Month: June 2025

Megan Wilson has been named athletics director at Luther College, President Brad Chamberlain announced today.

An NCAA Division III national champion athlete, former head coach and experienced athletics administrator, Wilson returns to Luther from the University of Dubuque, where she has served as associate dean of student engagement and intercollegiate athletics for the past three years.

“NCAA Division III athletics is a complex landscape that is rapidly evolving. In Megan Wilson, Luther College and Norse athletics has found a strategic leader that will make an immediate impact on the culture of excellence and achievement that we are building together,” Chamberlain said. 

“Megan’s leadership style is rooted in building relationships and marked by transparent communication and innovative problem-solving,” Chamberlain continued. “We are excited to welcome Megan back to Luther College, and I am eager to partner with her to support a Norse student-athlete experience that is distinctive and transformational, and that meets the moment, both for Luther College and intercollegiate athletics more broadly.”

“I am honored and thrilled to return to Luther College as the next director of athletics,” Wilson said. “I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Chamberlain, the search committee, the athletics staff, and the entire campus community for their warm welcome and enthusiasm throughout the process. Having previously been part of this incredible community, I know firsthand the passion, pride, and commitment that define Norse Athletics. I’m excited to build on that strong foundation and lead with a student-centered vision rooted in excellence, equity, and integrity.”

At Dubuque, Wilson served as an associate dean of student engagement, and as a member of the UD Athletics Department’s Senior Executive Team. In this role, she assisted in the development, implementation and management of UD’s zero-based athletics department budget, oversaw NCAA and American Rivers Conference compliance requirements, and had sport supervision duties.

Along with direct oversight of intramurals and recreation for UD, Wilson served on the university’s Cares Team, which provides resources and services to all at-risk students at Dubuque. She also was a member of the UD campus retention and persistence committee and was a deputy Title IX coordinator.

“When we began the search process, we made clear we were seeking individuals with strong administrative experience who aligned with our belief that athletics is about community, character, and competition,” Chamberlain said. “Athletics at Luther is part of our holistic approach to learning that develops mind, body, and spirit, and we were seeking a leader who could both enrich Luther’s tradition of excellence in intercollegiate athletics, and integrate athletics into the fabric of the broader campus and local communities.”

“President Chamberlain’s philosophy on athletics deeply resonates with me—especially the emphasis on character, community, and competition,” Wilson said. “These values are at the heart of what makes college athletics meaningful and transformative. I’m excited to partner with President Chamberlain and the entire Luther community as we embrace the new opportunities ahead and continue to elevate the student-athlete experience.”

Wilson’s selection concludes a process to return to a full-time athletics director at Luther, which started last fall and included a nationwide search for the position this spring.

“We were fortunate to have a robust field of applicants from across the country, and the interest in our athletics director position shows that Luther Norse athletics is highly regarded and respected,” Chamberlain said. “Megan’s naming as Luther’s new athletics director adds to the building momentum for Luther athletics, which includes the ongoing Gerdin Fieldhouse renovation and invitation to join the Midwest Conference in 2026-27. Luther is well positioned to build upon the achievements of our past conference champions, All-Americans, and NCAA Postgraduate Scholars.”

Known across the region and nationally, Wilson is a member of the A-R-C Strategic Focus Group; was a member of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Committee from 2018 to 2024, including two years as the committee chair; and has participated in various NCAA leadership programs, including the Pathway Program as a member of the 2023–24 cohort.

Prior to joining Dubuque, Wilson served as associate athletics director and advisor to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at Luther. Along with home event administration for major events including the All-American cross country meet and three A-R-C conference championships hosted by Luther, she served as the director of the then-named Regents Center.

Earlier in her athletics administration career, she was associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and held the same position at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

At each stop in her administrative career, Wilson established or expanded corporate sponsorship programs for her institutions. Most recently, she wrote and received the NCAA Women and Ethnic Minorities grant, which led to the creation of a paid position for a coordinator of creative media, marketing and fan engagement at UD.

As a head coach, Wilson had a nine-year career leading UW-Platteville women’s basketball, and during her time also served as the liaison for athletics and admissions for Pioneer athletics.

As a college athlete, she had a legendary career for UW-Stevens Point, playing all four years and serving as the team captain her junior and senior seasons as the Pointers won the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2002. Following graduation, she became an assistant coach for the Pointers for four years, helping guide the team to back-to-back Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and NCAA tournament bids.

Earning her bachelor’s degree in business administration at UWSP, she also completed her master’s degree in education. A native of Barneveld, Wisc., she led Barneveld High School to back-to-back state championships and was the valedictorian of her graduating class. She and her husband, Josh, have three children, Aidan, Brody and Palmer.

