The PacWest Executive Search Committee went nationwide to look for the next commissioner of the NCAA Division II Pacific West Conference — but as it turns out, that person was already located in the conference office.
Jessica Harbison Weaver is the new Pacific West Conference Commissioner, replacing Bob Hogue, who is retiring after 16 years as the conference leader. Harbison Weaver has been the PacWest Senior Associate Commissioner since May of 2020.
“I want to thank President (Adam) Morris, the Executive Board, and the search committee for this opportunity to serve the PacWest in a new role as the commissioner,” Harbison Weaver said. “I look forward to continuing the tradition of academic and athletic success, and growing the PacWest into the premier Division II conference on the west coast.”
The Executive Search Committee — a group that included PacWest presidents, athletic directors and administrators, along with the national search firm Spelman Johnson — was tasked with the search and final selection.
“I speak on behalf of my presidential colleagues in the PacWest in expressing joy and confidence in Jessica Harbison Weaver as the new Commissioner of the PacWest Conference,” said Adam Morris, PhD, and President of Azusa Pacific University. “Having spent the last 14 years in college athletics, Jessica brings a unique combination of vision, planning, marketing, compliance and fiscal management to this important role. Her heart for student-athletes is at the center of her vocation and we look forward to continuing our partnership with her in the months and years to come.”
Harbison Weaver came to the PacWest after holding athletic administration positions at Concordia (Portland), UC Riverside and Mercer University. Additionally, she worked four years at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.
In the PacWest office, Harbison Weaver has overseen compliance and select sports and their championships. Additionally, she is the co-chair of the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association Compliance Administrators, and serves as the advisor to the PacWest SAAC and Medical Aspects Committee. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC), as the Chair of the NAAC Division II Reasonable Standards Committee, as well as the Chair of the NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee.
In 2021, Harbison Weaver was named the recipient of the Division II Excellence Award by the National Association for Athletic Compliance. The Division II Excellence Award is given to one person each year, to a compliance professional who is a leader in the compliance field at the Division II level.
“I am so thrilled that after a national search, our Presidents came home to the PacWest to find the best person for the job,” said Hogue. “Jessica is a fabulous choice and will do an outstanding job as our next commissioner.”
Harbison Weaver was the Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Concordia University from 2017-2020. She served as the Senior Compliance Administrator for all 15 of the Cavaliers’ sports, and was the sport supervisor for five programs. Concordia won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Academic trophies in 2019 and 2020.
Prior to arriving in Portland in 2017, Harbison Weaver was the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance Services at the University of California, Riverside, helping oversee all 17 intercollegiate sports. She also spent three years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
From 2009 to 2013, Harbison Weaver worked at the NCAA National Office where she rose to the level of Coordinator for Academic and Membership Affairs. Harbison Weaver has served on a number of key athletics and compliance-related committees over the years, and has also spent over a decade as a member of Women Leaders in College Sports.
“Jessica’s experience at the NCAA national office, her national committee work and her time on a Division II campus make her professionally great to be our next commissioner,” Dominican University of California athletic director Amy Henkelman said. “Most importantly, her strong focus on the student-athlete experience and her desire to help create positive environments for the programs on our campuses is a big plus.”
The Pacific West Conference has a 31-year history, where Hogue had served as the commissioner since 2007. The conference currently has 11 members in Hawaii, northern California and southern California, and will expand to 14 universities in 2024-25.
“This is a great day for the Pacific West Conference,” said Chaminade University of Honolulu athletic director Dr. Tom Buning. “Jessica has an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge about intercollegiate athletics and all of our PacWest member schools. She’s the leader we need to help us navigate the current rough waters of intercollegiate athletics and take our conference to new heights.”
Harbison Weaver, 40-years-old, is a graduate of Butler University and has a master’s degree from Indiana University. She and her husband Rodney reside in Long Beach.