Q&A: One-on-one with Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould

LAS VEGAS (KOIN) -- The Pac-12 held an event in Las Vegas this past week as the conference transitions into a new era.

KOIN 6 Sports anchor Brenna Greene sat down with new commissioner Teresa Gould who is guiding the transition. Gould has been with the conference since 2018.

Brenna Greene: What made you want to stick around and be the commissioner of this league?

Teresa Gould: It was really obvious to me, when everything unfolded in August of last year, the one thing that literally kept me awake at night was thinking about student-athletes on these two campuses. All I could think about is the 1,000 student-athletes coming to Corvallis, coming to Pullman to live out their dreams of competing at the highest level and the fact that they were left out of the conference realignment shuffle based on nothing that they did, really motivated me and inspired me to want to stick around and fight on their behalf and help forge the path forward.

BG: What’s your hope for the conference this year?

TG: My hope is that these two programs get the national exposure that they deserve. My hope is that their stories are told. My hope is that this chaos is going to create opportunity and eyeballs on these programs so that the country can see the great programs we have on these two campuses and the success that they’ve had.

BG: What’s your hope for the conference past these two years?

TG: I think the hope for the conference is really what’s best for these two programs. Whether that means that the Pac-12 continues or not, there really isn’t any forgone conclusion. It’s really about thinking through what is the best path for these two programs to succeed at the highest level and meet their competitive aspirations.

BG: With The CW, why did you guys decided that was the best fit for your guys’ schools?

TG: It's been an awesome partnership already. It’s been such a short period of time and the collaboration and the communication and the shared commitment to marketing these programs and telling the stories of these student athletes has already been tremendous.  The fact that all 11 of these games are going to be seen nationally and that anybody has access to watching them and that these programs are going to get the national exposure they deserve really was exactly what we were looking for in a media rights partner.

BG: What does a night like these mean to you? Having so many people in this room who are supporting the Pac-12?

TG: It was heartwarming, honestly, because I feel like we had a room full of people cheering for us. I do feel that every day. I feel that way personally, I feel that way in the industry. The turn out that we got tonight with so many media members and so many bowl partners and other partners just means so much because I think they recognize the success of these two programs, and the fact that they’re in this situation through no fault of their own.

What I felt was a room full of support and a room full of people who wanted to have a good time and show up for these student-athletes and for these programs. To me, that’s heartwarming and invigorating for sure.