NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA has hired Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert as its new commissioner.
Engelbert replaces Lisa Borders, who stepped down in October. NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum has been the interim WNBA president since Borders left.
Engelbert will be the first person to have the title of WNBA commissioner. The previous four people in charge of the league — Val Ackerman, Donna Orender, Laurel Richie and Borders — were known as the league’s president.
Since 2015, Engelbert has been CEO of Deloitte US, an accounting organization that works with Fortune 500 companies. Her term as CEO of Deloitte was ending next month.
It’s been an active offseason for the league, which begins its 23rd season on May 24. The WNBA announced a deal with CBS earlier this month to broadcast 40 games on CBS Sports Network. The WNBA also signed AT&T as a top sponsor, added new uniforms by Nike and rebranded itself with a new logo. The league also had a promotional tie-in with the highly successful “Captain Marvel” movie in February and oversaw the sale of the New York Liberty to an investment group led by Brooklyn Nets minority owner Joseph Tsai.
Engelbert played college basketball at Lehigh under current Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. She was also on the school’s lacrosse team, serving as captain of both programs.
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