Gloria Nevarez

Gloria Elaine Nevarez (born June 15, 1971) is the current commissioner of the Mountain West Conference (MW). Nevarez assumed the position from retiring MW commissioner Craig Thompson on January 1, 2023. Before joining the MW, she had been the fourth full-time commissioner of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Nevarez is the first Hispanic-American to become a commissioner of an NCAA Division I conference. Prior to her duties as WCC commissioner, Nevarez served as a senior level administrator at the WCC as well as the Pac-12 Conference, University of Oklahoma, University of California, Berkeley, and San Jose State University.

Early life and education Nevarez was born in San Jose, California. She was raised in Santa Clara, California. Nevarez graduated from Santa Clara High School in 1989 teams. During the 1986-87 girls' basketball season, as a sophomore, Nevarez earned second team all-league honors. Nevarez followed up during her junior year by earning both third team all-regional honors and all-league first team honors during the 1987-88 girls' basketball season, and finished the 11th best scorer in the Peninsula region by "averag[ing] nearly 15 points per game last season". Her team finished 4th in the league. During the 1988-89 girls' basketball season, Nevarez earned second team all-regional honors and, once again, earned all-league second team honors.

Nevarez also earned second-team all-league honors during the 1988 girls' softball season. Nevarez went on to attend the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where she was a scholarship student-athlete in basketball under second-year head coach Kathy Hewelt. Nevarez graduated from UMass (cum laude) with a B.S. in Sports Management in 1993. Following that, Nevarez began a term as the Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator for the West Coast Conference for the next five years.

In March 2010, Nevarez was named Senior Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator of the Pac-10 Conference, known since 2011 as the Pac-12 Conference. She was the lead on various international trips to China and Australia taken by Pac-12 teams, notably, Nevarez was instrumental in assisting UCLA when three players were arrested in China for stealing.

In March 2018, the West Coast Conference Presidents' Council selected Nevarez as its fourth full-time commissioner.

In November 2022, the Mountain West Conference Board of Directors selected Nevarez as the new commissioner; she officially assumed her duties on January 1, 2023.

Personal Nevarez is married to fellow UC Berkeley School of Law graduate Richard Young.