Leslie Schuemann is entering her sixth year with the Great Midwest in the role of Deputy Commissioner. Schuemann began her career with the Great Midwest as Senior Associate Commissioner/Senior Woman Administrator in 2019.
Schuemann oversees conference governance and committees including oversight of sport committees, game environment, championships, ethics and eligibility and other conference committees. She was instrumental in developing the 2021-26 conference strategic plan and continues to monitor the strategic plans success as each initiative is completed by the appropriate body. She coordinates the conference compliance and regulatory initiatives.
In her role as Senior Woman Administrator, Schuemann coordinates the Great Midwest Women’s Leadership Series, which provides professional development opportunities to female athletics department staff members four times annually. In addition, she provides professional development opportunities for all athletic department staff members including the Presidents Leadership Panel. Schuemann also oversees the annual Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) programming that includes community engagement, professional development, and campus development for the Great Midwest SAAC.
Ms. Schuemann has served on several NCAA committees, including stints as the chair and vice chair of the NCAA Division II Membership Committee, which establishes policies and procedures for prospective member institutions interested in establishing active membership status in Division II, and reviews issues pertaining to membership requirements and membership compliance issues. She currently serves as the vice chair of the NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions, which is Division II’s primary steward of the enforcement process. Schuemann has also served previously on NCAA Regional Advisory Committees (RAC) including most recently the softball RAC. In addition to her NCAA committee service, she has served as the co-chair of the Conference Commissioners Association Compliance Administrators (CCACA).
Her extensive professional experience includes serving as the Deputy Commissioner for the Heartland Conference, where she worked for four years. Prior to her time at the Heartland Conference, Ms. Schuemann served as the Director of Athletics at Fresno Pacific University in California. During her tenure, Schuemann guided FPU to its first ever NCAA Division II conference championships, as well as numerous accolades in the areas of academics, community service and sportsmanship. Before her time at FPU, Schuemann worked at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, where she was the Assistant Director of Academic and Membership Affairs from 2007-2012.
Schuemann earned her Master of Science in counseling psychology at Texas A&M-Kingsville, where she also completed her undergraduate studies. She returned to her alma mater to begin her career in athletics, serving as an Academic Advisor for three years before spending five years as the Assistant A.D. for Compliance and SWA.