Veteran collegiate athletics leader Patrick Colbert was named Commissioner of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) in June of 2023.
Colbert, who vacates his post as Deputy Commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in Texas, succeeds Gregg M. Kaye, who in January announced his departure at the end of the 2022–23 academic year. Colbert will become the second full-time CCC Commissioner since the role was established in 2007 and will begin his appointment effective July 17.
“We are delighted that Patrick will be the new Commonwealth Coast Conference Commissioner,” said CCC Chair and Endicott College President Steven R. DiSalvo, Ph.D., who served on the search committee. “He is an exemplary leader and a passionate advocate for student-athletes and their institutions. I look forward to working with him and seeing his progress as we continue to grow our conference successes.”
As CCC Commissioner, Colbert plans to forge a bold new strategic vision for the league—one that builds upon conference momentum and what he noted was a banner 2022–23 season for several schools in the conference.
“First and foremost I want to sincerely thank Dr. DiSalvo and the search committee for the opportunity to serve the CCC membership as its next Commissioner,” said Colbert. “I am honored to be able to work with a group of like-minded institutions that have demonstrated a clear commitment towards establishing itself as an elite conference, both regionally and nationally. We have an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of a historic year and it is a goal of mine to ensure that through collaboration and the encouragement of strategic and creative thinking, we work collectively to evolve our brand awareness and continue to compete for national championships annually.”
In his role as Deputy Commissioner at the WAC, Colbert serves as the chief operating officer for the league office with oversight of all internal operations and facilitates the conference’s governance process as its primary administrator and liaison to the league’s athletic directors. Colbert also serves as the point of contact for the league’s multimedia rights holder overseeing the facilitation of corporate sponsorship agreements and activations while also working directly with the Commissioner and Conference leadership to enhance television coverage opportunities with the league’s broadcasting partner ESPN.
Prior to the WAC, Colbert worked from 2012 until 2021 for the American Athletic Conference, ultimately rising to Assistant Commissioner of Sport Administration & Basketball Operations. He was the primary administrator for select sports while serving as the tournament manager for the conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. He also oversaw licensing and merchandising partnerships for the American Athletic Conference.
Colbert was a former four-year soccer student-athlete at Colby-Sawyer College, where he earned a B.S. in Sport Management. He also holds a M.S. in Sports Leadership from Northeastern University.
A native of Medfield, Mass., Colbert lives in Smithfield, R.I., with his wife, Lindsay, and their three daughters Brooke, Paige, and Reese.