INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Midwest Athletic Conference added more administrative representation to various NCAA Committees with the recent appointments of the league’s Senior Associate Commissioner/SWA Leslie Schuemann and Cedarville’s Stephanie Zonars.
 
Schuemann will serve on the Division II Committee on Infractions starting and Zonars will join the Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grant Selection Committee. Both terms start on September 1 for a three-year term.
 
Schuemann and Zonars were both instrumental in leading the recent Great Midwest-sponsored Women’s Leadership Summit recapped here.
 
The Committee on Infractions is the division’s primary steward of the enforcement process. The committee meets as needed to participate in hearings involving member institutions that have been alleged to have violated NCAA legislation. At these hearings, the committee determines facts related to alleged violations and, if necessary, imposes appropriate penalties or show-cause requirements on a member found to be involved in a major violation (or, upon appeal) on a member found to be involved in secondary violations).
 
"The Committee on Infractions is an important part of the compliance process,” Schuemann said. “As a long-time compliance professional, I believe that my depth of knowledge and experience are a strong addition to the team. I look forward to serving the Division II membership alongside my peers on the committee."
 
The Division II Strategic Alliance Matching Grant is designed to provide financial assistance to Division II conferences and member institutions committed to enhancing ethnic minority and gender representation in mid- to senior-level intercollegiate athletics administrative positions.

Selected schools and conferences receive three years of grant funding from the NCAA to support the salary, wages and benefits of the hired employee. The NCAA also provides funding at the beginning of each of the first three years to support professional development opportunities and technology expenses.

The program is administered by the NCAA Division II governance and leadership development staff in collaboration with the grant selection committee, which is comprised of five or more administrators from Division II universities across the nation.

"I'm excited to participate on an NCAA committee that facilitates more opportunities for females and ethnic minorities within Division II athletics,” said Zonars, Cedarville’s Assistant AD for Administration and SWA.” This will be a terrific experience to meet administrators at other universities and to work together to enhance minority and female representation across the Division II membership.”
 
The recent additions to NCAA Committees brings the Great Midwest’s total representation up to eight members from its member institutions serving current terms.
 
A number of administrators/coaches serve on national sport committees, which help determine championship-qualifying programs through leading regional advisory committees. Those members include Ursuline AD Cindy McKnight (women’s basketball), Kentucky Wesleyan AD Rob Mallory (football) and Hillsdale head coach Chris Gravel (volleyball).
 
Cedarville’s FAR Teresa Clark holds dual roles on the Division II Management Council and the Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee. Findlay’s Director of Compliance Greg Gilbert is also on the International Student Records Committee.
 
Earlier this spring, Kentucky Wesleyan freshman quarterback also joined the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is the league’s representative as president of the Great Midwest SAAC.