KERRY KENNY NAMED CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER OF THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE

Veteran Collegiate Athletics Executive to Oversee Broadcast Rights, Content and Digital Media Strategy and Conference Business Operations

ROSEMONT, Ill., June 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Big Ten Conference announced Monday that Kerry Kenny has been named chief operating officer (COO) of the Big Ten Conference and will report to Commissioner Tony Petitti. As COO, Kenny will be responsible for all television/broadcast/media rights negotiations and execution, as well as oversight of content, digital and social media strategy. In addition, Kenny will oversee the conference's finance, operational legal and human resources (HR) departments.

"Kerry is a veteran executive with deep experience in the Big Ten Conference and has demonstrated an established track record of providing extraordinary service to the conference, member institutions and external partners," stated Commissioner Petitti. "I look forward to working with Kerry as he takes on significant new responsibilities within the conference office."

Kenny has served the conference in a variety of roles – rules compliance, sport administration, public affairs, sport scheduling, and health and safety – since joining the Big Ten as an intern in August 2008. Most recently, he served as the senior vice president, television, media analytics and emerging platforms.

"It is a great honor to be named chief operating officer of the Big Ten Conference," stated Kenny. "I am committed to serving the conference to ensure we continue to provide outstanding academic and athletic experiences and resources to our 14 (soon-to-be 16), world-class universities."

In April 2023, Kenny was named to Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 list, and in October 2020, he was named to The Athletic's inaugural list of the 40 influential people in college basketball under the age of 40. 

About the Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,500 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men's ice hockey and men's and women's lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.

SOURCE Big Ten Conference