Wilson succeeds Renae Hartl, who held both athletics director and head softball coach positions for the past decade. Hartl announced in December 2024 she was stepping down to focus full time on her role as head coach of Luther’s storied softball program, which she has led for 24 years. With Wilson’s arrival in mid-July, Hartl will also serve as associate athletics director for facility development and resume her role as Luther’s senior woman administrator.

Three Luther College students, Jose Eliano Da Silva, Kim Anh Thy Nguyen and Resana Zayan, received two grants through Projects for Peace. This global program partners with educational institutions to identify and support young peacebuilders. The $10,000 grants will fund the students’ innovative community-centered projects focused on empowering youth in Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.

Since 2007, Luther students have initiated and led 24 different summer Projects for Peace programs globally. In total, 39 Luther students have been awarded this prestigious grant to spread sustainable peace around the world.

Jose Eliano Da Silva and Kim Anh Thy Nguyen: “Empowering Timorese Youth through Enhanced Education: Building a Future of Change and Progress” in Timor-Leste

Da Silva and Nguyen’s project, “Empowering Timorese Youth through Enhanced Education: Building a Future of Change and Progress,” focuses on education, leadership training and civic engagement for high school students living in rural areas.

“We want to give young people the skills and opportunities they need to become active leaders in their communities and help shape a more inclusive and peaceful future for Timor-Leste,” the students wrote in their proposal. “We believe that empowering youth is a central pillar in creating a peaceful society, as young people are key agents of change and progress.”

In August, Da Silva and Nguyen will host a seven-day intensive training camp for 40 Timorese youth from eight high schools across six municipalities.

“I’ll focus on overall project coordination, logistics and linking the sessions to broader peace-building goals, while Kim will support the implementation of leadership and well-being sessions, and help ensure the training is accessible and engaging for all participants,” Da Silva said.

The training camp will have additional support from Timor-Leste Youth for Peace, a grassroots nonprofit organization committed to promoting peace and social justice.

“Partnering with Timor-Leste Youth for Peace felt like a natural step. We share the same belief that young people are not just the future, but also the present agents of peace and transformation in Timor-Leste,” Da Silva said.

After the camp, students will continue to collaborate with Timor-Leste Youth for Peace and use their summer training in their schools and local communities.

Nguyen, a senior from Vietnam, will travel to Timor-Leste for the first time this summer. She is partnering with Da Silva on this project because of her commitment to youth empowerment and community health.

“As a nursing major, Kim brings valuable insight into health-related challenges facing young people, particularly in rural areas,” Da Silva said.

This project is deeply personal for Da Silva, a junior majoring in economics and international studies at Luther.

“Growing up in Timor-Leste, I witnessed firsthand the inequalities faced by the youth,” Da Silva said. “I want to create a space where the youth can develop leadership skills, learn about their rights and feel empowered to drive change in their communities. This project will help them to realize the power they have to build peace.”

Resana Zayan: “Empowering Education and Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts” in Bangladesh

Zayan’s project, “Empowering Education and Community Resilience in the Chittagong Hill Tracts,” focuses on rebuilding the Chengi Ideal School and creating a sustainable education system for the Indigenous people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“This funding will enable the restoration of vital facilities destroyed during the flood, train Indigenous teachers in essential subjects, restore dorm facilities for students coming from remote areas, and provide opportunities for cultural enrichment and physical activities,” Zayan wrote in her proposal.

Zayan’s inspiration stems from a conversation she had with a high school friend from the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“When I started thinking about the impact I wanted this project to have, I asked her, ‘What’s most urgently needed right now?’ Without hesitation, she told me about Chengi Ideal School, which had recently been hit hard by the floods,” Zayan said.

With help from her friend, Zayan contacted the school to learn more about their struggles.

“They sent us photos of students sitting in flooded classrooms, with water covering the floors and soaking through the infrastructure,” she said. “The school had already been trying to secure funding to rebuild but hadn’t found any support. That’s when I knew this was the right place to focus our efforts.”

The short-term goal is to repair classrooms, establish a library, provide wifi connectivity and upgrade an existing dormitory with a kitchen. The long-term goal is to establish a sustainable education system for Indigenous children by enhancing teacher training, improving dormitory facilities to boost student retention and providing transportation for students from remote areas.

“The need is connected to the broader challenge of providing education to a marginalized population already facing the impacts of climate vulnerability,” Zayan said.

Zayan is a senior majoring in visual communication at Luther. This summer, she will facilitate her project remotely. She feels humbled and honored to have her project selected for a grant.

“Having this project recognized feels like a powerful step toward shedding light on a region that’s been in the shadows for too long,” she said. “This recognition gives me hope that people are ready to listen and stand in solidarity with communities that have been excluded for far too long.”