Pac-12 Conference

Known as the Conference of Champions, the Pac-12 has won more NCAA team national championships than any other conference in history! 

• Mission Statement
• Diversity Statement
• Pac-12 History
• Pac-12 Networks
• Pac-12 Leadership Team
• Pac-12 Conference Career Opportunities
• Pac-12 Networks Career Opportunities

The Pac-12 Conference is dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders by championing excellence in academics, athletics, and the well-being of our student-athletes.

We believe in the power of equity, diversity & inclusion and we strive to build a future that is human-centered and grounded in justice. This is core to who we are as an organization and fuels our mission for championing the academic and athletic excellence and well-being of our student-athletes.

We are committed to the principles of inclusion and equal opportunity for our staff and student-athletes which includes providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment and marginalization, and attracting, developing and retaining a talented diverse workforce at all levels of our organization.

As allies, we will continue to challenge all forms of injustice, build a community that values all dimensions of diversity to propel innovation, and create space for all people to thrive.

The roots of the Pac-12 Conference date back more than 100 years to December 2, 1915, when the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) was founded at a meeting at the Imperial Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The original membership consisted of four schools - the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University). All four are still charter members of the Conference.

Pacific Coast Conference play began in 1916 and, one year later, Washington State College (now Washington State University) was accepted into the league, with Stanford University following in 1918.

In 1922, the PCC expanded to eight teams with the admission of the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Idaho. In 1924, the University of Montana joined the league roster and in 1928, the PCC grew to 10 members with the addition of UCLA.

The Pacific Coast Conference competed as a 10-member league until 1950, with the exception of 1943-45 when World War II curtailed intercollegiate athletic competition to a minimum. During that time, the league’s first commissioner was named. Edwin N. Atherton was Commissioner in 1940 and was succeeded by Victor O. Schmidt in 1944. In 1950, Montana resigned from the Conference and the PCC continued as a nine-team Conference through 1958.

In 1959, the PCC was dissolved and the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU) was formed with Thomas J. Hamilton appointed Commissioner of the new league. The original AAWU membership included California, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington. Washington State joined the membership in 1962, while Oregon and Oregon State joined in 1964. Under Hamilton’s watch, the name Pacific-8 Conference was adopted in 1968. In 1971, Wiles Hallock took over as Commissioner of the Pac-8.

Ten years later, on July 1, 1978, the University of Arizona and Arizona State University were admitted to the league and the Pacific-10 Conference became a reality. In 1986-87, the league took on a new look, expanding to include 10 women’s sports. Since then, the Conference has been considered the premier league in women’s athletics, securing the most NCAA titles in women’s sports of any conference nearly every year.

Thomas C. Hansen was named the Commissioner of the Pac-10 in 1983, a role he would hold for 26 years until 2009, when he was succeeded by Larry Scott who held the role from 2009 to June 30, 2021. Scott was succeeded by current Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff who was announced on May 13, 2021 and formally assumed the role on July 1, 2021.

The University of Colorado accepted its invitation to join the Pac-12 on June 11, 2010, and on June 17, 2010, the University of Utah agreed to join the Conference. The Conference became the Pac-12 and officially began competition on July 1, 2011.

It was during the 2010-11 academic year that Scott helped deliver monumental changes that transformed the Conference into a modern 12-team league. In addition to expanding to 12 teams, member institutions agreed to equal revenue sharing for the first time in the Conference’s history, created two football divisions - the North and the South, and established a Football Championship Game for the first time. He also secured landmark media rights deals with ESPN and FOX that dramatically increased national exposure and revenue for each school, in addition to establishing Pac-12 Networks which guaranteed enhanced exposure across all sports.

Currently, the Pac-12 sponsors 11 men’s sports and 13 women’s sports, with the most recent additions coming in the 2017-18 (women’s lacrosse) and 2015-16 (beach volleyball) academic years. Additionally, the Conference is a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) in four other men’s sports and two women’s sports.

The Pac-12 announced on March 29, 2022 plans to forego a permanent headquarters in order to best support employees and deliver savings to member universities. Included in the announcement, the Pac-12 will determine a location for a production facility for continued broadcast production activities. 

Live events from all 12 universities including 30+ football games, 100+ men’s basketball games, Pac-12 Championship events, more than 300 live Olympic sport events as well as original and studio content such as The Pregame, The Drive: Pac-12 Football, Inside Pac-12 Football, Our Stories and Pac-12 All-Access.

