Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is taking on a new role as chairman of the board of directors for the U.S. Israel Education Association

Bruce Pearl is chairman of the board of directors for the pro-Israel nonprofit, U.S. Israel Education Association .

He will replace former Rep. Phil Roe , who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee from 2017 to 2019 .

Pearl led the Auburn Tigers to the NCAA Final Four earlier this month .

He used his team’s successful season to promote the release of the 59 hostages still in Hamas captivity, including 21-year-old American Edan Alexander .