Former Ohio Valley Conference commissioner Beth DeBauche appointed to lead sports management program
DeBauche brings more than three decades of experience in collegiate athletics, national governance and sport law to the classroom
Kim Chaudoin |
One of the nation’s most experienced collegiate athletics leaders is bringing more than three decades of executive leadership, national governance and legal expertise to Lipscomb University’s Department of Kinesiology.
Beth DeBauche, longtime commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference, former NCAA national office executive and Nashville Sports Council board chair, has joined the Lipscomb community as executive-in-residence and lead faculty for the undergraduate sport management program in the Department of Kinesiology, housed in the university’s College of Health & Human Sciences. In addition, she will also serve as faculty in the department’s Master of Science in sport analytics program.
In her new role, DeBauche will bring a practitioner’s perspective to the classroom as she provides academic and strategic leadership for the sport management program, teaches and mentors students preparing for careers across the sports industry, strengthens connections with Nashville’s growing sports community and leads the program’s efforts toward accreditation through the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).
“Beth’s experience is exactly what our students need,” said Matthew Ruiz, professor and chair of Lipscomb’s Department of Kinesiology. “She brings more than 30 years of high-level executive leadership in sports and an extraordinary depth of industry knowledge to our students. She has a genuine passion for investing in our students and helping them succeed. That combination of experience, character and commitment makes her an ideal fit for Lipscomb and for the future of our sport management program.”
DeBauche most recently served as commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference from 2009-2025. During her tenure, she guided the conference through significant changes in the collegiate athletics landscape, led four strategic planning cycles, negotiated major media rights agreements, including the conference’s transition to ESPN+, and helped oversee one of the most successful periods in OVC basketball history.
“Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn from great mentors and teachers and to work with wonderful people at great institutions,” said DeBauche. “I am delighted to bring that experience into the classroom. Lipscomb's focus on the whole student makes this a special place to do that, and I am energized to serve in a new way, working with the students who will shape the future of athletics.”
Her career also includes nearly eight years at the NCAA national office, where she served as director of Division I and helped coordinate strategic initiatives and policy development for the Division I membership. In addition, DeBauche served as associate and assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, administering compliance and eligibility matters for one of the nation’s premier collegiate athletic conferences. She began her athletics administration career at Vanderbilt University, where she served as assistant athletic director for compliance and helped establish the university’s comprehensive NCAA rules compliance program.
DeBauche’s leadership has extended across the national collegiate athletics landscape. From 2022-2024, she served as a voting member of the NCAA Board of Governors, the association’s highest governing body, and chaired its Finance and Audit Committee. She is a former president and chair of the Collegiate Commissioners Association, through which she provided national leadership for Division I conference commissioners during a period that included the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and significant changes across college athletics.
A native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, DeBauche earned her bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College, her master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, and her Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School. DeBauche is currently the Nashville Sports Council board chair. She previously co-chaired the 2014 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Nashville and has served on the boards of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and YWCA Nashville & Middle Tennessee. She is also a graduate of Leadership Nashville and Leadership Tennessee.
Learn more about Lipscomb’s Bachelor of Science in sport management program and about the Master of Science in sport analytics program.