WCHA names new women's commissioner

The Western Collegiate Hockey Association looked to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to find its next women's commissioner.

Jennifer Flowers was named WCHA vice president and women's commissioner on Monday. Flowers has been the NSIC's assistant commissioner for membership services since August of 2016. She will be the WCHA's fourth women's commissioner.

Northern Sun members Minnesota State, St. Cloud State, Bemidji State, Minnesota Duluth all have WCHA women's programs.

Flowers, who will begin her WCHA duties in July, replaces Katie Million, who was with the conference for three years before recently taking a job with USA Hockey.

“Jennifer stood out among an outstanding group of finalists," Mavericks coach John Harrington, a member of the selection committee, said in a league press release. "Her previous experience in administration with coaches, athletic directors and faculty representatives shows she can build relationships and involve key stakeholders in the decision-making process. Her vision to continually address and improve the student-athlete experience in the WCHA is important as we move forward under her leadership.”

During her time at the NSIC, Flowers spearheaded a committee that created the league’s first transgender student-athlete participation guidelines and coordinated the launch of the league’s SAAC Cup, which was designed to encourage engagement of campus student-athlete advisory councils. She also developed and implemented the NSIC Women’s Coaches Symposium in 2017, which has since been rebranded the NSIC Women’s Leadership Symposium.

Besides her NSIC duties, Flowers, serves on the NCAA women’s volleyball rules committee, is the co-chair of the Minnesota Coalition for Women in Athletic Leadership and serves as a mentor in the Women Leaders in College Sports mentoring program.

From 2012 to 2015, Flowers worked as an associate athletic director and senior woman administrator in the second of two stints at Winona State. She was also an assistant women’s basketball and volleyball coach at Simpson College in 2005-06.