Live events featuring University of Arizona and Arizona State University coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

Live events featuring University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

Live events featuring UCLA and USC coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

Live events featuring University of Utah and University of Colorado coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

Live events featuring University of Oregon and Oregon State University coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

Live events featuring University of Washington and Washington State University coverage in football, men’s & women’s basketball and Olympic sports.

George Kliavkoff

George Kliavkoff (pronounced “Klēē-ãv-cough”) assumed the role of Commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference on July 1, 2021.  Kliavkoff was previously president of entertainment and sports for MGM Resorts International, where he was responsible for the operations, finance, strategy, booking, marketing, sponsorships, and ticketing for MGM Resorts' more than 35 theaters, showrooms and arenas, including T-Mobile Arena (home of the NHL Vegas Golden Knights), MGM Grand Garden Arena, Michelob Ultra Arena (formerly the Mandalay Bay Events Center), Mandalay Bay Beach, Park Theater, the Theater at MGM National Harbor and the MassMutual Center at MGM Springfield.

MGM Resorts is one of the largest live events companies in the world, with offerings that include five Cirque du Soleil shows, hundreds of A-list concerts, magic and comedy shows every year, and traditional sporting events including boxing, UFC, college basketball multiple team events and conference championships, rodeo and the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Kliavkoff also provided strategic leadership and execution for BetMGM, a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and GVC Holdings PLC focused on sports betting and online gaming in the U.S. Kliavkoff served on the Board of BetMGM and oversaw the trading function at MGM Resorts’ 13 domestic race and sports books.

Kliavkoff joined MGM Resorts with more than 20 years of experience in executive roles within media and sports. He previously served as the CEO of Jaunt XR, an augmented and virtual reality start-up, and in executive roles with top media companies, including serving as co-president at Hearst Entertainment & Syndication, president of Hearst Ventures, chief digital officer at NBCUniversal Media and executive vice president of business for Major League Baseball Advanced Media.

Kliavkoff holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Jamie Zaninovich

Jamie Zaninovich joined the Pac-12 in 2014 and serves as Deputy Commissioner / Chief Operating Officer. Among his many duties, Zaninovich is responsible for television administration and men’s basketball sport management, and oversees the finance, strategy, marketing, and communications teams for the Conference, while also contributing in a variety of other capacities for the Pac-12. 

During his tenure with the Pac-12, Zaninovich has led efforts to expand a Pac-12 Global initiative into China and other international markets, helped architect the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series and Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge for men’s and women’s basketball and helped lead the development of Pac-12 Team Green, a first-of-its-kind sustainability platform in collegiate athletics.  

Zaninovich has spent his entire career in collegiate athletics and served in a variety of senior roles prior to his tenure with the Pac-12, including as Commissioner of the West Coast Conference from 2008-14. During his time at the WCC, Zaninovich also served a term on the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee and chaired the Collegiate Commissioners Division I Sub-Division Committee.

Included on the list of Sports Business Journal's "Forty Under 40" list in 2010, Zaninovich has also served as a sports administrator at both Stanford and Princeton University.

A native of Eugene, Oregon, Zaninovich is a graduate of Stanford and the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and resides in Millbrae, California with his wife Karen and children, Max and Lucas.

Teresa Kuehn Gould

Teresa Gould joined the Pac-12 in August 2018, bringing more than three decades of leadership experience across a variety of successful roles in Division I intercollegiate athletics, including time as a director of athletics, both a conference and campus senior administrator, and a television and media executive. As deputy commissioner of sports management & institutional services, Gould oversees management of Pac-12 women’s basketball and Olympic sports, including oversight of championship events, as well as compliance, governance, operations & events, student-athlete engagement and the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative (SAHWBI). Gould also serves as the Pac-12’s senior woman administrator and has previously led the conference’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts, prior to the league’s appointment of its first-ever chief people and inclusion officer.

Prior to the Pac-12, Gould served in a variety of roles at the University of California, Davis, including interim director of athletics from 2015-16, associate executive director and chief revenue officer of the alumni association, and director of the UC Davis Partnership Program. 

From 2001-14, Gould worked in the athletic department at the University of California, Berkeley where she served in a number of positions, including deputy director of athletics, external relations and chief of staff to the athletic director.

