Big Ten Appoints Chris McIntosh Deputy Commissioner For Strategy

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has appointed Chris McIntosh, formerly the Director of Athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as Deputy Commissioner for Strategy, Commissioner Tony Petitti announced Monday. In the newly created role, McIntosh will advise the Commissioner and lead overall strategy development for the conference. He will begin his role officially on May 1, 2026.

“As intercollegiate athletics continues to change at an unprecedented pace, it is essential for the Big Ten Conference to maintain its role as a national leader in academic and athletic excellence,” said Petitti. “To ensure we support our 18 institutions at the highest level possible, it is important to reinforce our leadership team with additional strategic experience.  We are excited to add Chris at such a transformational time and know his experience as an athletics director, administrator and student-athlete in the Big Ten will serve him well in this role.”

McIntosh has served as the Director of Athletics at Wisconsin since 2021, during which the Badgers have claimed 13 conference championships, four team national championships and five individual NCAA champions. UW student-athletes also have excelled academically, with a 94% Graduation Success Rate in successive years, marking the eighth-consecutive year the Badgers have scored 90 percent or higher. McIntosh ushered the Badgers into a new era of college athletics, overseeing the largest capital project in Wisconsin Athletics history with the Kellner Family Athletic Center and establishing Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) programming and support. McIntosh also has served as the Big Ten’s representative on the NCAA’s Football Sport Oversight Committee.

“I have been a part of the Big Ten Conference as a student-athlete, administrator, and Athletic Director since arriving at Wisconsin in 1996. The opportunity to join Commissioner Petitti’s leadership team and help guide the Conference and its institutions toward a stronger future is an honor,” said McIntosh.

Prior to being named Director of Athletics, McIntosh served as the Deputy Director of Athletics at Wisconsin (2017-2021), overseeing day-to-day operations of the department, and as Associate Athletics Director for Business Development (2016-2017) and Director of Business Development (2014-2016).

Before joining the Badgers, McIntosh was involved in numerous business endeavors after he concluded his playing career in the National Football League. McIntosh was a consensus All-American offensive tackle at Wisconsin and led the Badgers to back-to-back Big Ten and Rose Bowl championships in 1998 and 1999, and was named an Outland Trophy finalist in 1999. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. McIntosh earned an undergraduate degree from UW-Madison and holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy analysis.