Erin Lind took over as the NSIC's fifth full-time commissioner on July 1, 2014. Lind joined the NSIC staff in the summer of 2001 and had served as the NSIC Associate Commissioner and Senior Woman Administrator since 2005.
As commissioner, Lind has been instrumental in envisioning the future of the NSIC, following the steps of the league’s current strategic plan and guiding the league through the process of developing a new strategic plan that will take the conference into 2024.
During her tenure as commissioner, Lind has increased the visibility of the league through corporate partnerships. Partners such as Sanford Health and Midco Sports Network have led the way to championship enhancements across all sports. NSIC Championship and game-day experience enhancements have included live television coverage, improved branding of the championships, along with all student-athletes competing in first-class venues and receiving mementos for participating at NSIC Championships.
Lind coordinated the NSIC 25th Anniversary celebrations during the 2016-17 academic year, which included in part the creation of the NSIC Elite 18 Award, recognizing the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the final site for each of the NSIC’s 18 championships. Lind also worked with NCAA personnel at the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournaments, developing a resource guide for staging conference championship events with community engagement in mind, which has been implemented at NCAA and NSIC Championships.
Under Lind’s guidance the league also created “NSIC Day,” which has the entire NSIC office staff travel to an NSIC school’s campus to enhance the gameday experience for student-athletes and fans via give-a-ways, promotions and provides an opportunity for face-to-face visits with NSIC staff members.
Lind has also been active on the national scene as a member of the NCAA Division II Central Regional Advisory Committees for women’s basketball, volleyball and softball. Lind has served as Regional Advisory Committee Chair for men’s and women’s tennis. She was a member of the NCAA Division II Championships Committee and served as chair in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Lind currently sits on the NCAA Management Council and NCAA Concussion Advisory Group. She also served on the NCAA Division II Nominating Committee and the Executive Committee of the Division II Conference Commissioner Association in 2018-19 and served as the chair in 2019-20.
Lind’s accomplishments over the years have not gone unnoticed as she was presented the Breaking Barriers Award at the 2016 Minnesota National Girls and Women in Sports Day award ceremony. She was also the first recipient of the GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award, which is presented to a graduate of Southwest Minnesota State University to recognize recent (past 10 years) graduates with exceptional achievement and significant contribution to the recipient’s profession or community/society or university.
A 2001 graduate of SMSU in Marshall, Minnesota, Lind earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management with minors in business management and coaching. She completed her Master of Education in sports management at the University of Minnesota in 2003.
Known as Erin Frye in her playing days, Lind is very familiar with the NSIC. A starter for the women’s basketball team from 1998 to 2001, Lind was a first-team All-NSIC selection and a member of the NSIC All-Tournament Team as a junior and was honorable mention all-conference as a senior. She ended her career as the school’s seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,380 points. Lind helped lead the Mustangs to the 2000-01 conference championship and a first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
Erin and her husband, Matt, have two sons, Jacob & Taylor.