A bold, values-driven servant leader with a national reputation for principled decision-making and strategic innovation, Dan Butterly has served as Commissioner of The Big West Conference since July 1, 2020, after being named to the position on May 4, 2020. He began his tenure during one of the most challenging periods in the history of college athletics, assuming leadership the same day The Big West moved from a nine institution to an eleven institution conference.
From the outset, Butterly has guided The Big West through transformational change—balancing innovation with integrity, prioritizing student-athlete well-being, and ensuring the conference has a strong voice in national governance during a period of unprecedented disruption and reform across the NCAA.
Leadership During a Time of Crisis and Change
Butterly took office amid the COVID-19 pandemic, leading The Big West through complex decisions impacting health, safety, competition, and institutional resources. Serving as the conference’s primary point of contact on COVID-19 matters, he worked daily with university presidents and chancellors, directors of athletics, medical professionals, and campus leaders to chart a responsible path forward.
Under his leadership, The Big West became one of only two Division I conferences nationally to refrain from sponsoring Fall 2020 competition, prioritizing student-athlete health, sports medicine capacity, and the ability for Spring sports to safely return following their cancellation in 2020. Throughout this period, Butterly emphasized transparency, collaboration, and clear communication with conference leadership and campus stakeholders.
Strategic Transformation of The Big West
Since 2020, Butterly has overseen a comprehensive transformation of The Big West, focused on long-term sustainability, visibility, and student-athlete opportunity. Key initiatives include:
- Historic Media Growth: Negotiated a landmark agreement with ESPN beginning in 2021–22, delivering linear television exposure and expansive national reach through ESPN+. The agreement increased conference media revenues sixfold and expanded annual broadcasts from approximately 60 games to more than 1,200 events across Big West sports.
- Championship Innovation: Led the return of The Big West Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships to the Las Vegas Valley, securing a multi-year partnership at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The championships were the first sporting events held in the new venue in March 2022.
- Conference Branding and Revenue Generation: Negotiated partnerships with Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment and Collegiate Licensing Company, generating record sponsorship interest and establishing a national licensing platform to elevate The Big West brand.
- Broadcast Expansion: Oversaw the first-ever broadcast coverage of all Big West women’s and men’s championships and expanded linear exposure through Spectrum SportsNet in California, Nevada, and Hawai‘i.
- Basketball Media and Audio Platforms: Created The Big West Radio Network, carrying championship broadcasts nationally on SiriusXM and Westwood One.
- Office and Operational Modernization: Transitions the conference office to a fully remote office environment, while enhancing collaboration, accessibility, and engagement with member institutions.
Commitment to Student-Athlete Experience and Inclusion
Butterly has placed student-athletes at the center of conference decision-making. Working with the membership, he established Big West Undivided, the first standing committee in conference history dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee features equal representation between student-athletes and administrators/coaches, with a student-athlete serving as vice chair.
He also guided the conference’s early efforts in Name, Image, and Likeness education, disclosure, and monitoring, ensuring compliance with California law while supporting student-athletes during the initial implementation of NIL nationwide.
National Leadership and NCAA Governance
Recognizing that The Big West lacked representation during a pivotal period of NCAA reform, Butterly stepped forward to ensure the conference and its student-athletes had a voice in national decision-making. His service has included leadership roles across the NCAA and the Collegiate Commissioners Association, highlighted by:
- NCAA Cabinet (September 2025–present)
- Appointed to the Cabinet Subcommittee, the executive body of the NCAA Cabinet
- NCAA Council (July 2021–August 2025)
- Member of the Council Coordination Committee
- Chair, NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee (October 2024–present)
- Previously served as Vice Chair and as a member of the Administrative Committee
- NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Competition Committee (2021–2025)
- Collegiate Commissioners Association
- Vice President, Division I (2022–2025)
- Chair, CCA22 and BC10 non-football subgroups (2022-23 and 2024-25)
Through this work, Butterly has been a leading advocate for inclusive NCAA governance, working alongside peer conferences to call for full representation, equitable access, and transparency as the association restructures its governance and championship models.
In addition, Butterly serves as the only NCAA Division I conference commissioner representative on the Collegiate Commissioners Officiating Working Group, providing national leadership on officiating standards, recruitment, education, accountability, and long-term sustainability across collegiate athletics.
Competitive Excellence, Officiating, and Integrity
In collaboration with athletic directors and coaches, Butterly has emphasized competitive improvement across Big West sports. He established basketball working groups to address scheduling, championship structure, analytics, officiating, and non-conference strategy, with recommendations advancing through conference governance and Board approval.
Beyond basketball, Butterly led the creation of the W5 Western Women’s Volleyball Officiating Consortium, a multi-conference initiative with the Big Sky, Mountain West, Pac-12, and WCC to improve officiating quality, education, accountability, and recruitment.
He has also been active nationally on officiating-related issues, addressing workforce shortages and advancing standards of professionalism, sportsmanship, and integrity across collegiate athletics.
Prior Conference Leadership
Before joining The Big West, Butterly served as Senior Associate Commissioner at the Mountain West Conference, where he held broad executive responsibility across basketball, championships, external relations, media, and revenue-generation initiatives. He was the primary administrator for men’s basketball and the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball championships His work in scheduling, analytics, officiating, media strategy, championship operations, and external relations—including sponsorships, marketing, licensing, radio, and broadcast partnerships—is widely credited with helping elevate Mountain West men’s basketball to national prominence and strengthening the conference’s national brand and commercial profile.
Earlier in his career, Butterly spent nearly six years with the Missouri Valley Conference, rising from marketing intern to assistant commissioner. His leadership contributed to record championship attendance, significant sponsorship growth, and the successful rebranding of the conference identity still in use today.
Butterly has served in leadership roles for numerous NCAA championships, including multiple NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship sites and the 2012 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Denver.
Education and Personal Background
A native of Washington, Illinois, Butterly began his career in college athletics at Illinois State University, where he served as head basketball manager and earned his bachelor’s degree. He holds a Master of Sports Administration degree from Ohio University and was recognized with the Outstanding Graduate Student Award.
Butterly has received multiple honors, including Illinois State University’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award, induction into the Illinois State University College of Applied Science and Technology Hall of Fame, and induction into the Washington Community High School Hall of Fame.
He is married to his wife, Alaine, also a graduate of Illinois State University, and they have one daughter, Jessica, a graduate of Ohio University who works as the social media manager for the Colorado Eagles, the top minor league affiliate for the Colorado Avalanche.