James J. Phillips is an American college athletic administrator. He currently serves as Commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), a role he began in 2021.[1]
Early life and education
Phillips was born and raised in Chicago, the youngest of 10 children and a first-generation college graduate.[2] His father, John Phillips, was a design engineer and veteran of the United States Navy. His mother Anita Phillips was a stay at home mother.[3]
Phillips began his career on the coaching side as a basketball team manager and student assistant at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He went on to serve as a graduate assistant coach and later an assistant basketball coach at Arizona State University before transitioning to athletics administration work in 1997.[4]
Phillips began his career in athletics administration as part of the external relations department at Arizona State followed by his service at the University of Tennessee from 1998 to 2000. He served as the Associate Director of Athletics, then Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Affairs at University of Notre Dame from 2000 to 2004.[6] He served as the athletic director at Northern Illinois University from 2004 to 2008.[7]
Northwestern University
He subsequently served as the athletic director of Northwestern University from 2008 to 2021.[8][9] He was the first athletic director on the NCAA Board of Directors and Board of Governors. In 2015, he was the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Council. He later served on the Division I Men’s Basketball Selection Committee, Division I Women’s Basketball Selection Committee and Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee.[10] In 2021, Phillips was also selected to serve on the NCAA Constitution Review Committee, and the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee.[11]
In 2023, Phillips was accused of covering up widespread hazing and sexual abuse in Northwestern University's football program. Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Philips in litigation headed by noted civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.[12] Despite Phillips involvement in the sex abuse scandal, The Atlantic Coast Conference has made no effort to investigate or punish Phillips.[13]
In October 2024, Phillips was appointed to the NCAA board of governors. He also serves on its executive committee and chairs its finance and audit committee.[14] He serves as Vice President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association, and will begin serving as President for the 2024-2025 academic year.[15]
Personal life
Phillips has been described by Sports Illustrated writer Pat Forde as "an emphatic Catholic" and "punctilious in the practice of worship". When working at the ACC's uptown Charlotte headquarters, he attends the 12:10 pm mass at a church within walking distance of the headquarters daily. He met his wife Laura, herself the youngest of seven children from a Chicago Catholic family, while they were both attending University of Illinois. They have five children together.[2]
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