Pac-12 Hires New Chief Financial Officer After Overpayment Debacle In January
Jun 23, 2023, 9:45 AM
The Pac-12 announced record revenues for the 2021-22 academic year.
SALT LAKE CITY – After news broke in late January that the Pac-12 fired two executives due to an overpayment to the conference that they covered up, George Kliavkoff announced the hiring of a new chief financial officer.
Morane Kerek will assume the role of Pac-12 CFO and is a highly respected player in the sports industry having spent seven years as the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee CFO. Kerek starts her new position on August 9, 2023.
“Morane has a track record of success working as a leader in complex sports industry environments to develop best-in-class financial systems and business strategies,” Commissioner Kliavkoff said in a press release from the conference. “Morane brings world-class financial expertise and experience to our CFO role, and we are looking forward to her principled leadership in supporting the continued growth of the Pac-12 Conference.”
The #Pac12 has hired a new CFO and charged her with, among other duties, "ensuring best-in-class standards in financial control." https://t.co/1UBUfltADC
— Jon Wilner (@wilnerhotline) June 23, 2023
Where Things Stand With The Pac-12
Kerek will be tasked with correcting past errors the conference has financially endured starting with the overpayment to the Pac-12 from distributer Comcast. Initial reports had the overpayment totaling at least $50 million spanning from 2016.
This news also comes on the heels of speculation the Pac-12 may be closing in on a new media rights deal soon.
News broke last week that San Diego State had given informal notice to the Mountain West Conference of their intention to eventually leave. The Aztecs, along with SMU have long been connected to the Pac-12 as potential candidates for expansion after USC and UCLA leave the conference in 2024 for the Big Ten.
Neither school has received a formal invite from the Pac-12 yet as two dates of intrigue quickly approach.
June 30 is when SDSU’s exit fee nearly doubles if they intend to join the conference next year and July 21 is when the Pac-12 will have their Media Day leading many to think Kliavkoff and company may want something to talk about in regard to where the conference stands on their media rights.
While a lot remains to be determined, hiring a new CFO feels like a positive development for a conference that has been fighting off rumors of impending doom for the last year. Is this really a mark of more positive news for the Pac-12? Stay tuned.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
