For Immediate Release
Friday, April 14, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

BURNSVILLE, Minn. -  Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Commissioner Erin Lind is excited to announce the hiring of Micha Thompson as NSIC Assistant Commissioner for Operations.  Thompson will officially begin her duties on May 21.

“Micha is forward thinking and excels at building relationships.  She will be a great fit for the conference office team and an amazing contributor ultimately supporting the NSIC membership.  Her experience as a Division II coach and administrator provides a great lens for the conference to continue to elevate the NSIC student-athlete experience.  We are looking forward to welcoming Micha and her family to the conference office team,” said Lind.

Thompson spent the last four years as the Associate Athletic Director of Compliance/Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Sioux Falls.  There, Thompson was in charge of NCAA compliance, including University, NSIC, NCAA and Title IX guidelines, served as the Senior Woman Administrator for USF and oversaw the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with Erin and the NSIC team in a different capacity now and I appreciate their time during the interview process. Under Erin’s leadership, the NSIC has continued to grow and be one of the premier Division II conferences and I’m excited to help her and the team continue that trajectory. My time at USF has been wonderful and I’m grateful for the way that they welcomed me and my family over the past few years. I want to thank Pam Gohl and USF’s leadership for investing in my growth to be ready for this opportunity,” said Thompson.
 
Thompson, who earned a master’s degree in Sports Administration from Upper Iowa in 2018, was the head women's basketball coach for the Peacocks from 2016-19. Prior to that she was an assistant women's basketball coach at Utah State, a NCAA Division I member of the Mountain West Conference in Logan, Utah, from 2012-16. Thompson also spent six years at Oral Roberts University from 2006-12 as an assistant coach and manager of basketball operations.
 
A native of Edmond, Okla., Thompson was homeschooled, played prep basketball for the Tulsa NOAH Jaguars for which she was a part of National Championship teams in 1999 and 2001. She graduated from Pensacola Christian College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. 

Thompson and her husband Ryan have a son, Quincy, and a daughter, Ivy.

What others are saying about Thompson
Dr. Brett Bradfield, Ed.D, President, University of Sioux Falls
“Micha has provided strong and caring leadership for many years within the University of Sioux Falls athletic department. Since her first day of employment at USF, she has remained the consummate model of servant leadership on full display in the performance of her various duties. Perhaps even more impressive has been her steadfast commitment to demonstrating a deep sense of care for the student-athletes and staff she has so admirably served. While we are saddened to see Micha and her family leave our USF community, we also fully support them on this new employment venture where I know her focus will remain squarely on serving the greater good for the NSIC and all of its various stakeholders.”

Pam Gohl, Director of Athletics, University of Sioux Falls
“Micha will be an incredible asset to the NSIC.  Her dedication to enhancing the student-athlete experience on our campus during her time here will translate to helping touch many more student-athletes experiences throughout the conference.  Her dedicated work ethic was highly valued on our campus and her ability to connect personally to help through sorting out all issues and problems will serve the NSIC well.  We will miss her at USF, but we are thrilled for her new opportunity.”

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 105 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.