Gould also spent eight years at the West Coast Conference where she served as associate commissioner, as well as three years with ESPN in the role of conference coordination and rights acquisition.

Quashan Lockett

Quashan Lockett joined the Pac-12 in August 2022 as the Conference’s first-ever Chief People and Inclusion Officer. As a member of the Pac-12’s leadership team he oversees the organization’s holistic people function, including driving the operation, enhancement and acceleration of people, culture, diversity, equity and inclusion and social impact strategies. In this capacity, Lockett oversees all human resources efforts for the Pac-12 and serves as the conference’s staff liaison to the Impact Leadership Council, Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designees, and University Chief Diversity Officers.

Lockett brings to the Pac-12 more than 17 years of experience building high-performance, human-centered organizations across sports, media, entertainment and hospitality. He previously held executive human resources and diversity, equity and inclusion roles at Endeavor’s On Location and Legends, and is the founder of “Color of Sports,”serving many of the world's most iconic sports and entertainment brands and rights holders.

In 2020, Leaders Sports Awards named Lockett one of the “Top Leaders in Sport Under 40,” recognizing his proven success in delivering impactful human capital management, organization development, and business transformation strategies and solutions to organizations, teams, and stakeholders. He is a champion for equity, inclusion and social justice with involvement in various non-profit, civic and advocacy organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., National Urban League, Enactus, and Sports Biz Camps.

Scott Petersmeyer

Scott Petersmeyer joined the Pac-12 in 2014 and was elevated to his current role of Interim General Counsel in December 2022 after serving as Deputy General Counsel, Vice President Business and Legal Affairs. Petersmeyer oversees and manages the provision of all legal services for the Pac-12 while providing strategic guidance, consultation and support.  Petersmeyer also oversees the Pac-12’s integrity program. 

Prior to the Pac-12, Petersmeyer worked as an attorney for Cooley LLP where he was an associate in the Employment and Labor practice group and a member of Cooley’s Litigation Department. He volunteers as a middle school girls basketball coach and previously volunteered for the Positive Coaching Alliance. 

A member of the State Bar of California, Petersmeyer received his J.D., summa cum laude, from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2007 where he served as a technical editor for the Santa Clara Law Review. He received a B.A. in International Affairs at Lewis and Clark College in 2001.

Petersmeyer resides in Marin, CA with his wife and two children. 

Merton Hanks

Merton Hanks brings unparalleled football knowledge and experiences to the Pac-12. He joined the Conference as Senior Associate Commissioner of Football Operations in 2020 and was promoted to Executive Associate Commissioner in 2022. In his role, he is responsible for all aspects of Pac-12 football administration, including all football initiatives and programs such as scheduling, officiating, replay command center, operations, the Pac-12 Football Championship Game and Pac-12 bowl relationships. Hanks has also served on the College Football Oversight Committee, College Football Officiating Board of Managers and College Football Competition Committee.

Prior to joining the Conference of Champions, Hanks served as the Senior Associate Commissioner at Conference USA and Vice President of Football Operations & Compliance for the NFL. A nine-year NFL veteran, Hanks won the 1995 Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro honoree. He was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

A native of Dallas, Hanks graduated from Lake Highlands High School. He played college football at Iowa, earning a B.A. in liberal arts in 1990. Hanks also completed the Sport Administration master’s program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Executive Education in 2005 and 2012.

Larry Meyers

A veteran sports media executive with over 25 years of experience in management, innovative content creation, production and distribution, Larry Meyers joined the Pac-12 in 2018 and serves as Executive Vice President, Content for Pac-12 Networks. In his role for the Pac-12, he oversees content creation, studio broadcast production, game broadcast production and programming efforts for the Network’s 850 live event broadcasts each season as well as numerous original programming features and live studio coverage.  

Prior to the Pac-12, Meyers served as Vice President, Content & Executive Producer for Charter Communications’ Spectrum Sports. For Spectrum, he led strategic planning and content execution, launching three new regional sports networks covering the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA), Dodgers (MLB), Galaxy (MLS) and Sparks (WNBA), as well as local collegiate and high school events. Over its first four years, Spectrum Sports garnered 26 team and individual Los Angeles area Emmy awards.

Meyers also served as Senior Vice President of Production & Executive Producer for the Tennis Channel, prior to his time with Spectrum Sports, where he oversaw all original programming as well as live coverage of national and international events. His other past work experience includes production and direction projects for ESPN, FOX sports and NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. Meyers has received regional Emmy awards for his previous work at regional sports networks, as well as a national Emmy award for his work covering the 1988 Seoul Olympics for NBC. 

