The University of Southern California’s search for the school’s next athletic director ended on Monday afternoon.
Carol Folt, the President of the University of Southern California, named Jennifer Cohen as the university’s 10th athletic director. She replaces Mike Bohn, who resigned from his post due to health-related issues. Cohen is also the first woman ever to be named athletic director at USC.
Cohen comes to USC from the University of Washington, where she has served as the athletic director since May 25, 2016. Before seven years as the university’s athletic director, Cohen spent 17 years as part of the athletic department, with most of her time overseeing fundraising. She also spent time at Pacific Luthern, the University of Puget Sound, and Texas Tech in her administrative career.
During her time in Seattle, Huskies athletics saw success both on the field and in the classroom, including recording a school-record NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 92 in 2021. She also oversaw the hiring of multiple coaches, including head football coach Kalen DeBoer, who led the football program to an 11-2 season in his first year as head coach. Overall, the University of Washington won 19 Pac-12 championships during her seven-year tenure.
Notably, the Acaradia, California native, is also a member of the College Football Playoff Committee and a member of the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches.
Cohen comes to USC as the university finds itself in a similar spot to the one she was in at the University of Washington. The USC athletic department is in its final year as a member of the Pac-12 as the university, along with the University of Oregon, the University of Washington, and the University of California, Los Angeles, will move to the Big Ten starting next July.
“I have long admired the Trojan spirit and the USC community’s commitment to always Fight On with integrity and absolute dedication in pursuit of excellence both on and off the field,” Cohen said in a press release. “It is an honor of a lifetime to come back to Southern California to serve as USC’s director of athletics and officially join the Trojan Family. I am excited to help realize President Folt’s moonshot plan to reimagine USC Athletics, ensuring student-athletes from all of our 21 teams have the facilities and resources they need to succeed. USC is a national powerhouse in every measure of college athletics, and I look forward to honoring the Trojan heritage while working alongside the incredible USC Athletics team as we embrace both the opportunities and challenges of this complex moment.”
Cohen will begin her tenure as USC’s athletic director on Tuesday.