Elizabeth (Beth) DeBauche was named commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference on July 29, 2009, becoming the seventh full-time commissioner in the history of the OVC.
As commissioner, she answers to each of the OVC schools’ presidents and works with them to set the strategic direction of the conference.
DeBauche (pronounced De-Bush), a Green Bay, Wisconsin native, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and government from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana, and her master’s degree in communications from Notre Dame. She went on to complete her juris doctorate from the Notre Dame School of Law.
After a brief stint in the field of law, DeBauche turned her attention to the world of college athletics. She got her start at Vanderbilt University, where she was the assistant athletic director for compliance from August 1994 to November 1996. From there, she worked as an assistant and later associate commissioner for the Southeastern Conference in Birmingham, Alabama, from November 1996 through August 2002.
In 2002, she relocated to Indianapolis to work in the home office of the NCAA, where she was responsible for coordinating Division I initiatives through the NCAA governance structure, as well as helping to manage the Division I agenda. She was also a liaison to governance representatives, external constituent groups and NCAA staff regarding legislative and governance activities.
After seven years with the NCAA, she made her way back to the South and took the commissioner position for the OVC in 2009.
The conference has seen several changes under DeBauche’s leadership, including the implementation of a revised governance structure to enhance efficiencies and collaboration and the launch of a branding initiative. She also negotiated the largest national media contract in league history, which included moving the league’s streaming efforts to the ESPN+ platform.
During DeBauche’s time with the OVC, student-athletes have achieved high levels of success, not only on the field, but also in the classroom. The league has consistently seen a record number of honorees on the OVC Medal of Honor and OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. In order to help students succeed, DeBauche sponsors comprehensive leadership programming for OVC student-athletes and coaches through on-campus summits.
In June 2022 she was named one of nine voting members to the new NCAA Board of Governors. The Board of Governors was outlined by the new NCAA constitution adopted in January by member schools and conferences and is the highest governance body for the NCAA. The board has several responsibilities, including oversight of the finances of the Association, employment and evaluation of the NCAA president, and media rights and revenue-producing contracts. Beth also serves as Chair of the Board of Governors Finance and Audit Committee and chair of the Finance and Audit Committee’s Investment Subcommittee.
DeBauche serves on the NCAA Nominating Committee, is Chair of the CCA22 and of the FCS Commissioners group. Additionally, she is the Commissioners’ liaison to the FCS ADA. She has previously served as the President of the Collegiate Commissioner’s Association (CCA), on the Committee on Institutional Performance, the Division I Strategic Vision and Planning Committee and the Division I Management Council.
She is an advisory board member with the Nashville Sports Council, a Board member of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, and a member of the International Women’s Forum of Tennessee. She is a graduate of Leadership Nashville and of Leadership Tennessee.