There are many layers to Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly, including his past as a television actor. In addition to being one of the most externally facing commissioners in college athletics, often found replying to fans’ emails or publishing his weekly “The Bold Type” letter to schools and supporters, Butterly’s leadership style can be summed up in one word: proactive.
That mindset began long before he became one of Division I’s leading voices. It started when he cold-called his college basketball coach at Illinois State to ask about keeping the team’s stats and had the job before he even got back to his dorm. It traces back further still, to his grandfather, who created the original mold for the Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup bottle.
Today, Butterly’s applied that same instinct to rethinking how a Division I conference can operate, communicate, and stay relevant in a rapidly changing landscape.
Leading in the Middle of Chaos
When Butterly took over the Big West Conference in May 2020, college athletics were at a standstill. Games were canceled, offices shuttered, and no one really knew what the future held. It was, he says, “absolutely crazy.”
“I think I’m still the only commissioner ever hired entirely over Zoom,” he joked. “I never met the board in person before getting the job.”
At the time, the Big West, comprised mostly of California public universities, was under some of the strictest COVID-19 restrictions in the nation. The conference ended up one of just two Division I leagues (along with the Ivy League) to cancel fall sports that year.
Butterly remembers those early days as a blur of virtual meetings.
“We were meeting once or twice a week, just trying to keep the Big West moving forward,” he said. “Local, state, county, and national laws all played a part in what we could do. It was 18 months of just managing through constant uncertainty.”
That crucible forged Butterly’s vision for how the league could evolve … leaner, more flexible, and less tied to traditional geographic or bureaucratic limits.
A Fully Remote Conference
Out of necessity came innovation. What began as an interim remote arrangement eventually became the first fully remote Division I conference office in the country.
“When I came on board, we were already remote because of COVID,” Butterly said. “We never got to that five-days-a-week in the office model. It started as three days in, two days remote, then one day every couple of weeks. We just kept adapting.”
The model worked. Staff productivity stayed high, communication improved through digital tools, and morale rose as people gained flexibility. The idea to formalize it came in late 2024, when Butterly presented a bold proposal to the Big West Board of Directors: go completely remote.
“I told the board, I think we’re ready,” he recalled. “Our staff is mature and trusted, our systems are in place, and we can save serious money.”
The numbers proved compelling. By eliminating rent and other office expenses in Southern California, the Big West cut about $250,000 per year from its operating budget, freeing up funds that could be redirected to member schools and championship experiences.
“In this environment, saving money is like generating new revenue,” Butterly said. “We’re showing our schools that innovation can happen at every level, even administratively.”
Butterly and his wife, Alaine, work and live in Colorado Springs. “I travel constantly anyway, coast to coast,” he said, “so this gives me flexibility and actually reduces costs for the league.”
A handful of the Big West’s 13 staffers left California entirely, but many moved away from the high-cost Orange County area. “It’s helped with retention and quality of life,” Butterly said. “People are happier, and we haven’t missed a single beat.”
Balancing Presidents, ADs, and the Push for Change
Few commissioner roles demand as much diplomacy as being a conference commissioner. The league’s 11 full members include large UC campuses, regional Cal States, and soon-to-be-joining Utah Valley University, each with unique priorities and governance structures.
“A lot of it comes down to communication,” Butterly said. “My phone’s always on. I send weekly updates to our chancellors/presidents, ADs, SWAs, and FARs. If there’s an issue, they can call me anytime.”
That openness has proven vital through a wave of leadership transitions.
“We’ve had six AD openings in the last year,” he said. “We’ve also had several chancellors/presidents retire. So it’s been a lot of onboarding and relationship-building.”
Expanding the Footprint
That steady hand guided the Big West through its latest wave of realignment, one that prioritized geography, institutional fit, and long-term stability over the short-term flash.
In February 2024, the league invited Cal Baptist University and Utah Valley University to join. Later that year, Sacramento State followed. Together, they helped solidify the Big West’s presence across the western U.S.
“Cal Baptist fits us perfectly,” Butterly said. “They’re a private school, but they’ve grown like our public schools — UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Riverside — all went from Division II to Division I over the last 25 years. Cal Baptist is on that same trajectory.”
