Jim Naumovich is in his 25th year as Commissioner of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2025-26. He is the second full-time Commissioner in the league's 47-year history, and is responsible for the Conference's 27 sports, 25 championship events, budgeting, promotions, and league administration. Naumovich holds the distinguished honor of having served the league as Commissioner longer than any of his predecessors and is the second longest tenurered Commissioner in Division II.
During his tenure, the league has added 12 members, with the addition of Drury University, Rockhurst University, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Maryville University, University of Illinois Springfield, William Jewell College, McKendree University, Truman State University, Southwest Baptist University, Lindenwood University, Upper Iowa University, and Lincoln University. The league is currently one of largest conferences in NCAA Division II with 15 full-time members, 27 sports, and 13 associate members competing, bringing the total to 28 members.
Under his watch, football became the Conference's 18th sponsored sport in 2012 and men's and women's swimming and diving was incorporated into the GLVC for the 2013-14 season as the league's 19th and 20th sports, respectively. Wrestling was added as the GLVC's 21st championship sport with competition beginning in 2016-17. Men’s lacrosse began its inaugural year of competition in the league during the 2017-18 academic year, while women's lacrosse and women's bowling began competition for the first time in 2019-20. STUNT, Women's Wrestling, and Men's Volleyball will begin competition in the league in 2025-26.
In addition, he has expanded staffing in the Conference office with the hiring of four full-time staff members and secured funding to add a full-time intern. He has overseen the creation of the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN), the first digital platform of its kind at the NCAA D-II level, developed the league’s Core Values & Mission Statement, completed a five-year strategic plan, and moved the GLVC Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball Championships to neutral sites. In addition, he is responsible for organizing the inaugural Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover Tournament in 2008, which was the first, and currently largest, NCAA intra-regional volleyball tournament in the country. Moreover, Naumovich worked closely with the commissioner from the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) to partner with the city of Hobart, Indiana, and the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority to form the America's Crossroads Bowl. The event represents the fourth bowl game played at the NCAA D-II level.
Naumovich was recently selected as the league's male recipient of the NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Gold Award in 2024. During the 2024-25 academic year, he was appointed to represent the Conference on the NCAA D-II Think Tank. He is a former member of the NCAA Officiating Review Steering Committee, NCAA D-II Management Council, and chairman of the D-II Convention Planning & Project Team. He was also Vice Chair of the Academic Requirements Committee, a member of the Path to Graduation Task Force, and a member of the D-II Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. A former executive mentor for the NCAA Pathways Program, Naumovich also served as an external mentor for the NCAA Internship Program, as well as a panelist for the NCAA Career in Sports Forum, NCAA Spring Summit, and Emerging Leaders seminar.
Additionally, Naumovich is a former member of the NCAA D-II Championships Committee and Regionalization Task Force. He completed a two-year term as President of the D2CCA in 2008 and served an additional one-year term during the 2009-10 academic year. He has served as a member of the Indianapolis Local Organizing Committee for the 2006 NCAA D-I Men's Basketball Final Four, was the Co-Chair of the Evansville Local Organizing Committee for the 2002 NCAA D-II Men's Basketball Championship, and is a former member of the NCAA D-II Men's Soccer National Committee. He served as the Tournament Director for the Men's Basketball Elite Eight in Evansville, Ind. for three years and is currently a member of the Indianapolis local organizing comittee for the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.
Prior to his appointment as GLVC Commissioner, Naumovich worked at Quincy University for 15 years, in various administrative capacities, including Director of Athletics from 1992-2000. A native of Springfield, Ill., Naumovich is a 1985 graduate of Quincy University with a B.A. in communication and was inducted into the Quincy University Hall of Fame in October of 2024.
He and his wife, Carolyn, have four children (Meg, Colleen, Drew, and Jack), four grandchildren (Huey, Sophie, Emma, and Charlotte), and reside in Greenwood, Ind.