The Big West has announced that California State University, Bakersfield President Lynnette Zelezny was elected chair of the board of directors for 2023-24 during the Big West annual spring meeting, held May 24-26 in San Diego. Dr. Zelezny will replace incoming chair, University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary S. May when his term ends on June 30, 2023. May was elected last year and will begin his term as chair on July 1. May succeeds outgoing chair, Framroze M. Virjee, president of California State University, Fullerton.
“I am deeply honored by this opportunity to serve the Big West Conference as chair for the 2023-24 term, and I am humbled by the board’s faith in me,” Dr. Zelezny said. “I look forward to working closely with Chancellor May in the coming term as we navigate the way forward amid a changing landscape for Division I collegiate athletics. In the Big West, our motto is ‘Only the Bold,’ and we lead with vision, integrity and energy to ensure that every scholar-athlete is ready to compete in their sport and excel in the classroom.”
Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly praised the selection of the two leaders.
"Gary May and Lynnette Zelezny are emblematic of the board’s strong commitment to athletic and academic excellence. Their strong leadership will be critical as the Big West navigates the transformational change taking place within the NCAA,” Butterly said. “I would like to thank Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee for his guidance, despite a rapidly changing environment that presented a host of new challenges in 2021-22.”
Dr. Zelezny was appointed to serve as the fifth president of California State University, Bakersfield in 2018, becoming the first woman to serve in the role. Dr. Zelezny came to CSUB from Fresno State University, where she served in a variety of roles from 1988 to 2014. She served as provost and vice president for academic affairs prior to her appointment at CSUB. In that capacity she was also the campus' chief academic officer.
A product of the CSU, Zelezny earned bachelor's and master's degrees in psychology from Humboldt State University, a Ph.D. in applied social psychology from Claremont Graduate University and an M.B.A. with distinction from the Craig School of Business at Fresno State. She has also earned professional certificates in management from Harvard University and in executive leadership from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
May became the seventh chancellor of UC Davis in 2017 and leads the most comprehensive campus in the University of California system, with four colleges and six professional schools. UC Davis enrolls more than 39,000 students, brings in nearly $850 million annually in sponsored research and contributes at least $8 billion annually to California’s economy.
In 2010, May was named “outstanding engineering alumnus” of UC Berkeley, where he earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
About The Big West
The Big West is an NCAA Division I member with 11 members with the shared goal of empowering every student-athlete in competition and in life and uniting its university communities through championship experiences. Formed in 1969, The Big West membership consists of Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. The Big West is united in the pursuit of boundless opportunities, enduring integrity, bold activism, fearless innovation and the pacific spirit of freedom, exploration and progress.
The Big West sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s water polo. For more information, visit BigWest.org or follow The Big West on Twitter @BigWestSports.
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)
/1x.jpeg?auto=webp)