Meyers earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and resides with his wife in Los Angeles. The couple has two daughters. 

Steve Tseng

Steve Tseng is Executive Vice President, Sales, Partnerships & Distribution for the Pac-12 and has served the organization since 2019. 

Tseng is responsible for driving Pac-12 Network revenue which includes advertising, corporate partnerships, digital, branded content, and other assets across all conference championship events. He also directs sales operations for the Conference and leads management of domestic and international Pac-12 partner organizations.

Prior to joining the Pac-12, Tseng was a Senior Vice President for Endeavor from 2015-19 where he managed the Visa, Inc. global account and led the execution of Visa’s sponsorship plans at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Tseng also held the position of Chief Global Partnership and Chief Sales Officer for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) from 2013-15.

In 2021, Tseng was recognized as one of the Top 50 Diverse Leaders in Sports by the Racial Justice Institute. He holds a degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and currently resides in Moraga, California with his wife and three children.

Ryan Currier

Currier drives the strategy and delivery for technology across the Conference and wholly-owned Pac-12 Networks. This includes an array of internal and external efforts, all of which are ultimately centered around serving the conference's student-athletes and member universities.  

Under Currier’s tutelage, Pac-12 Networks implemented groundbreaking production models, such as software-defined production, which efficiently increases production quality. In 2022, Currier’s work helped Pac-12 Networks be named the IDC Future Enterprise Best in Future of Digital Infrastructure winner in the category of Ubiquitous Deployment.

Currier lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and two children.

Erik Hardenbergh

Erik Hardenbergh joined the Pac-12 as Vice President of Public Affairs in 2012, and was elevated to Chief of Staff in 2017 and later Senior Vice President of Strategy in 2022. In his current role for the Pac-12, he leads all special and high-priority projects on behalf of the Conference, overseeing efforts that are critical to ensuring the Pac-12’s success in strategic planning for the league and its member universities. 

Prior to the Pac-12, Hardenbergh served as a vice president for the Glover Park Group in Washington, D.C. where he developed strategic messaging platforms and coordinated integrated campaigns for various clients. Hardenbergh’s prior career experience also includes work for several sports media outlets, including Yahoo!, Fox Sports Northwest and ABC Sports, as well as various work on national political campaigns.

Hardenbergh holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Amherst College, where he was an Academic All-American and captained the men’s golf team. Hardenbergh also earned an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Heather Vaughan

Heather Vaughan serves as Senior Vice President, Marketing for the Pac-12 and is responsible for oversight of the Conference’s brand, marketing, promotions, and creative services teams. Vaughan also oversees ticketing operations for Pac-12 events and championships while also contributing in a variety of other capacities related to key Conference initiatives, including Pac-12 imPACt. 

A veteran marketer, Vaughan joined the Pac-12 in 2010 following a nine-year tenure with the Sacramento Kings, where she served as Senior Director Marketing/Creative. She was also an instructor at Art Institute of Sacramento and has worked for several advertising agencies.

Vaughan is a member of the National Sports Marketing Network (NSMN), Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), Women in Sports and Events, Inc. (WISE), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). She has had work published in Sports Business Journal and secured multiple Promax/BDA and Telly industry awards. 

Vaughan is a graduate of California State University, Chico and holds a Master’s in Communications from California State University, Fullerton.

Andrew Walker

Andrew Walker is the Senior Vice President, Communications for the Pac-12 where he leads all aspects of strategic brand communications, digital and social media, and university relations for the Conference. Walker joined the Pac-12 in 2017 and has overseen a digital transformation of the Pac-12’s communications function. 

Prior to joining the Pac-12, Walker served as Executive Director, Commercial at the International Tennis Federation and Chief Marketing Officer at the Women’s Tennis Association. He also held roles at the Association of Tennis Professionals, sports marketing agency ProServ, public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, and law firm White & Case.

Walker is a former winner of the Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award and a graduate of NYU Law School and Stanford University.

Lisa Peterson

Lisa Peterson Joined the Pac-12 in October 2022 after serving 11 years for the University of Oregon as the Ducks’ Deputy Athletic Director, Senior Woman Administrator and Deputy Title IX Coordinator. In her role for the Pac-12, Peterson is responsible for the comprehensive management and oversight of the Conference’s 21 Olympic sports, while also working closely with the Pac-12’s Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative (SAHWBI) and serving as a member of the Pac-12 leadership team. 

