BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced that former St. Catherine University basketball and volleyball student-athlete, Emma Nelson has been hired as the conference's next Assistant Director.

Nelson graduated from St. Catherine in May 2020 earning her bachelor's degree in psychology while competing in both volleyball and women's basketball for the Wildcats from 2016-20. She was named to the 2019-20 MIAC Academic All-Conference Team for basketball and additionally earned the department's annual Fleur-de-lis Award presented to a senior student-athlete during the end of the year Purple and Gold Awards. 

Nelson was a key contributor to the St. Kate's athletic department over her four years. She was an instrumental leader, serving as captain for both squads and received the MIAC Sportsmanship award following both sports seasons as a senior. As a member of the St. Kate's volleyball team, Nelson appeared in 94 matches and 297 sets, and, based on digs and digs per set, Nelson was the best defender among all MIAC outside hitters. On the basketball court, the two-time captain appeared in 63 games and added 42 points in the final month of her senior season, helping the team to the MIAC playoffs for the third time in four years. Nelson was a three-year member of WSAAC , with two of those years as a member of the executive leadership board. She was highly involved in much of the WSAAC programming for events, volunteer opportunities, and student-athlete initiatives and helped create connections between our student-athletes and the department during these uncertain times while a department intern. 

Following her tenure for the Wildcats, Nelson was the graduate assistant coach for the Augustana University (NCAA Division II) volleyball program from 2020-22 and recently graduated from the institution with a Master of Arts in Sports Administration and Leadership.

"I am extremely grateful and excited to have the opportunity to rejoin the MIAC in this new role," Nelson said. "I had an amazing experience as a student-athlete within the conference, and I look forward to cultivating further growth and development for the conference membership."

Nelson now joins a three-person MIAC staff which includes Commissioner Dan McKane and Associate Commissioner BJ Pickard. As Assistant Director, Nelson will will assist the MIAC office in a number of areas over the next two years, including strategic planning; diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative; membership educational services; event planning and management; student-athlete advisory committee; sports information; and general athletic administration.

"We are very excited for Emma to join our staff," McKane said. "Her talents and familiarity with the MIAC will be extremely beneficial to our member institutions as we work to achieve our objectives over the next two years."

Nelson's tenure with the conference office was made possible through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority & Women's Internship Grant, a program intended to provide opportunities for women and ethnic minorities to gain experience in college athletics. As part of the internship, Nelson will also have a mentorship with Macalester College Director of Athletics Donnie Brooks to provide additional guidance and perspective as she shapes her career in athletic administration.

Previous MIAC Assistant Directors who served as interns as part of the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship grant include Kelly Anderson Diercks, Brittany Feser Heinz, Natalie Arians, Afton Goebel, Megan Gaard, Sheridan Blanford, Lindsay Madryga, and Emily Carr. Anderson Diercks, Gaard, and Madryga parlayed their 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. 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. Arians was the Assistant Commissioner at the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Goebel works in runDisney Endurance Operations and Event Communications at ESPN's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Fla. Blanford is currently serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Washington. Carr served as Athletics Operations Manager at Saint Benedict before moving on to Senior Program Manager at Special Olympics Minnesota in 2022.