Former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby named among four new members of Knight Commission

Former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby was among four new members named to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the organization announced Wednesday.

Bowlsby, who is recently served as Iowa‘s interim athletic director, joins Washington State president Kirk Schulz, Saint Joseph‘s AD Jill Bodensteiner and Canada Soccer CEO Kevin Blue among the newest members of the 22-person Knight Commission.

“We are grateful that Bob, Jill, Kevin, and Kirk are joining our work,” Knight Commission co-chair Len Elmore said in a statement. “Each is committed to the life-changing opportunities that college sports can provide to young women and men.”

The Knight Commission was founded in 1989 and serves as an independent group with a legady of leading reforms that strengthen the educational mission of college sports, according to website.

“The Knight Commission’s legacy of impact is due to the participation of exceptional thought leaders like Kevin, Jill, Bob, and Kirk,” Knight Foundation president and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth said in a statement. “At Knight Foundation, we are proud to support the Commission’s independent efforts during this dynamic time of change in college sports.”

Bowlsby, who has 45 years in college athletics, retired as Big 12 commissioner in late 2022 after a decade, giving way to curent commissioner Brett Yormark. Bodensteiner is in her seventh year at Saint Joseph’s Univiersity in Philadelphia after two decades at her alma mater, Notre Dame. Before joining Canada Soccer, Blue previously served as the athletic director at the University of California-Davis. And Schulz has more than 15 years of collegiate presidential experience, leading multiple schools in the Big 12 and former Pac-12 conferences.

“The career accomplishments of Bob, Jill, Kevin, and Kirk as leaders in college sports and higher education speak for themselves,” Knight Commission co-chair Pamela Bernard said. “Even more impressive is the respect each has earned from their peers for their collaborative and thoughtful work with others.”