WNBA name Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert as commissioner

Seven months after Lisa Borders resigned as president, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Wednesday that Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert will be its first commissioner.

Engelbert will replace Mark Tatum, who was serving on an interim basis, on July 17 after she completes her four-year term with Deloitte. She’ll report to Silver.

Engelbert possesses the perfect blend of business and basketball. She played college basketball at Lehigh University under current Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. She then switched to the business world, working her way up the rankings at Deloitte.

Four years ago, Engelbert, who’s been an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace, became the first female to serve as a CEO of a Big Four firm in the U.S. She’s been listed as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women every year since 2015.

“Cathy is a world-class business leader with a deep connection to women’s basketball, which makes her the ideal person to lead the WNBA into its next phase of growth,” Silver said in a statement. “The WNBA will benefit significantly from her more than 30 years of business and operational experience including revenue generation, sharp entrepreneurial instincts and proven management abilities.”

Engelbert said it’s an “absolute privilege” to be joining the WNBA at such a critical time.

“I see tremendous opportunity to bolster visibility for the sport of women’s basketball, empower the players, and enhance fan engagement,” Engelbert said in a statement. “I look forward to using my business expertise and passion for basketball to promote women in the game and beyond, and to working with the teams and world-class athletes to help grow this league into a thriving business.”

The WNBA has made great strides this offseason. It announced a brand overhaul before the draft last month in which is revealed a new logo and plans to incorporate female-empowering slogans into their marketing material. Along with the rebrand, the WNBA also announced a marquee sponsorship with AT&T in April.

The league is also making its games more accessible. The WNBA announced a new deal with CBS Sports earlier this month in which CBS Sports Network will broadcast 40 WNBA games, including five Sky games. And for the second consecutive year, the WNBA will live stream select games on Twitter.