Presidents of the West Coast Conference chose former Princeton administrator Jamie Zaninovich to be the conference’s second full-time commissioner beginning May 31. Zaninovich replaces Michael Gilleran, who will retire after 24 years leading the league.

In five years at Princeton, Zaninovich has been responsible for all revenue-generating and external relations for the university’s athletics department. He is a member of the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics. He also served at Stanford as senior assistant athletics director for strategic planning and men’s basketball operations and in other men’s basketball positions.

Before becoming involved in intercollegiate athletics, Zaninovich worked in marketing and business development for a company that developed the official Web site of the 2000 Olympics, working on that project and other marketing initiatives. He also spent time as a producer for a nationally syndicated sports radio network and a financial analyst.

Zaninovich holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications and an MBA from Stanford, where he created fundraising strategies like the Sixth Man Club that saw significant annual increases in donations, season tickets sales and overall ticket revenue and was a key member of the team responsible for planning the $30 million renovation to Maples Pavilion.

"Jamie has shown an ability to make immediate and significant contributions at every stop along his career path," said Rev. E. William Beauchamp, Portland’s president and chair of the West Coast Conference President's Council. "With his knowledge of the current collegiate athletics landscape, and specific experience in cultivating a national reputation in the sport of basketball, we are confident that Jamie is the right person to raise the conference profile to unprecedented levels."

Zaninovich replaces Gilleran, who ascended to the position in January 1984, overseeing the formation of the women’s league, the creation of postseason basketball tournaments and the expansion of the conference office staff. Gilleran also worked for the NCAA in enforcement and once played professional basketball in France.

"I've been blessed by the opportunity to serve the conference since 1984," Gilleran said, "and I will always treasure my time with the WCC. The conference over the years has had an extraordinary group of presidents, administrators and coaches, and to the extent that we've been successful, I thank all of them for such a strong effort. I especially want to thank all the student-athletes who dedicated themselves to academic and athletic excellence at our member institutions over the years."