal clearance to regulate college athlete compensation.
