Outgoing Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R) was named the next National Collegiate Athletic Association President after current President Mark Emmert leaves in March 2023.

Baker was elected as Massachusetts Governor in 214 and won reelection in 2018, but announced in December 2021 that he would not seek reelection in 2022. He held different positions in the Massachusetts government as secretary of health and human resources and secretary of administration and finance.

Baker, a Massachusetts native, graduated from Harvard in 1979 and was found this year to be the most popular governor in the country with a 74% approval rating, according to Morning Consult.

Emmert has been president of the NCAA since November 2010, and The Athletic first reported that Baker would replace him.

In a statement released by the NCAA, Baker said:

I am honored to become the next president of the NCAA, an organization that impacts millions of families and countless communities across this country every day. The NCAA is confronting complex and significant challenges, but I am excited to get to work as the awesome opportunity college athletics provides to so many students is more than worth the challenge. And for the fans that faithfully fill stadiums, stands and gyms from coast to coast, I am eager to ensure the competitions we all love to follow are there for generations to come. Over the coming months, I will begin working with student-athletes and NCAA members as we modernize college sports to suit today’s world, while preserving its essential value.

Emmert announced in April that he would step down as president of the NCAA. In his announcement, he said:

Throughout my tenure I’ve emphasized the need to focus on the experience and priorities of student-athletes. I am extremely proud of the work of the association over the last 12 years and especially pleased with the hard and dedication of the national office staff here in Indianapolis.

Baker’s term as Massachusetts Governor ends January 3rd, 2023. Emmert’s term as NCAA President will end in March 2023, and Gov. Baker will assume the presidential role.

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