Georgetown announced in early December that Paul Tagliabue (CAS ’62), the former commissioner of the National Football League, has been named the next chair of the university’s Board of Directors.

Tagliabue succeeds board chair Edmund Villani (CAS ’68), who has held a seat on the Board of Directors since 2002. Tagliabue has served on the Board of Directors since 2006. He will chair the board for three years, beginning July 1, 2009.

Tagliabue served as the NFL’s commissioner from 1989 to 2006. As the NFL commissioner, he postponed all football games the week after the September 11 attacks in 2001 and expanded the league by adding four new teams – the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Carolina Panthers, the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns. He is currently nominated for a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Prior to his work as the NFL’s commissioner, Tagliabue was a lawyer for the NFL. He has also worked as an attorney at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. and as a political analyst in the U.S. Department of Defense. He currently serves as the chairman of the Neil D. Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce at the State University of New York.

As a Georgetown alumnus and former Georgetown basketball player, Tagliabue has maintained a close connection with the university.

According to the university press release, he aided the university’s last capital campaign and the Wall Street Alliance, while also serving as a class co-chair in 2007 for his 45th reunion. He also spoke at the 2006 senior convocation.

“This is an especially exciting time for Georgetown University, and I am pleased to be able to have the opportunity to work with a talented leadership team to advance its important mission of education, research and service,” Tagliabue said in the press release.

University President John J. DeGioia said he is excited for Tagliabue to take over this position.

“I am grateful for Paul’s dedication to Georgetown and look forward to working with him in this new role,” DeGioia said in the press release. “He has engaged deeply in the university since his days as an undergraduate and his leadership will be especially meaningful now to further our ongoing efforts to enhance Georgetown’s mission at this critical time in history.”

According to university spokesperson Julie Bataille, Tagliabue will not talk about his role as the chair of the Board of Directors until his term begins in July. Bataille added that he is excited to continue working on the Board of Directors and looks forward to his new role.

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