The Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) has selected TurnkeyZRG to assist the COP/C in identifying the seventh commissioner of the Big Ten Conference who will replace Commissioner Kevin Warren who has accepted the president and CEO position(s) at the Chicago Bears.
The COP/C issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to leading search firms and meticulously reviewed each proposal. Based on the criteria, principles, and benchmarks for the search, TurnKeyZRG was chosen. TurnKeyZRG will immediately begin an inclusive and national search to gather insights and recommendations for the COP/C Search Committee. Collectively and collaboratively the council will make a final decision on the candidate selected to be the next commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.
“It is an exciting and transformative time to be at the Big Ten Conference,” said Chair of the COP/C, University of Illinois Chancellor, Robert Jones. “The Big Ten Conference is rich in academic and athletic traditions and positioned for continued success in the future. We are confident TurnkeyZRG will present candidates with strategic vision and integrity to best lead the conference, and serve its 14 (soon to be 16) world-class member institutions, with over 28 conference-sponsored sports and 10,000 student-athletes.”
“TurnkeyZRG is honored to assist the Big Ten Conference Council of Presidents and Chancellors in its search for the seventh commissioner in Big Ten history,” said TurnkeyZRG Chairman and CEO, Len Perna.
TurnkeyZRG is a top recruitment firm in sports, entertainment and media. In addition to having valued relationships and credibility with Big Ten Conference member institutions’ stakeholders and constituents, the firm has recently placed the ACC commissioner, Pac-12 commissioner, Big 12 commissioner, NCAA president, the CEO of U.S. Soccer, the CEO of the Professional Tennis Players Association and the NFL’s #2 business leader, among other high-profile appointments. TurnkeyZRG is well known for its proprietary approach running inclusive, comprehensive and secure processes customized for each client.
To respect the privacy of potential candidates and preserve the integrity of the search process, the COP/C will refrain from further public comments concerning the search until the COP/C makes a formal announcement naming the seventh commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.
Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, Big Ten Conference has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten Conference institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013.
# # #
