New Atlantic 10 Commissioner Dan Leibovitz spoke Tuesday at a virtual press conference to outline his vision for the conference, emphasizing his experience and his commitment to preserving the A-10’s reputation as a premier basketball league.
The A-10 Presidents Council selected Leibovitz after a search that included University President Ellen Granberg, who has prioritized athletics in the early years of her tenure. Before joining the A-10, Leibovitz oversaw basketball operations for the Big East, held a similar executive role with the SEC and coached at both the collegiate level and with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
In an introductory press conference on Tuesday, Leibovitz said he is focused on finding new ways to generate revenue for the conference while also advocating for collegiate athletics on the national level and ensuring welfare for players.
“Through it all, we must never lose sight of the well-being of our student-athletes,” Leibovitz said. “I am ready to meet those challenges.”
His comments come as midsized conferences like the A-10 are losing competitive edges to larger programs with better-funded programs amid the introduction in 2021 of student-athletes’ ability to profit off their name, image and likeness and changes to the transfer portal. As commissioner, Leibovitz will handle ensuring the conference’s growth and success in the wake of these significant changes to the college sports landscape.
In the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament, only three mid-major teams advanced as underdogs — two from the A-10, as Saint Louis and VCU knocked off Georgia and North Carolina, respectively. As top mid-majors struggle to secure Quadrant 1 and 2 matchups — key paths to at-large bids — Leibovitz emphasized the need for data-driven scheduling and creative strategies to help A-10 programs build stronger résumés for March Madness.
“There’s also opportunities to find Quad 1 and Quad 2 against conferences that are not in those [Power] Five,” Leibovitz said. “You could play a road game in the top 75 and attract Quad 1 games. Certainly I am someone who is deep, deep into the metrics.”
Leibovitz will succeed outgoing commissioner Bernadette McGlade, who served 18 years in the role prior to her retirement. Since taking over in 2008, McGlade oversaw significant conference realignment that saw the departure of schools like Xavier and Temple in 2013 and the additions of other basketball-centered athletics programs like VCU and Loyola Chicago in 2012 and 2022, respectively.
As commissioner, McGlade emphasized basketball, leading to highlights like six March Madness bids for the conference in 2014 — which included GW — and expansive media rights partnerships that featured a 40 percent revenue increase in 2023.
McGlade congratulated Leibovitz in a release while emphasizing the importance of basketball to the A-10.
“As a premier basketball-centric Division I conference, the future is bright and Dan will lead with strength,” she said. “The A-10 membership are outstanding institutions, and it has been a privilege to serve over the last 18 years.”
Leibovitz during the press conference expressed interest in setting the men’s basketball championship in the same place every year compared to the rotational-based system, which has placed the three most recent tournaments in Brooklyn, D.C. and Pittsburgh, although he did not mention a specific location.
“I’m coming from the Big East,” Leibovitz said. “You don’t have to ask where the Big East is. You don’t have to ask where the Big 12 is — Kansas City. The SEC’s in Nashville, the [Missouri Valley Conference] in St. Louis. So, I want to find that for us.”
