ST. PAUL – With the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) has announced its executive committee and the officers for the various UMAC governance councils.
UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors: Chair
President Gene Pfeifer of Bethany Lutheran will serve a three-year term as the Council Chair. He replaces Chancellor Renee Wachter of UW-Superior. President Pfeifer was previously the Vice-Chair of the Council.
Dr. Pfeifer has been the President of Bethany Lutheran since July 2015. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Martin Luther College (MLC), a master of science in education from The University of Wisconsin – Whitewater, and a doctor of philosophy in education, curriculum and instruction from the University of Minnesota.
Prior to assuming the presidency at Bethany, Pfeifer was President of St. Croix Lutheran Grades 6-12 in West St. Paul, Minnesota. He also served as Professor of Education and Director of Clinical Experiences at MLC from 1993-2007.
UMAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors: Vice-Chair
President Andrew Denton of Crown becomes the Vice-Chair of this Council and will serve a three-year term. He also sits on the UMAC Membership Committee.
Dr. Denton has been the President at Crown since July 2021. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Evangel University, a master of business administration from Missouri State University, and a doctor of philosophy in higher education administration from St. Louis University.
Prior to assuming the presidency at Crown, Denton was Executive Vice President at North Central University from 2018-21 and concurrently was an adjunct professor in the College of Business and Technology from 2019-21. He was previously the Vice President for University Relations at NCU from 2015-18, the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Bethel University from 2013-17, and the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Evangel University from 2006-13. Denton began his professional career as an admissions counselor at Evangel University from 1998-2000 before ascending to the Director of Admissions from 2000-02.
Senior Woman Administrators Council: Chair
Heather Pennie-Roy of Minnesota Morris will serve a three-year term as the Senior Woman Administrators Council Chair. She replaces Becky Cox of Martin Luther.
Pennie-Roy enters her 28th season as the head coach of the Minnesota Morris softball program in 2026. She is the all-time winningest coach in program history with over 300 victories (326) and has twice been named UMAC Coach of the Year.
An alumna of Minnesota Morris, Pennie-Roy graduated after a prolific career where she was a standout on both the softball and volleyball teams, earning numerous All-Conference honors in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) as a Division II student-athlete.
A three-time hall of fame honoree, Pennie-Roy is enshrined in the Minnesota Morris Athletics Hall of Fame (2014), Minnewaska Lakers Hall of Fame (2015), and the Minnesota High School Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2011).
Beyond her coaching roles, Pennie-Roy serves as an assistant athletic director and the senior woman administrator at Minnesota Morris.
Matt Johnson and Pat Garvin will both continue to serve on the UMAC Executive Committee as Matt has served as the Chair of the AD Council the past two years and Pat filled the Vice Chair role for the AD Council this past year (2024-2025) for the first time. Matt is part of the UMAC Membership Committee and Pat serves on the UMAC Finance Committee in addition to their Executive Committee responsibilities
Complete Executive Committee group:
- Matt Johnson, Chair of AD Council, Athletic Director at Minnesota Morris
- Pat Garvin, Vice-Chair of AD Council, Athletic Director at Bethany Lutheran
- Heather Pennie-Roy, SWA at Minnesota Morris