Michael J. Salm joined the Pioneer staff as Interim Associate Athletic Director for Operations and Strategic Partnerships and chief of staff in July of 2020 and transitioned to Deputy Athletic Director and Chief of Staff in April 2021.
Salm brought experience as a proven revenue generator, fundraiser, and corporate engagement professional. Prior to UW-Platteville, he served as Director of Leadership Development and Strategic Partnerships at Rutgers University's athletic department in New Brunswick, New Jersey. At Rutgers, Salm combined philanthropic giving with corporate engagement sponsorships to create sustainable student-athlete development programming. He currently serves as co-chair for Corporate Sponsorships for the N4A organization.
A former Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athlete, Salm is no stranger to NCAA DIII athletics or the region after competing on the UW-Whitewater men's soccer team during his undergraduate studies. Salm's stint as intern with the Warhawk Leadership Academy is what sparked his path into athletic administration and leadership development. Salm works to implement his found philanthropic and corporate relations successes from around multiple levels of collegiate athletics to develop and progress Pioneer athletics while staying committed to transformational leadership and culture development.
Prior to Rutgers, Salm served as Graduate Assistant in the Sun Devil Office of Student-Athlete Development at Arizona State University in Phoenix, Arizona where he focused on leadership development and postgraduate preparation. Salm's transition to Sun Devils athletics following his term as the WIAC intern where he assisted in multiple aspects of the conference office from eligibility, financial reports, conference championships, and social media effectiveness and reach.
As chief of staff, Salm believes his conscientious and people focused style of leadership fosters a collaborative community that best serves the student-athletes, department, university, and external partners.
A native of Grafton, Wisconsin, Salm earned a Bachelor's of Science in Health and Human Performance from UW-Whitewater and a Master's of Legal Studies from Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. Currently, he is working towards a Master's of Political Science: United Nations and International Policy from Rutgers University.
