(Updated on 7/15/2025)
Danielle Harris begins her sixth year as commissioner of the WIAC in 2025-26. In 2024-25, she oversaw the addition of men's soccer to the conference's championship sponsorship list. Harris renewed partnerships with Culver's and Kwik Trip through 2028. In 2023-24, men's tennis and women's lacrosse became conference sports. In 2022-23, she led the conference's rebranding campaign and established the WIAC Network - an end-to-end digital network available online (www.wiacnetwork.com) and across custom WIAC streaming applications for TV and mobile devices. Harris is a member of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Committee and is a Board Member of RQ Foundation. She was on the Executive Committee of the Division III Commissioner's Association from 2023-25.
Harris previously served as the Associate Commissioner of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) since 2013. At the GLIAC, Harris oversaw the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball. She served as a member of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Regional Advisory Committee from 2019-20 and Softball Regional Advisory Committee from 2013-16.
She played a key role in conference governance, compliance, championships and student-athlete welfare. Harris disseminated NCAA and GLIAC rules information and interpretations and NCAA legislative proposals. She also served as a conference liaison to the NCAA AMA staff and assisted member institutions with NCAA and coaches certification processes.
Harris created the GLIAC online store and enhanced branding at GLIAC championships, as well as overseeing the redesign of the conference website.
She established a new Student-Athlete Advisory Committee retreat format and curriculum to include more programming on the NCAA Life After College and Student Mental Health and Wellness Initiatives.
From 2016-19, she served as a guest speaker at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, discussing the topic “Understanding Conference Offices”. In 2019, Harris was a Fall Grant Recipient from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, and Collegiate Event and Facility Management Association.
Prior to the GLIAC, Harris served as an athletics coordinator at Cleveland State University (Ohio) from 2010-13. She was the department liaison for the president’s office, human resources, student employment, campus police and university foundation. Harris processed and managed all sport specific and annual giving programs, and coordinated all activities related to special events for the Viking Club.
In 2012, Harris was the travel coordinator for the second and third rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament that were hosted by the Vikings.
She was a graduate of the NCAA Leadership Institute in 2013 and participated in the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators Division II Governance Academy in 2014.
From 2007-09, she was a facilities and operations graduate assistant at Kent State University (Ohio), and served in event operations for the 2007 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four. In addition, Harris was an event operations assistant at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, from 2006-07, and a media relations and operations intern with the Mid-American Conference from 2005-06.
Harris is a member of the DIII Commissioner's Association, Madison Sports Commission (board member), Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, Women’s Leaders in College Sports and Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority Incorporated.
She earned a bachelor of science in journalism from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and master of arts in sports management from Kent State University (Ohio).
Harris resides in Madison, Wis., with her son Jaxon.