On Friday, the Big 12 Conference and Commissioner Brett Yormark announced several changes to their conference leadership structure as a series of expansions, retirements, and title changes are set to take place ahead of the 2024 athletic year.
According to a Big 12 press release, Vice President of Football Scott Draper has been promoted to Chief Football & Competition Officer. In this position, Draper will provide executive oversight of the entire Competition department while continuing to manage and grow Big 12 Football. Draper will be joined by a to-be-named Director of Football this Summer.
Dayna Scherf will serve in the newly created role of Vice President of Women’s Basketball. In this role, Scherf will focus exclusively on overseeing Big 12 Women’s Basketball and its growth trajectory. Previously, Scherf served as Vice President of Women’s Basketball and Competition at the Big 12.
The Big 12 has also hired Lisa Peterson to serve as the league’s Vice President of Olympic Sports. Peterson comes from the Pac-12, where she served as Senior Associate Commissioner of Sports Management and Championships, focusing on the league’s 21 Olympic sports.
Clark Williams has been promoted to Vice President of Communications and Strategy. In this position, he will oversee all sports, business, and strategic communications for the Big 12. Additionally, the Media Services department will be rebranded as the Communications department, which Williams will oversee and manage.
Joni Lehmann, Senior Director of Media Services for the Big 12, will retire after 26 years with the conference. Lehmann will remain with the Big 12 through 2024 Football Media Day.
Bob Burda has transitioned into the newly created role of Chief Administrative Officer & Special Projects. In this position, Burda will assist the Commissioner on various initiatives and serve as the administrative liaison to the Big 12 Board and athletic directors.
Finally, Chief Legal Officer Jessica Presnall has been named Chief Legal & Business Affairs Officer. In this role, Presnall will continue her General Counsel duties and oversight of the legal, compliance, and governance teams and will provide oversight of the Impact, Academics, and Student-Athlete Success departments.
