Grand Valley State University Athletics

Sport Supervisor: Football, Volleyball, Men's and Women's Wrestling, Men's and Women's Tennis

Keri Becker has spent her entire career in intercollegiate athletics spanning almost 30 years. She is currently in her ninth year as the Director of Athletics at Grand Valley State. Becker’s career has always been on a college campus. She began her journey in 1990 as a softball student-athlete at Saginaw Valley State University, moved into the head softball coaching position in 1996 at yet another rival school, Ferris State University, where she stayed for 15 years. In 2011, GVSU brought her on board as the Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. 

Grand Valley State has continued its dominance at the Division II level Under Becker’s direction, claiming its 31^st overall Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Presidents’ Cup title as the league all sports champion and winning the 2024-25 Division II All-sports Learfield/IMG College Directors’ Cup crown for the 17^th time. Under her leadership she oversaw the construction of the Jamie Hosford Football Center, a new indoor practice golf facility, multiple locker room renovations, and an addition to the Fieldhouse that features a 3-mat wrestling room that is home to the newly added men’s and women’s wrestling programs. The new construction also provided for a 4000 square foot weight room, a new athletic training room, a student-athlete lounge and refueling hub, as well as the new home for the Laker Academic Success Center. In 2026, GVSU Athletics will see an Arena renovation bringing in suites and premium seating for fans, as well as a new Baseball/Softball Indoor hitting facility and locker room. 

Becker was appointed by Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer to the Task Force of Women in Sports that convened 2019-2022. She recently completed her term as a member of the Women Leaders in Sports Board of Directors serving from 2019 – 2025. Currently, she is member of National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee, the  Collegiate Women Sports Award Board and the West Michigan Sports Commission Board of Directors.   
She was awarded the Michigan ACE Distinguished Woman in Higher Education Leadership award during the summer of 2022 and in January 2023 accepted the NCAA/MOAA Award for Diversity and Inclusion for GVSU Athletics. 

Prior to taking over as the Director of Athletics, Becker served the Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator overseeing all aspects of multiple sport programs. In addition to sport supervision, Becker was responsible for cross campus collaborations, overseeing the financial aid aspect of NCAA compliance, completion of all required institutional reports, fundraising efforts, and assisting with game operations, and oversaw GVSU’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). 

Keri is also a military veteran, having served in the United States Army Reserve from 1992-2006, and was called to active duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from January 2003-February 2004.  She was stationed at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, which was a combined joint forces base.  While stationed there, she worked in both Transportation and then in Supply, where she became the non-commissioned officer in charge of supply for the Headquarters Commandant at Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT). She achieved the rank of staff sergeant and was honorably discharged in October 2006.