Commissioner of the Patriot League
Jennifer Heppel was appointed Commissioner of the Patriot League on June 8, 2015 and officially took over her duties on August 1, 2015. She works directly with the League’s university presidents, superintendents and athletics directors to develop and execute a strategic plan for the League, administer and negotiate television and multi-media agreements, and provide oversight of all League competitions – regular and postseason - across 24 sports and 19 championships. She is actively engaged in the governance of intercollegiate athletics at the national level, serving on the executive committee of the Div. I Conference Commissioner’s Association and as chair of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Commissioners’ group. She also serves on a number of NCAA committees, including the Committee on Academics, Div. I Council, Playing Rules Oversight Panel, and the Div. I Legislative Committee. Prior to her appointment at the Patriot League, she worked in the Big Ten Conference, including five years (2010-2015) as the Associate Commissioner for Governance. In that role, she also oversaw all aspects of Big Ten men's ice hockey, including representing the Big Ten on the boards of the Hockey Commissioners' Association and College Hockey, Inc. She was first employed at the Big Ten from 1998-2005, including serving as the Associate Commissioner for Compliance and Enforcement (2001-2005). Between her years at the Big Ten, Ms. Heppel was the Associate Athletics Director for Administration at Georgetown University.
