Michelle Morgan
Atlantic Hockey America Commissioner
Following a thorough national search, the Atlantic Hockey Association and College Hockey America named Michelle Morgan as its Commissioner on Feb. 2, 2023. The two leagues were cobined and rebranded as Atlantic Hockey America in 2024.
Morgan, who served as the Senior Director of Athletics at John Carroll University from 2018-23, is the second commissioner in Atlantic Hockey history. She replaces Robert DeGregorio, who retired after 20 years with Atlantic Hockey.
Morgan, who began her duties with the AHA on April 17, 2023, oversaw a period of tremendous growth and success for John Carroll athletics during her tenure at the University Heights, Ohio school. The Blue Streaks won 43 Ohio Athletic Conference championships and made 42 NCAA postseason appearances.
Under her leadership, JCU won the OAC All-Sports Men’s Trophy in 2018-19, 2020-21, and 2021-22, and came within a point of the program’s first-ever OAC All-Sports Women’s Trophy in 2020-21.
During the celebration of 100 years of Athletics at John Carroll, Morgan helped to establish a $500,000 fund for the creation of the Champions Endowment, which helped to sustain success at a national level for all Blue Streak athletic programs. Her tenure also saw the addition of women’s wrestling as JCU’s 24th varsity sport and $4 million in athletic facility improvements that greatly enhanced training, competition and the quality of experience for the more than 700 student-athletes under her oversight. She was a part of the design process and planning for a new athletic, wellness and event space that is slated to open in Fall 2024.
In recognition of her efforts on behalf of JCU athletics, Morgan was presented with an Honorary ESPY as the Administrator of the Year in July 2022 and was recognized as a NACDA Athletic Director of the Year in 2023.
An active member on the national intercollegiate athletics scene, Morgan was appointed to a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Management Council in 2019. She served as Chair of the council from January 2022 – January 2023. During that year, she held a seat on the prestigious association-wide NCAA Board of Governors, and was a part of the hiring process for NCAA President, Charlie Baker.
Morgan also served on various NCAA committees, including: the Football Concussion Task Force (association-wide), Committee for Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct (association-wide), Olympic Sports Liaison Committee (association-wide), Women’s Ice Hockey Committee (DIII), Championships Committee (DIII), Presidents Council (DIII), Advisory Council (DIII), Administrative Committee (DIII), Strategic Planning and Finance Committee (DIII), Interpretations and Legislative Relief (DIII). Joint Legislative Steering Committee (DIII), Subcommittee for Legislative Relief (DIII), NCAA Convention Planning subcommittee and the Strategic Positioning Platform Working Group (DIII). She holds memberships in NACDA, Women Leaders in Sports, and Women in Sports and Entertainment (WiSE).
Morgan is also an engaged associate member of the Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association. She spearheaded efforts for a pair of alumni games prior to the National Hockey League Outdoor Stadium Series game in 2016 in Minneapolis and the 2017 NHL Winter Classic in St. Louis. In this role, she served as the liaison to the NHL, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, and the Chicago Blackhawks organizations for the alumni weekends at both events. The two games, held at TCF Bank Stadium and Busch Stadium, respectively, hosted nearly 40,000 fans for contests featuring the Blackhawk alumni.
Morgan spent eight years at her alma mater, the University of St. Thomas, with her last position being the Senior Women’s Administrator and Associate Athletic Director. In that role, she served as the athletic department’s liaison to the university’s Marketing, Insights, and Communications team, leading external relations, branding, and marketing initiatives. She led negotiations for the first department-wide athletic apparel contract at St. Thomas in 2014, which outfitted all athletes in Nike apparel and accessories.
One of Morgan’s biggest achievements occurred in 2017 when she played a key role in the Tommie-Johnnie Football game. She negotiated an agreement with the Minnesota Twins organization for the game to be played at Target Field, securing Oppidan Investing Company as the game’s presenting sponsor. She guided the planning and execution of all game operations, fan experience, ticket sales, merchandise, and marketing for the largest football game in Division III history at that time. The record crowd of 37,355 outdrew 28 FBS games and 56 of 57 FCS games that took place the same weekend.
Prior to St. Thomas, Morgan worked for the NHL’s Minnesota Wild as an Account Executive for Corporate Sponsorships. During her five years with the organization, Morgan’s responsibilities included corporate sponsorships sales for the Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five, and Minnesota State High School League boys and girls state hockey tournaments, as well as negotiated annual suite leases. She also held positions in corporate partnerships with the Minnesota Vikings and marketing with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Morgan has served as an adjunct professor at St. Thomas and currently at John Carroll teaching graduate-level coursework in Sports Studies. Additionally, she previously served as a Board Member of Women in Sports and Entertainment (WiSE), Cleveland and the Positive Coaching Alliance in Cleveland and Minneapolis.
The Brookfield, Ill., native holds degrees in Business Administration, Marketing Management, and a Masters of Business Administration from St. Thomas.
An accomplished student-athlete, Morgan was a four-year member of the St. Thomas women’s ice hockey team.
