Bio

Commissioner Chris Roekle enters his fourth year at the helm of the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) with a strong track record of success including five national championships. Roekle leads an innovative group of NCAA Division III institutions spanning the continental United States, focusing on unique, destination-based championships. 

Nationally, Roekle serves on NCAA Division III Membership Committee which reviews issues related to Division III membership, including issues and educational efforts affecting provisional, reclassifying and continuing members, monitoring and auditing of sports-sponsorship requirements, and coordinating educational programs for the membership regarding NCAA legislation. He is also a proud member of the Division III Commissioners Association and sits on its Championships committee. 

Some of his responsibilities include: continuous improvement and innovation in conference needs due to unique organizational setup; constructed and maintained conference office budget; optimizing conference policy regarding championships; relationship management between conference constituents; guiding and advising the Board on all matters relating to NCAA compliance; and conference membership recruitment.

Notable achievements encompass: successfully transitioned membership from the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) to the innovative C2C model; spearheaded creation and implementation of conference rebranding efforts, including a new conference name, logo, and all promotional efforts; developed a seminar series for student-athletes and coaches, focused primarily on mental health initiatives and diversity; recruited and successfully onboarded new member Warren Wilson College and guided the Owls through the NCAA Division III membership process. 

Roekle also directs the newly formed Coastal Lacrosse Conference, a single-sport men's lacrosse league featuring seven member institutions. Salisbury University claimed its 13th national championship in program history in the first year of the conference. 

Since joining the C2C (then CAC) in 2018 as Associate Commissioner, Roekle has been an integral part of daily conference office operations while also enhancing promotional and communication efforts. He previously spent five years with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC, NCAA D-II) as Associate Commissioner for Championships and External Relations. Overseeing the new branding efforts at the GLIAC when the conference unveiled new league badges and logos to improve the look and feel of championships, Roekle also anchored the championships committee and improved processes to ensure consistency and improved logistics at league championships 

Roekle transformed the conference into a leader in the modern social media landscape, more than quadrupling social media following in four years. Implementing graphic design and innovative methods, he has made the GLIAC a trendsetter for social media at the Division II level and has been hired several times as the NCAA Division II Social Media Coordinator for different championships.

In addition to his social media efforts, Roekle organized the aesthetics, setup, process and distribution of all awards for GLIAC-sponsored sports. He also held sport oversight responsibilities working with women's soccer, cross country, track and field, and golf coaches throughout the league along with the Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) on keeping the academic side of campuses well-informed and engaged in athletic activities. Roekle also served as a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for Men's Golf.

Prior to joining the league office, Roekle spent one year at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a Graduate Communications Intern for the Huskers. Roekle coordinated communication efforts for the 2013 Big Ten champion women’s soccer team and served as Media Coordinator for the 2014 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Regional in Lincoln. 

Roekle made his start in athletics as a member of the Athletic Media Relations Office at his alma mater, Saginaw Valley State University. A native of Saginaw, Mich., Roekle earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting in 2009.  Roekle went on to further his education at SVSU and obtained his master’s degree in business administration in 2013.

Chris resides in Vero Beach, Florida with his wife, Erin.

CAREER TIMELINE

July 2020 - Present
Commissioner - Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference (D3), formerly Capital Athletic Conference

Nov. 2018 - June 2020
Associate Commissioner - Capital Athletic Conference (D3), now Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference

June 2014 - Nov. 2018
Associate Commissioner - Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (D2)

July 2013 - May 2014
Athletics Communcations Assistant - University of Nebraska Lincoln (D1)

Aug. 2011 - May 2013
Athletic Communications Assistant - Saginaw Valley State University (D2)