The Big East Conference officially needs a new commissioner.
Val Ackerman, the longtime commissioner of the Big East Conference, announced her abrupt retirement on Monday, April 20. She's retiring at 66, after 13 seasons of leading the league.
“It’s been an extraordinary honor for me to serve as the Commissioner of one of the most prestigious and storied organizations in college sports,” said Ackerman. “I want to thank our Presidents for entrusting me with this one-of-a-kind leadership opportunity and for supporting the investments needed to maintain the BIG EAST’s stature and meet our schools’ high competitive and academic standards. I especially want to recognize the Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, coaches, game officials, athletics and university personnel, BIG EAST staff, NCAA staff, network and business partners, journalists, student-athletes, and others I have worked with along the way for their professionalism, their support of college sports values, and for making my days (and nights) working for the BIG EAST a joy. With our long-term business deals securely in place and knowing we have strong, focused leadership on our campuses, I am confident that the future of the conference, and BIG EAST basketball in particular, is very bright, and I believe the time is right for me to hand off the baton.”
Ackerman is widely credited with reviving the conference, after several schools left for different leagues.
A national search for her replacement is underway.
“Speaking on behalf of all the BIG EAST Presidents, we announce Commissioner Val Ackerman’s retirement with a tinge of sadness and deep gratitude,” said St. John’s President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Chair of the BIG EAST 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 the power football conferences and compete with the country’s best. We found that visionary leader in Val Ackerman. Val has leveraged our partnerships with FOX Sports and Madison Square Garden to create a platform that has produced five basketball national champions (four men’s and one’s women’s) in the past decade, and she has built a strong foundation for future success. She leaves big shoes to fill.”
Big East lauds Ackerman's run as commissioner
The Big East Conference highlighted some of Ackerman's successes.
"Ackerman, who was named the BIG EAST’s fifth Commissioner on June 26, 2013, has presided over the rebirth of the conference following the decision in 2012 of seven then-current BIG EAST members (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, and Villanova) to separate from the original BIG EAST Conference and align with Butler, Creighton, and Xavier to form the present configuration. In 2019, Ackerman led the negotiations that resulted in the return to the BIG EAST of the University of Connecticut, one of the conference’s charter members, starting on July 1, 2020," they wrote.
"Following its return to its basketball-centric heritage, the BIG EAST has maintained its national excellence and position as one of the premier conferences in college basketball, with 10 of the league’s 11 men’s basketball programs receiving NCAA tournament bids during Ackerman’s tenure. BIG EAST schools have won four men’s basketball national titles in the past decade (Villanova in 2016 and 2018 and UConn in 2023 and 2024), more than any other Division I conference during that span. In 2025, UConn won its 12th national title in women’s basketball, the most of any Division I program. In 2026, both of UConn’s basketball programs appeared in their respective NCAA Final Fours, with the Huskies’ men’s team advancing to the national championship game."
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Basketball section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.