Who is Teresa Gould? Meet new Pac-12 commisionner replacing George Kliavkoff to revive doomed FBS powerhouse

Teresa Gould has been named to succeed George Kliavkoff as the new Pac-12 commissioner.

Kliavkoff oversaw a crippling exodus of programs from the conference last year, which saw its membership reduced to just two programs. After a long period of uncertainty over his future, Kliavkoff was finally shown the door on Friday.

Following the announcement of the new Pac-12 commissioner, the prevailing question among college football enthusiasts is: who is Teresa Gould? How qualified is she to take on the role of Pac-12 commisionner.

That's especially considering the conference's dire situation amidst the mass exodus last year and the desperate need to reconstruct.

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Exploring Teresa Gould's career experience

Contrary to what many may think, Gould is not a greenhorn in college athletic administration.

She was appointed by the Pac-12 in 2018 as the conference's deputy director. In that capacity, she oversaw the conference's championship events, and other duties including compliance, governance and operations.

Before she joined the Pac-12, Gould had worked at the University of California, Berkeley, as an administrator. There, she served as interim athletic director in 2015 and 2016. According to her profile on X, Gould is a native of Iowa and is married to Los Angeles Rams running backs coach, Ronald Henry Gould.

Teresa Gould's appointment makes her the first woman to become a commissioner in a Power 5 conference. Her appointment was made by the president's of Oregon State and Washington State.

The two schools make up the Pac-12 board following the departure of every other member school from the conference. Remember that Oregon State and Washington State assumed full control of the decision-making in the conference in December. That was after a legal settlement with the other 10 schools.

Washington State president, Kirk Schulz issued a statement on Monday to confirm Gould's appointment:

“Teresa's deep knowledge of collegiate athletics and unwavering commitment to student-athletes makes her uniquely qualified to help guide the Pac-12 Conference during this period of unprecedented change in college sports.

"As the first female commissioner of an Autonomy Five conference, Teresa will be able to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the table as the industry works to find its way through this shifting landscape.”

Gould inherits quite a precarious situation at the helm of Pac-12's affairs and will be tasked with creating a viable future for the conference.