Jennifer Cohen of University of Washington
USC President Carol Folt has announced the hiring of Jennifer Cohen of the University of Washington as the Southland university’s new athletic director.
Cohen has led the athletics program at UW since 2016. She recently oversaw the university’s decision–mirroring one by USC–to leave the Pac-12 Conference in favor of the Big Ten Conference in 2024. UCLA and the University of Oregon are also making the same move.
At the time of her hiring, Cohen was one of few women to hold an athletic director post at a Power 5 school.
Cohen replaces Mike Bohn, who served as USC’s athletic director since 2019 but resigned unexpectedly in May, with some reports indicating there was an internal investigation into his behavior while leading the athletics program.
Folt issued a statement at the time saying, “Over the last four years, the USC athletics department has transformed into a national powerhouse. In our singular pursuit of excellence, I am committed to ensuring we have the right leadership in place to achieve our goals.
“As part of that commitment and as we prepare to move to the Big Ten, we conducted a thorough review of the athletics department, including its operations, culture, and strategy. Having built a strong foundation over the last few years, now is the time for new direction grounded in our values and in expertise needed to fulfill our aspirational vision for Trojan athletics.”
