Ken Chenault ’73 Named to NCAA Board of Governors

By Bowdoin
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has named Ken Chenault ’73, H’96 to its board of governors, which helps set the future direction for college sports.
Ken Chenault, public independent member of NCAA Board of Governors

Appointing Chenault and four other independent members to its most important governing body is one of a series of moves the NCAA has taken recently to strengthen the public's trust.

Broadening representation on the NCAA board of governors was one of several recommendations made by the Commission on College Basketball, an independent group led by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which formed in response to a federal investigation into corruption in college basketball, according to an NCAA press release.

With the addition of Chenault and the other independent members, "the board structure is closely aligned with best practices in nonprofit and higher education to include public voices in the highest governing body," said G.P. “Bud” Peterson, chair of the board and president of Georgia Tech.

Chenault is chairman and a managing director of the venture capital firm General Catalyst. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Chenault was CEO and chairman of American Express from 2001 to 2018. He joined the company in 1981. In 2014, Fortune magazine included him in its, “50 Greatest Leaders” list, and described him as “the most accomplished leader in global finance.” Bowdoin awarded him an honorary degree in 1996.

Chenault serves on the boards of Airbnb, Facebook, the Harvard Corp. and numerous nonprofis, including the Smithsonian Institution’s Advisory Council for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and Bloomberg Philanthropies. He also serves on the board of trustees for NYU Langone Health.

He and his wife, Kathryn, live in New York City, and they have two sons.