PLU Director of Athletics and Recreation Mike Snyder named President of NADIIIAA

Mike Snyder will serve as the President of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators (NADIIIAA) for the 2024-2025 membership year.

Mike Snyder has spent the last three years as PLU’s Director of Athletics and Recreation, guiding the department to eight Northwest Conference titles across five different sports. Snyder spearheaded efforts that resulted in men’s soccer hosting its first ever NCAA Regional, made PLU an industry leader at the Division III level in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), and was instrumental in adding women’s lacrosse as a varsity sport, becoming the department’s first new sport since 1996.

PLU News recently caught up with Snyder to discuss his presidency.

Last year you served as the 1st Vice President of the NADIIIAA, what was that experience like?

The last few years serving in the vice president role I have had the opportunity to work closely with the presidents and the leadership of the NCAA. We have been able to be a sounding board for the NCAA and have made progress toward being a direct voice of DIII athletic administrators to the leadership of NCAA Division III. As president, I look forward to advancing this work.

It must mean a lot to be named as a leader for such a distinguished organization.

Leadership is about serving. I truly believe it’s important to give back to an industry that has given me so much. Advancing to this role provides me an opportunity to work closely with the board and industry colleagues to provide a voice for DIII athletic directors and administrators, as well as developing opportunities for professional growth. In addition to this, it gives the west region of the NCAA DIII a voice that is so desperately needed due to our unique geographical location in proximity to our other DIII institutions and the built in hurdles that come with it.

How have your experiences at PLU prepared you for this leadership position?

PLU has an incredible level of care built into all facets of our work, and intentionality is something I hope to bring to this role. We have a lot of work to do to continue advancing our organization and making NADIIIAA the premiere organization for all DIII athletic directors and administrators, and keeping our focus on care front and center will help us achieve these goals.

As you transition into this role, is there anyone you would like to thank?

I want to thank the past president, Angel Mason, for her strong work last year and for leading the organization through some tough moments. I know we will be better moving forward thanks to her work.