C-USA’s MacLeod is 1st female commissioner of FBS league

IRVING, Texas – Judy MacLeod of Conference USA was named the first female commissioner in the Football Bowl Subdivision on Monday after heading the league in an interim role for about a month.

MacLeod has been with C-USA since 2005. She became the league’s executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer in April 2006 and took the interim title Sept. 15 when Britton Banowsky stepped down after nearly 13 years to head the College Football Playoff Foundation.

John Broderick, the Old Dominion president and league board chairman, said Monday that MacLeod’s selection was unanimous. An international search firm had conducted a national search.

“I feel very fortunate and appreciative of the confidence our member schools have placed in me to lead and serve the great group of universities in Conference USA,” MacLeod said.

Before Conference USA, MacLeod was at Tulsa for 15 years, the last 10 as athletic director. During that time, the school moved from the Western Athletic Conference to C-USA. She was also a sport manager for the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle and was an assistant women’s basketball coach at Seattle University for four years.

“She is well-respected nationally and will be a strong voice for the conference on issues regarding the many important challenges and opportunities facing intercollegiate athletics,” Broderick said.

The 51-year-old MacLeod got a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Puget Sound, where she played basketball. She earned a master’s in athletic administration at Tulsa.

She has served on several NCAA committees, including the Division I men’s basketball committee. She has been chairwoman of the Division I nominating committee.