He also credited the board’s commitment to diversity for approving the addition. “Chancellor Howard Gillman from UC Irvine said, ‘We are a conference that prides itself on diversity — why not Cal Baptist?’ That really helped drive the decision.”
As for Utah Valley University, the fit was equally natural.
“It’s the largest university in Utah, over 47,000 students,” Butterly said. “When we visited, one of our presidents said, ‘This feels like a Cal State campus but in Utah.’ They’re growing fast, they’re well-run from top to bottom and they care deeply about student-athlete experience.”
The inclusion of Sac State — long a Big West affiliate in select sports — added a northern anchor and a strong regional brand.
“Mark Orr [Sac State AD] and I joked about it for years because we were naturally a landing spot as an affiliate member for them in a few sports,” Butterly said. “There had been some talk about their football program going FBS, and it wasn’t until about June when things heated up and it all fell into place.”
As for the ideal number of Big West schools, Butterly said, “You never know in this industry what will happen. We’ve played with 11, so we know we can compete and operate with that number.”
Butterly keeps a close eye on developments across the Pac-12 and Mountain West.
“You never know what could happen,” he said. “There’s so much legal activity, and depending on how it plays out, it could have a ripple or slingshot effect across Division I.”
He imagines a future in which football breaks away entirely.
“If FBS schools decide to form their own model outside the NCAA, maybe that allows others — like Cal or Stanford — to return to regional leagues,” he said. “You could see schools come back to their geographic roots. If that happens, the Big West will definitely be ready and in position to succeed.”
Butterly calls it the “regional reality” approach: focusing on health, well-being, and fiscal responsibility for student-athletes, rather than coast-to-coast travel.
“We’ll always be here for institutions that value that model,” he said.
An External Commissioner in an Internal World
Butterly’s visibility sets him apart from most of his peers. He publishes openly. He engages directly. And he doesn’t mind sharing opinions that might stir conversation.
“I think fans, media, and even our own campuses need to understand what’s really happening in college athletics,” he said. “The Big West doesn’t have the megaphones of CFP-4 football, so we have to create our own media ecosystem.”
His weekly “This Week in the Big West” newsletter, sent every Friday to members, details everything from legal updates to campus highlights. That internal digest evolves into the public “The Bold Type” version on Mondays, which often finds its way into the media space, especially on social media.
“I want to be transparent,” Butterly said. “We’ve got great stories to tell about our coaches, our student-athletes, and our schools. It’s important to put that out there.”
That openness has built trust across the league and beyond. It’s also helped humanize the role of a commissioner in a time when fans often view administrators as distant or corporate. Butterly, by contrast, thrives on connection.
A Commissioner Without Borders
For all his strategic focus, Butterly’s approach remains refreshingly grounded. He’s equally comfortable talking about bylaws as he is joking about the weather between campuses.
His hybrid lifestyle — a Colorado-based commissioner leading a California-rooted league — embodies the flexibility he preaches. “Technology lets us work smarter,” he said. “I see my staff all the time at championships anyway. We’re connected daily through Teams and calls. Remote doesn’t mean distant.”
He sees that same adaptability as crucial for the NCAA’s next chapter. “Everything’s changing — NIL, employment models, media rights,” he said. “But if we stay innovative, collaborative, and student-focused, college athletics will be fine.”
The Man Behind the Title
Butterly’s path to leadership is filled with the kind of stories that could fill a dinner table and even a trivia night. His grandfather’s glass mold legacy. His college years managing a D1 basketball program. His brief appearance in the NBC miniseries “A Will of Their Own,” starring Lea Thompson (“I had hair then,” he quipped).
But it’s that mix of curiosity and courage that defines him most. “I’ve always believed in saying yes to opportunities,” he said. “That’s what’s guided me my whole career.”
As for what guides the Big West, it’s clear that Butterly’s blueprint is as much about innovation and trust as it is about wins and losses.
“I tell people all the time,” he said, “our job is to make the Big West better tomorrow than it was yesterday and provide a tremendous experience for our student-athletes. That’s the goal, every day.”
