Pac-12 promotes Teresa Gould to replace George Kliavkoff as conference commissioner

SAN FRANCISCO — The Pac-12 has promoted Teresa Gould to commissioner as the conference tries to navigate a murky future.

Gould will succeed George Kliavkoff on March 1 after he was relieved of duties on Friday. She becomes the first female commissioner of an Autonomy Five conference.

“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 University President and Pac-12 Board of Directors chair Kirk Schulz said in a statement on 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.”

Gould was hired by the Pac-12 in 2018 and served as deputy commissioner, overseeing all sports, championship events and other duties.

She takes over a conference that’s down to two members after a mass exodus last year.

UCLA and USC announced in 2022 a move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and eight more schools followed suit in a tumultuous summer after Kliavkoff couldn’t reach a new media rights deal that remaining members believed would keep them competitive with Power Five conference peers.

Washington State and Oregon State are the only remaining long-term members of the Pac-12, and currently the only members of the conference’s board of directors.

The Pacific Northwest schools plan to keep the conference up and running with only two schools for at least another year, or maybe two, as they try to rebuild the league.

Gould served as the interim athletics director at UC Davis from 2015-16 and also worked at California as deputy athletic director.