BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced Monday that Assistant Director Emma Nelson will be leaving the Conference at the end of the month for a coaching opportunity at Augustana University (NCAA Division II) in Sioux Falls, S.D. A national search will begin immediately to fill the open position on the MIAC office staff.
"My time with the MIAC has been unforgettable," Nelson said. "Working with the membership has allowed me so many opportunities for growth and development. I have been able to work on projects over the last year that support our student-athletes and have helped keep the MIAC as one of the top Division III conferences in the nation.”
Nelson graduated from St. Catherine University in 2020 where she played volleyball and basketball in the MIAC and went on to earn her Master's degree in the Augustana University’s Sports Administration and Leadership program in 2022. Nelson was also previously a graduate assistant for the Vikings’ volleyball program, where she will return in June. She began her tenure in the MIAC office last August as part of the prestigious NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant, which fully funds the Assistant Director position for two years in order to provide increased opportunities for women and ethnic minorities to gain experience in college athletics.
Among Nelson’s responsibilities in her new role at Augustana as an assistant volleyball coach will be to serve as the recruiting coordinator for the program as well as the organizer for club tournaments and summer camps.
"I am very excited and thankful to return to Augustana," Nelson said. "Working with the team and the athletic department was so fulfilling when I was a graduate assistant, and I am looking forward to continuing to build something special with Augie Volleyball!"
Nelson will be well-prepared for her new role, as she took the reins of several MIAC initiatives throughout the 2022-23 academic year. Nelson was lead organizer for the MIAC Work in Sports Seminar, assembling guest speakers and arranging logistics of the event for MIAC student-athletes. She also organized a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Seminar for MIAC and UMAC (Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) coaches and administrators, and helped facilitate a virtual Mental Health Seminar for student-athletes. In addition to those events, Nelson served as the advisor and liaison to the MIAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) throughout the year and assisted with the conference’s strategic planning efforts and championship organization.
"We are so thankful for the time Emma has spent with the MIAC office," MIAC Commissioner Dan McKane said. "In addition to her day-to-day assistance, Emma played a key role in organizing events and programming for our MIAC administrators and student-athletes as well. We are excited to see her continue to excel as she moves on to the next phase of her career.”
Nelson now joins a long line of MIAC Assistant Directors who served the Conference as part of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship grant and moved on to full-time positions in athletics. Kelly Anderson Diercks, Megan Gaard Gunderson, and Lindsay Madryga parlayed their MIAC internships into positions at MIAC member institutions. Diercks is the Director of Athletics at the College of Saint Benedict, while Gaard and Madryga are at St. Catherine University as the Head Tennis Coach and Director of Athletic Communications, respectively. Brittany Feser Heinz previously worked in athletics at MIAC member Macalester College and most recently served as the Associate Director for Athletic Facilities and Operations at Florida Gulf Coast University. Natalie Arians was the Assistant Commissioner at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Afton Goebel works in runDisney Endurance Operations and Event Communications at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Sheridan Blanford is currently serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington. Emily Carr served as Athletics Operations Manager at Saint Benedict before moving on to Senior Program Manager at Special Olympics Minnesota in 2022.
The MIAC has already begun a national search for its next Assistant Director. The position description and application instructions can be found here.
About the MIAC
Founded in 1920, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is home to 13 private institutions, all housed within the state of Minnesota's borders. The MIAC sponsors championships in 22 sports, and is committed to its four core values of Quality Athletics, Academics, Student-Athlete Well-Being and Integrity.