IRVING, Texas — The Big 12 conference named Brett Yormark it’s fifth commissioner Wednesday.
Most recently, Yormark was the COO of Roc Nation, the sports agency run by musical artist Jay-Z. He was also co-CEO of the commercial side of the agency, Roc Nation Unified.
Before joining Roc Nation, Yormark was CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center from 2005-19, guiding the franchise through its move from New Jersey to Brooklyn. In that time, Barclays Center also became one of the nation’s premier arenas.
Prior to joining the Nets, Yormark was vice president of corporate sponsorships at NASCAR and helped in a $750 million partnership to name the premier stock car racing series for Nextel Communications, the largest such deal at its time.
The Big 12 Executive Committee worked alongside search firm TurnkeyZRG to make the hire. The committee members include conference board of directors chair and Texas Tech president Lawrence Schovanec, Baylor president Linda Livingstone and Kansas chancellor Douglas A. Girod.
Yormark is scheduled to start Aug. 1st on a five-year contract.