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University of Washington President Mark Emmert was named president of the NCAA Tuesday, succeeding former president Myles Brand, who died of pancreatic cancer in September.James Isch served as interim president before Tuesday's decision by the NCAA Executive Committee.
"We are gratified to hire an individual of Mark Emmert's stature and experience to head the NCAA," Executive Committee chair Ed Ray said in a statement released by the NCAA. "President Emmert emerged from a field of exceptional candidates who presented a broad range of skills, knowledge and experiences.
"Our options were considerable and the decision was difficult, but we are confident in our decision that Mark is uniquely qualified to lead the organization."
Emmert, the fifth chief executive in the organization's history, has served as president of Washington, his alma mater, since 2004. He was previously the chancellor at LSU.
The president-elect promised to continue with academic reform begun by Brand, who limited recruiting perks and, in 2004, instituted penalties for schools whose student athletes didn't meet benchmarks for academic progress.
"I think they have laid a very firm foundation upon which we can build all our academic initiatives going forward," Emmert said at his introductory press conference.
"I don't see a revolutionary change in academic accountability issues. I see a continuing evolution of where we are right now."
Emmert repeatedly stressed his primary focus will be putting the welfare of student-athletes first, at each of the organization's three levels of competition.
"The NCAA has, for more than a century, had the responsibility to make sure the interest and welfare of student athletes as first and foremost priority, and I plan to carry on with that tradition," he said.
Emmert praised the organization's recent landmark, $10.8 billion NCAA tournament deal with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting, but wouldn't encroach on the subject of college football's maligned BCS system, which the NCAA has no governance over.
"What I look forward to is having conversations with [university] presidents as to what's best interests of their institutions and intercollegiate football and will join in those, but I do not expect the NCAA to be leading that charge," he said.
The incoming president is expected to begin his duties no later than Nov. 1, according to the NCAA.
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