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Jim Isch named NCAA chief operating officer

NCAA President-elect Mark Emmert today named Jim Isch chief operating officer of the organization. 

Isch, who served as interim president since Sept. 2009 following the death of president Myles Brand, joined the national office staff in 1998.

In his previous position as senior vice president for administration and chief financial officer, Isch was responsible for accounting, budgetary matters, benefits, human resources, payroll, information technology, risk management, facilities and operations.

Isch also served at various times as primary liaison to the Executive Committee, as liaison to the Executive Committee Presidential Search Committee and on the Finance Committee.

He also led numerous national efforts in the areas of strategic planning and fiscal responsibility. Those efforts have included, among other things, work with the NCAA strategic-planning effort in 2003-04 and the NCAA Presidential Task Force in 2006.

Isch joined the NCAA staff after the Association had announced its decision to relocate from Overland Park, Kansas, to Indianapolis. He was instrumental in the relocation, being primarily responsible for moving the Association’s business and technology functions. He was required to accomplish the task in the face of significant staff turnover while also re-creating almost all business relationships in a new city. Those business relationships included banks, auditors, phone services, vendors and other service providers.

Before joining the NCAA, Isch was vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, from 1994-98, one of four vice chancellors reporting to the chancellor.

Previous to that, he was vice president for administration at Montana State University, Bozeman, from 1986-94. Before that, he served at Kansas State University, where he was assistant vice president for facilities planning and budget (1985-86), budget director (1982-85) and assistant budget officer/accounting instructor (1977-82).

Isch, an Army veteran, earned his undergraduate degree from Kansas State and his master’s from Boston University. He holds a doctor of philosophy, also from Kansas State.