Amy Perko

Amy Privette Perko has led the Knight Commission since 2005, serving as executive director until October 2016, when she was named chief executive officer. During her tenure, the NCAA has adopted several significant Knight Commission recommendations. The most prominent of these actions include requiring teams to be on track to graduate 50 percent of their athletes to be eligible for postseason championships, and revising its revenue distribution to include incentives for academic outcomes.

Having served in various leadership positions in sports for more than 30 years, Amy is a recognized leader on college sports issues. She is the recipient of the 2020 Dick Enberg Award presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). This distinguished award is presented annually to a person whose actions and commitment have promoted the values of education in college sports.

In January 2012, Amy received the NCAA’s prestigious Silver Anniversary Award, presented to six former college athletes, on the occasion of their 25th anniversary from college participation in recognition of their civic and professional contributions. Her impact on college sports was also recognized by Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal in 2015, identifying her as a “Game Changer.”

Under Amy’s leadership, the Commission has published several major reports that inform and influence college sports leaders and policymakers. The most recent C.A.R.E. Model for College Sports report is influencing changes to national and conference athletics performance initiatives to make them gender equitable.

Amy serves as the Commission’s spokesperson and is often interviewed by leading news media, including: ESPN, USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg News. She has participated as an expert guest on numerous national news and sports programs and podcasts, and as a keynote speaker for several organizations and events.

A member of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, Amy was named to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America basketball team three times and earned All-ACC honors twice. She completed her collegiate career as the school’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. She was honored as an ACC Legend in 2005. In 2008, Amy was inducted into CoSIDA’s Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

Amy graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1987 with a degree in history. She earned a master’s degree from the University of Richmond. In December 2015, Amy was awarded an honorary degree from Methodist University.

Prior to her role with the Knight Commission, Amy worked at the NCAA for more than six years and then at the University of Kansas as the Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator. In 2001, she was the first Team President named by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for one of its men’s basketball development teams, the Fayetteville Patriots.

Amy has served as a board member for numerous community and civic organizations, including the Cumberland Community Foundation and the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County. She also served as a youth basketball coach for many years.