The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has named its new commissioner, appointing the person who served the past leader for more than a decade.

According to the Associated Press, the announcement came Thursday from SEC Presidents and Chancellors chief Nick Zeppos, chancellor at Vanderbilt University. When Mike Slive's retirement becomes official July 31, Greg Sankey will take the helm.

"Greg possesses all of the traits we were searching for in the next commissioner of the SEC," search committee chair David Gearhart, chancellor at the University of Arkansas, said in a statement on the SEC's website. "He has shown tremendous leadership in his existing role in the conference office and he exudes a passion for the student-athlete that is critical for the new era of college athletics that we have entered. He is the right person to lead the SEC at an important time in our history."

Sankey served as Slive's number two for 12 years before earning the appointment to succeed him.

"The universities of the SEC represent the greatest combination of academic and athletic excellence and I am honored to be selected to follow Mike Slive as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference," Sankey said in the statement. "The SEC is poised to make a difference in the lives of student-athletes for generations to come. We must ensure that the lessons they learn from their achievements in competition and in the classroom translate into success in life after college."

Slive has led the SEC since 2002 and under his guidance it became the premier conference for college football. Slive announced his retirement this past fall, acknowledging he had began receiving treatment for returning prostate cancer.

"The institutions of the Southeastern Conference searched for a commissioner who would carry forward the momentum of success enjoyed by the SEC over the last decade while also possessing a vision for change in the modern era of college athletics," Zeppos said in the statement. "Greg Sankey's experience with our institutions, his respect on the national landscape, his understanding of the balance of athletics and academics, and his passion for the welfare of student-athletes make him the perfect leader for the SEC."