Marie Stroman is the conference’s fourth full-time commissioner and the first female to serve in this role for the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C). Since her appointment on December 1, 2023, she has served as the chief executive officer, working closely with league presidents to advance the conference mission through oversight of awards, championships, compliance, and strategic governance.
A "focused and deliberate" leader, Stroman spearheaded the development of the 2025-2028 A-R-C Strategic Plan. This comprehensive roadmap focuses on elevating the student-athlete experience by enhancing championship events and awards, modernizing conference promotion, and fostering collaboration on critical issues such as student-athlete mental health.
At the national level, Stroman holds several high-impact appointments within the NCAA. In 2025, she began a four-year term on the NCAA Division II/Division III Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP). In this capacity, she serves as the primary liaison to the Divisions II/III Men’s Wrestling and Divisions II/III Cross Country / Track & Field rules committees. Additionally, she contributes to professional development pipelines as a member of the NCAA Pathway Program and NCAA Division III Strategic Alliance Matching Grant selection committees.
These appointments follow a history of dedicated service to the association. Stroman is a graduate of the NCAA Pathway Program (2021-2022) and has contributed as a mentor for the Student Immersion Program (2017-2019, 2026). Her committee experience also includes a term on the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Committee (2014-2018) and training as a Gameday the DIII Way Ambassador (2017, 2019) and Division III Inclusive Leaders facilitator (2024).
Stroman is also a prominent voice within the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA), where she chairs the Access, Culture, and Excellence (ACE) Committee, driving vital DEI initiatives across the division.
Her previous experience includes serving as Commissioner of the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and over a decade as Associate Executive Director for the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). A native of Chaska, Minnesota, Stroman is thrilled to work close to home in the Midwest. While a volleyball student-athlete at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minn., she served as chair of Division III SAAC where she represented student-athletes from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). Stroman earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Educational Studies from Macalester and her Master of Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership at the University of Washington.
Stroman, her husband, Logan, and their four children, Levi, Layla, Mia, and Macy, live in Marion, Iowa, where she is also actively involved with the Junior League of Cedar Rapids.
