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Val Ackerman to Retire as Big East Commissioner in August 2026

The conference now prepares its first leadership change in 13 years, highlighting the stakes for a basketball-first league competing with football money.

Overview

  • The Big East said Monday that Ackerman will step down on Aug. 31, 2026, and that the board has launched a national search for her successor.
  • Ackerman has led the re-founded, basketball-focused league since 2013 and negotiated UConn’s return to the conference in 2020.
  • Under her tenure, Big East programs captured four men’s national championships and UConn won the women’s title in 2025.
  • She secured long-term media packages that expanded TV exposure and kept the men’s tournament at Madison Square Garden through 2032.
  • Ackerman’s departure sets up a successor who must narrow revenue gaps with football-driven leagues, weigh expansion and scheduling shifts, and sustain UConn’s alignment with the conference.