During her time with Oregon, Peterson oversaw management of seven sports, student-athlete development, athletic medicine, information technology and championships. She has also served on several NCAA committees, including track & field and volleyball. In addition, Peterson currently serves as the current chair of the NCAA’s women’s basketball committee. 

Prior to her work with Oregon, Peterson held the position of Senior Associate Athletic Director, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Kentucky, and the Assistant Athletic Director for Business and Finance at the University of Maryland. She began her career at the University of Miami in the role of assistant business manager. 

In 2021, Peterson was honored by Sports Business Journal as part of the media outlet’s “Game Changers Class,” which recognizes 50 women in sports for their leadership, innovation and impact throughout the sports industry. 

Will Hunter

Will Hunter joined the Pac-12 in 2012 as Vice President, Operations, and was promoted to Associate Commissioner, Operations and Events in 2022. In his current role, he oversees the development and operation of all Pac-12 events, including the Pac-12 Football Championship Game and Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments. Hunter also has various responsibilities for the management and oversight of Pac-12 football operations, serving as liaison for all Pac-12 event managers and facility leads, focusing on safety, security, facility logistics and project management. 

Prior to the Pac-12, Hunter was a global operations executive with past work experiences for some of the world’s most iconic sports brands, including the NFL, NBA, NCAA and Dallas Cowboys. 

Hunter graduated from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina where he majored in psychology and served as captain of the football team. Born in the historic city of Selma, Alabama and having lived in different parts of the world, Hunter brings to the Pac-12 a unique perspective on diversity. 

A recent graduate of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Glass Leadership Institute, which focuses on empowering people to fight hatred of all kinds, Hunter has worked with a number of organizations personally and professionally to make the world a better place for all.

Hunter is a proud husband, father, BBQ connoisseur and 90’s Hip-Hop enthusiast.

Erik Price

Erik Price has served the Pac-12 for over 20 years, having joined the Conference in November 2002. In his current role as associate commissioner for compliance, governance and student-athlete engagement, he leads the Pac-12’s efforts to apply and enforce the rules and requirements governing collegiate athletics. He also serves as the chief educator and interpreter for these policies for the Conference and its 12 member universities. 

Price has served many roles for the Pac-12, including the Conference’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) and Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) administrator. He also leads the student-athlete engagement department which plans programming, education and outreach to more than 7,500 Pac-12 student-athletes and serves as the Conference’s liaison to several membership committees, including the Pac-12 Directors of Academic Services and the Pac-12 Band and Spirit Directors. 

Price also serves as the sport manager for men’s and women’s tennis and directs the annual Pac-12 Men’s and Women’s Championships. 

A graduate of Columbia College in New York, Price also holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Berkeley with his wife, Paula and their two cats and tortoise. The couple have two adult children, Ben and Sasha, who live nearby. 

Dustin Rocke

Dustin Rocke serves as the Associate Commissioner, Broadcast & Media Administration for the Pac-12, a role he has held since January 2020. He oversees all aspects of broadcast partner relations across the Conference and its 12 member universities as well as scheduling initiatives and other capacities related to Pac-12 media rightsholders. 

Rocke joined the Pac-12 in March 2012, helping launch Pac-12 Networks in August 2012. He was later elevated to Vice President, Programming & Development overseeing all aspects of programming and scheduling initiatives for Pac-12 Networks, as well as live streaming strategy for event broadcasts across Pac-12 Now and Pac-12.com. 

Before joining the Pac-12, Rocke helped launch Big Ten Network in Chicago, heading up the programming department and overseeing a number of strategic initiatives.

Rocke earned a Master's degree in Sports Management at the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor's degree at the University of Oklahoma. He currently resides in Walnut Creek, California with his wife and daughter.

Anna Roberts

Anna Roberts serves as Vice President, Human Resources for the Pac-12. In her role, she is responsible for the effective operations of the organization's human resource department, including supporting the Conference’s leadership team with planning and strategy. 

A tenured human resource professional, Roberts joined the Pac-12 in 2011 after many years of experience spanning diverse industries, including software and global talent companies, retail, and wholesale – in both public and private organizations. 

Roberts is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and lives in Moraga, California with her husband and son.