CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – As the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) looks forward to the 2026-27 academic year, the Presidents Council, Faculty Athletics Representatives Council, Athletics Directors Council, and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has been announced by the conference office.
“As we look ahead, the leadership of chair Mike Doyle and vice-chair Travis Frampton, combined with President David Hayes’ service in an at-large role, provides the conference with a strong foundation to pursue new opportunities and continue serving our member institutions with purpose,” said Marie Stroman, A-R-C Commissioner.
Presidents Council Executive Committee
Serving as chair of the Presidents Council will be Loras College's Mike Doyle. The vice-char will be Travis Frampton of the University of Dubuque and the at-large member will be Coe College's David Hayes.
A 1991 magna cum laude graduate of Loras College, Doyle brings a wealth of experience in higher education leadership, finance, and advancement to the role. Beginning in 2007, he served in multiple roles at Loras, most recently as vice president for advancement and treasurer (CFO) at Loras, where he was a principal member of the college’s leadership team until 2021. Doyle is the 27th president of Loras College.
Frampton is the university's 12th president. Frampton had previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, since July 2019. Frampton earned a bachelor of arts in religion from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, a master of arts in religion from Yale Divinity School in New Haven, Connecticut, and a dual doctor of philosophy degree in philosophy and religion from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (philosophy) in the Netherlands and Baylor University (religion) in Waco, Texas.
Hayes has served as president of Coe College since January 1, 2021, first on an interim basis and then as the institution’s 16th president beginning October 1, 2021. His previous role was vice president for advancement and professor of business administration and economics. The first alum to serve the college as president, Hayes graduated magna cum laude from Coe College in 1993. He earned a Juris Doctor with high distinction and an LLM in international and comparative law from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Faculty Athletics Representatives Executive Committee
The Faculty Athletics Representative Council will be led by co-chairs Joy Becker and Daniel Sunblad of Wartburg College. Co-vice chairs will be Andrew Green and Lori Witt from Central College. Buena Vista's Brad Best and Jessy Bibler will serve as co-past chairs for the upcoming academic year.
Becker is a graduate of Wartburg College and additionally earned her M.S. and Ph.D. at Iowa State University. She is now back working at her alma mater serving as an associate professor of mathematics.
Sunblad is a graduate of Bethel College and continued on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. at Iowa State University. He serves as a professor of sociology at Wartburg.
Green earned his bachelors from Wartburg College before continuing his education at the University of California, Riverside, where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. He is the Institutional Research Director at Central.
Witt has taught at Central since 2003 and is an associate professor of history currently. She earned her bachelors from Trinity College and went on to receive her M.A. and Ph.D. at Loyola University Chicago.
Best is a graduate of the A-R-C, earning his bachelors from Wartburg. He is a professor of political science at Buena Vista. Best is an author of various book chapters, book reviews, and entries in scholarly reference materials in the fields of American politics, public law, public policy, and public administration.
Bibler’s experiences prior to Buena Vista include working as a K-12 educator, adjunct professor, and professional development facilitator. She is now working at her alma mater, earning her bachelors and masters degrees from Buena Vista. Bibler now serves as an assistant professor of physical education.
Athletics Directors Executive Committee
Amy Maier of Buena Vista University will lead the Athletics Directors Council. Nebraska Wesleyan's Dwight Merilatt will serve as vice chair and Michael Fueling, new director of athletics at the University of Dubuque, will serve in the past chair role.
Maier has been a part of the Buena Vista University athletic department for more than a decade. She was named Director of Athletics at Buena Vista University in April 2024 after serving in an interim role since August 2023. Maier began as an administrative assistant for the Beavers when she arrived on campus in the fall of 2014 before becoming Assistant Director of Athletics in 2015, and later was promoted to Associate Director of Athletics in the summer of 2021.
Merilatt began at Nebraska Wesleyan in the summer of 2022. He is a seasoned administrator joining the Prairie Wolves after serving as executive associate athletics director for external relations at Illinois State University for 8 years. In this role, he was responsible for development, marketing, ticket operations, strength and conditioning, and equipment room, direct supervision of four assistant athletic directors and management of a 40-person staff. He also served as the primary administrator for scheduling both conference and non-conference games for the Missouri Valley Football Conference games, and was responsible for Illinois State University's media sponsorships.
Fueling began as the director of athletics at UD on June, 1 2026. He comes to the university after serving as the director of athletics at Montana Western since 2021. Most recently at UMW, under his guidance, the women's basketball reached the Elite 8 (2023), the women's volleyball competed in its first NAIA National Tournament appearance (2023), football won their first outright conference championship (2023) - a feat which hadn't happened since 1995, they won their second football conference championship (2024), and won their first playoff game in 30 years, and men's rodeo placed third at the College National Final Rodeo (2025).
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee Executive Committee
As the page turns to 2026-27, the A-R-C is also excited for the leadership for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Grant Fletcher of Central will serve as President of the A-R-C SAAC and will be joined by Damien Dumo of Nebraska Wesleyan in the Vice President role.
Each of the league’s eight institutions put forward representatives to serve on the conference SAAC, while the Executive Committee was selected based upon a committee vote during the April A-R-C SAAC meeting.
The purpose of SAAC is to provide a student-athlete voice within the conference, solicit student-athlete responses to proposed NCAA and conference legislation, suggest potential NCAA and conference legislation, and create a vehicle for student-athlete representation both conference-wide and nationally.
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About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to eight full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.
