Speaker Profile

Tim Buckley serves as senior vice president for external affairs for the NCAA. An experienced public sector manager and skilled communicator, Buckley joined the NCAA in 2023 to oversee communications, government relations and research for the Association in support of its more than 500,000 student-athletes and 1,200 member schools and conferences. He also serves as the Association’s primary spokesperson to media.

Previously, Buckley served as chief of staff to Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker. His time in state government included eight years as a top aide for the governor who was consistently ranked the most popular governor in the nation during his time in office and was reelected in 2018 with the highest gubernatorial vote total in the Commonwealth’s history.  

As chief of staff, Buckley led an expansive portfolio that included leading a team to advance Governor Baker’s initiatives, including priorities and administrative goals across the 40,000-member executive branch. Buckley helped shape Governor Baker’s bipartisan brand and guided his administration through multiple crises and complex policy challenges, including the state’s COVID-19 response.

Prior to serving as chief of staff, Buckley held the positions of communications director and then senior advisor to Governor Baker. Prior to serving in state government, Buckley worked on several statewide campaigns in Massachusetts, including Baker’s successful 2014 campaign, and held communications posts in the Massachusetts Republican Party.

A graduate of Colorado College and a lifelong Massachusetts resident, he lives in Boston with his wife and two daughters.