SEC Extends Contract of Commissioner Greg Sankey

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in his position through at least 2028, it was announced on Thursday.

Sankey’s contract extension, approved by the conference’s presidents and chancellors, continues a role he began on June 1, 2015, when he became the eighth Commissioner of the SEC.

Greg Sankey (Photo by Jamie H. Vaught)

“Greg Sankey continues to lead the SEC effectively through these challenging times for college athletics,” said University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead who recently completed a two-year term as President of the SEC. “Under his visionary stewardship and commitment to collaboration among our members, the SEC has emerged as the nation’s most stable and successful athletic conference. Today’s announcement reflects our enthusiastic endorsement of Greg’s ongoing leadership of our conference to even greater heights.”

“During a time of great change in college athletics, Greg Sankey has been a positive force for advancing the SEC and a thought-leader across the national landscape,” said University of Alabama President Stuart Bell who became President of the SEC this month. “The presidents, chancellors and athletic directors of our institutions hold him in great regard – respect which he has earned through his years of excellent service. I appreciate his proactive and collaborative approach to leadership and look forward to working with him for many years to come.”

Now in his ninth year as Commissioner of the SEC, Sankey has effectively introduced change and innovation for the conference while respecting the institutional traditions that make the SEC unique.

“I am grateful for the continued opportunity to serve and support the universities and student-athletes of the Southeastern Conference and I appreciate the confidence placed in me by the SEC’s presidents and chancellors,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “I look forward to working with the leaders of our member universities as we meet the challenges ahead for college athletics, seek to sustain the success of our Conference and fulfill our mission to provide our young people with the opportunity to grow academically and challenge themselves through elite competition.”

In the last three years alone, Sankey has guided the league through the COVID-19 pandemic, finalized a milestone 10-year agreement with the Walt Disney Company that grants ABC and ESPN exclusive broadcast rights to premier SEC football and basketball events and facilitated the expansion of the SEC to add the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC beginning in 2024.

On the national stage, Sankey was tabbed to serve as co-chair of the NCAA’s Transformation Committee and was instrumental in the expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams.

The 2022-23 athletic year was particularly successful for SEC schools which recorded eight national championships and placed the most schools in the Top 25 among all conferences in the Learfield IMG Directors’ Cup all-sports standings. In all, SEC’s schools have won 48 national titles since Sankey became Commissioner in 2015.

Sankey, 58, was appointed Commissioner by the Presidents and Chancellors of the SEC on March 12, 2015. He first joined the SEC staff in 2002 as Associate Commissioner for Governance and later added supervision of the league’s championships staff to his responsibilities. He was elevated to Executive Associate Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer for the league office in 2012, becoming responsible for the day-to-day operation of the SEC Office.

Before joining the SEC, Sankey served as Commissioner of the Southland Conference for nearly seven years. He joined the Southland Conference staff in 1992 where he served as both assistant and associate commissioner before he was named its commissioner in 1996 at the age of 31.

Prior to his term at the Southland Conference, he was Director of Compliance and Academic Services at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, as well as coach of the Demon’s golf teams. Before his tenure at Northwestern State, he was the Director of Intramural Sports at Utica College in upstate New York.

A native of Auburn, NY, Sankey earned his master’s degree from Syracuse University and his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York College at Cortland. Sankey and his wife, Cathy, reside in Birmingham, AL, and have two adult daughters, Hannah (and her husband, Rod) and Moriah (and her husband, Austin).

SEC Names Garth Glissman Associate Commissioner for Men's Basketball

Garth Glissman, Vice President of Basketball Operations for the National Basketball Association, has been named the SEC Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball, it was announced Wednesday.

As the SEC’s Associate Commissioner for Men’s Basketball, Glissman will ensure ongoing communication related to the sport between the SEC Office and its member institutions and coaches; develop and enact strategies for enhancing and promoting men’s basketball in the SEC; prepare the Conference men’s basketball schedules and collaborate with external constituencies to ensure continuous improvement of the sport in the SEC.

"Garth brings to the Southeastern Conference a unique set of experiences and skills that will help us address the key issues critical to the growth and continued success of men’s basketball in the SEC,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “His management experience with the NBA, which included serving as the NBA’s liaison to NCAA Basketball, plus his knowledge of the game and relationships in the college basketball community will be of great benefit to the SEC as we move forward.”

As VP of Operations for the NBA, Glissman was responsible for governance and rulemaking related to the playing rules and other competition-related matters in collaboration with the NBA Competition Committee, NBA General Managers, NBA Head Coaches, and National Basketball Player Association. He was also responsible for NBA rules governing the ability of NBA team personnel to scout college and high school players, and had oversight of investigations for on-court discipline of players and coaches and injury reporting and player participation statuses.

Glissman had oversight of leaguewide communications regarding competition-related matters, as well as oversight of NCAA-related matters, including the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee, which has contributed to a substantial decline in the number of undergraduates who declared for the NBA Draft but went undrafted in recent years. Additionally, Glissman served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Competition Committee and has presented on a regular basis to the NCAA Men's Basketball Oversight Committee.

Glissman joined the NBA in 2016 as Senior Director of Basketball Operations before being promoted to Associate Vice President in 2019 and Vice President in 2021.

Prior to joining the NBA, Glissman was a partner with Kutak Rock, a national law firm based in Omaha, NE. He joined the firm as a summer associate in 2007 before becoming an associate in 2009 and a partner in 2015.

While working at Kutak Rock, Glissman volunteered as a high school head varsity basketball coach at Parkview Christian School and College View Academy, both in Lincoln, NE, for four years each.

A football letterwinner at the University of Nebraska, he played three seasons on the gridiron for the Cornhuskers after one season with the Nebraska basketball team. He graduated with a double major in History and Political Science in 2005 and later earned his JD from the University of Nebraska College of Law in 2009.

Glissman and his wife Katie are the parents of two children, a daughter Grace and a son Graham.