CHARLOTTE – ACC Commissioner James J. Phillips, Ph.D. will serve as President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), while Big Sky Commissioner Tom Wistrcill was approved as the organization’s Vice President, the CCA announced at the conclusion of the annual June meeting.
Phillips is the fifth Commissioner in ACC history, having started in 2021. He was appointed to the NCAA Board of Governors last fall, serving a two-year term as a voting member and the only conference commissioner on the NCAA’s highest legislative body. In addition to the overall Board of Governors service, Phillips serves as the chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. He continues his leadership as part of the College Football Playoff Management Committee and serves on multiple CFP committees. During his career, Phillips has also served on numerous NCAA Committees including as the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Council and was the first sitting athletic director appointed to the NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors. He was also a member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee as well as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee.
“The CCA is a critically important organization within college athletics and it’s an honor to serve as its President,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “The opportunity to work collectively across all 32 Division 1 conferences to best serve our respective student-athletes and institutions remains a priority, and I am excited to collaborate with my colleagues on the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Wistrcill will succeed Phillips as President at the end of his two-year term. Keith Gill, Commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference, is the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) representative on the executive committee. Southern Conference Commissioner Michael Cross will serve as the representative for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Jeff Jackson, Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner, will represent the BC-10 (basketball centric conferences).
“It’s an honor to serve as Vice President of the CCA and support the important work that is being done by our Commissioners’ group across the country,” Wistrcill said. “This is a pivotal time for college athletics, and the collaboration amongst conferences has never been more essential. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to help shape meaningful progress for the future of our student-athletes and institutions.”
Wistrcill, who has more than 30 years of experience in college athletics, officially begins his eighth year as Commissioner of the Big Sky Conference in the fall of 2025. In 2022, Wistrcill was appointed as just the second person ever from the Big Sky to serve on the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, having worked in that role for the past three seasons. During his time as Commissioner of the Big Sky, Wistrcill has also served on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Competition Committee and the Collegiate Football Officiating Board. He was formerly the Director of Athletics at the University of Akron and previously worked in the athletic departments at both the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin.
Kyle Kallander, retired Commissioner of the Big South Conference, enters his third year as Secretary/Treasurer of the CCA.