University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel has been chosen to represent the Mountain West Conference on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, a governing panel that steers the future of postseason college football.
The board, which includes chief executives from the ten Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and the University of Notre Dame, wields decisive influence over playoff selection, seeding and strategic policy.
A Strategic Appointment
Hensel’s elevation follows her recent appointment to the Mountain West Board of Directors and her selection for the conference’s Executive Committee, a move praised by Commissioner Gloria Nevarez, who highlighted the president’s leadership as emblematic of the conference’s growing national footprint.
UH officially became a full member of the Mountain West on July 1, 2026, consolidating the majority of its athletics programs under a single conference umbrella and positioning the university as a key player in Division I competition.
The university’s flagship campus, UH Mānoa, fields 21 varsity sports and supports roughly 500 student‑athletes, with its football team having competed in the Mountain West since 2012 and now entering a new chapter as a full member for the 2026‑27 academic year.