Big East commissioner Val Ackerman retiring after years reviving league

Yahoo Sports3h ago16 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Val Ackerman, commissioner of the Big East Conference, is retiring after 13 years, effective August 31. She played a crucial role in reviving the league and restoring its prominence in college athletics.

Key points

Val Ackerman is retiring as Big East commissioner.
She served 13 years and revitalized the league.
Her retirement is effective August 31.
A search for her successor will begin immediately.

Mentioned in this story

Val AckermanBig East Conference

The standard.

For anyone looking for a career in basketball – and wanting to excel with fierce determination, navigate the toughest challenges with impeccable style and grace, while still accomplishing the task at hand – they need to look no further than Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Val Ackerman.

After four decades of service to professional and college basketball in many roles, including her current position as the commissioner of the Big East Conference, Ackerman is retiring after 13 years at the helm, bringing the league back to its historic place in college athletics after nearly coming close to extinction.

Ackerman will leave the position, effective Aug. 31, and a national search for her successor will start immediately and be led by the conference's Board of Directors.

"When we re-founded the Big East in 2013 as a basketball-centric conference, our first task was to find a commissioner who could provide the strategic vision needed to position us as a basketball peer with our football counterparts and compete with the country’s best. We found that visionary leader in Val Ackerman," said St. John’s President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Chair of the Big East Board of Directors. "She leaves big shoes to fill."