Tim Pernetti is the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference (AAC), having been named to that position as the successor to Mike Aresco on December 7, 2023[1] and taken office on June 1, 2024.

Pernetti served previously as the chief business officer of the Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion club New York City FC.

[3] After only eighteen months with the club, and before the first game was played, Pernetti resigned to take a job as president of multimedia for IMG's college sports business.

[5] His appointment began as part of a five-year agreement with the university, but he was forced by then-Rutgers president Robert L. Barchi to resign early when Barchi learned Pernetti had kept men's basketball coach Mike Rice Jr. on after being shown evidence of his long-term physical and verbal abuse of players.

[6] The media coverage of the event lead to intense public scrutiny of Rutgers and its athletic programs.

On April 1, 2009, Pernetti began work as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Rutgers University as part of a five-year contract.

For his efforts, Pernetti was named one of the five candidates for Sports Business Journal National Athletic Director of the Year.

Pernetti came under fire in April 2013 when a video surfaced showing men's basketball coach Mike Rice abusing his players during practice.

[6] Pernetti sits on the board of directors of the REED Academy, a school in Oakland, New Jersey, serving children with autistic spectrum disorder.