Luther College appoints Megan Wilson as athletics director

Megan Wilson has been named Luther’s athletics director.

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, and oversaw NCAA and American Rivers Conference compliance requirements.

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.