Commissioner, Conference USA
Britton Banowsky, commissioner of Conference USA, has over 20 years of experience as a collegiate sports administrator. He has served as associate commissioner for the Big 12 Conference and commissioner of the Southland Conference.
Banowsky is currently chair of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, and serves on other national committees, including Collegiate Commissioners Association, Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Properties, Basketball Academic Enhancement Working Group and NLI Policy and Review Committee. Banowsky has previously been a member of the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance, NCAA Division I Management Council and the BCS Television Negotiations Committee.
With Banowsky’s progressive leadership, Conference USA has maintained a solid foundation, developed a strong identity and reinforced its top position in collegiate athletics.
In his previous role as associate commissioner of the Big 12 Conference, Banowsky was instrumental in laying the organizational foundation for the Big 12 prior to its official launch in July 1996. As general counsel, he was responsible for management of the Big 12 Conference’s legal affairs, including the administration of television, bowl, and championships agreements. He oversaw national policy development, governance and NCAA regulatory matters, and assisted the commissioner in strategic planning and the management of the league office.
Prior to joining the Big 12, Banowsky was the commissioner of the Southland Conference. While there, he was involved in negotiating a multi-year television agreement, founding a corporate sponsorship program, directing a conference-wide initiative to develop women’s athletics, and engineering the expansion of the Southland Football League, one of the nation’s premier Division I-AA football conferences.
Banowsky is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he earned both a business and a law degree.