Entering his 25th year as Director of Athletics, Kevin Buisman is the longest-serving athletics director in Minnesota State University history and one of the longest-tenured athletics directors in NCAA Division II. Since his appointment on July 26, 2002, he has helped establish Maverick Athletics as one of the nation's premier NCAA Division II athletics programs through a combination of strategic vision, competitive excellence, facility development and organizational leadership.
Under Buisman's leadership, Minnesota State has captured five NCAA Division II national championships, including women's basketball (2008-09, 2023-24), men's basketball (2023-24), women's indoor track & field (2021-22) and softball (2017). In total, Maverick teams have made 124 NCAA Division II postseason appearances and 11 NCAA Division I postseason appearances in men's hockey under Buisman’s watch, with two student-athletes named as Honda’s NCAA Division II Female Athlete of the Year.
The 2025-26 academic year continued Minnesota State's tradition of national success as the Mavericks won eight conference championships, four conference runner-up finishes, the NSIC Women's All-Sports Championship and the NSIC Overall All-Sports Championship. Maverick teams recorded ten Top-25 national finishes while the department earned a fifth-place finish in the final Learfield Directors' Cup standings. During Buisman's time, Minnesota State has consistently ranked among the nation's elite Division II athletics programs, earning 23 consecutive Top-25 appearances, including five straight Top-10 finishes.
Among the department's recent highlights was the historic 2023-24 season when Minnesota State became only the second NCAA Division II institution to win men's and women's basketball national championships in the same academic year. That achievement helped propel the Mavericks to a Top-10 national finish in the Learfield Directors' Cup standings and further solidified Minnesota State's reputation as one of the nation's elite athletics programs.
Buisman's commitment to administrative excellence has been recognized nationally. He is a two-time recipient of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletic Director of the Year Award, earning honors in both 2013-14 and 2024-25. Following his most recent recognition, he served as a featured presenter at the 2025 NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Orlando, Florida, discussing the impact of the House Settlement and the future of collegiate athletics facilities development.
In January 2024, Buisman joined President Edward Inch's Executive Leadership Team as a member of the University Cabinet, providing institutional leadership on matters extending beyond athletics. In fall 2025, he was appointed to the NCAA Division II Management Council, one of the division's primary governance bodies, where he helps shape NCAA Division II policy and strategic direction through January 2030. He also serves on the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and NCAA Convention Planning committees.
Throughout his tenure, Buisman has emphasized student-athlete success both on and off the field. Working closely with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), he has championed initiatives related to student-athlete welfare, leadership development, mental health support, community engagement, career preparation and student-athlete recognition programs. Under his leadership, Maverick student-athletes contributed nearly 4,000 hours of community service during 2025-26, while SAAC earned the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence for its Make-A-Wish initiative.
Buisman has also been instrumental in advancing the department's long-term strategic vision. During 2025-26, he oversaw completion of the department's Destination 2030 Strategic Plan, implemented a comprehensive organizational restructuring and began to facilitate the transition of athletics revenue generation operations to the Minnesota State University Foundation. These efforts were designed to strengthen financial sustainability while positioning Maverick Athletics for continued growth amid a rapidly changing collegiate athletics landscape.
One of the most significant initiatives of Buisman's career is “The Future State”, a transformational athletics facilities project designed to position Minnesota State Athletics for decades of future success. As the department’s executive leader of the initiative, Buisman has guided the public launch, stakeholder engagement process, facility planning efforts and development of a comprehensive facilities master plan that includes new competition venues, student-athlete support spaces and expanded opportunities for community partnerships.
Facility improvements have long been a hallmark of Buisman's tenure. His leadership has helped bring numerous major projects to fruition, including a $6.2 million outdoor athletics facilities project, the transition of Maverick Hockey into Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, construction of Scheels Field at the Maverick All-Sports Dome and installation of the state-of-the-art center-hung Daktronics videoboard in Taylor Center.
Buisman's leadership has also resulted in significant growth in attendance, fan engagement and corporate partnerships. Minnesota State has earned national recognition for innovative fan engagement initiatives, strengthened partnerships with organizations such as Mayo Clinic Health System and UNRL, and expanded its role as a major economic and community driver throughout Greater Mankato.
A former football student-athlete at the University of Northern Iowa, Buisman earned bachelor's degrees in management and finance in 1987 and an MBA in 1989. He has remained active in numerous community and regional leadership organizations throughout his career and continues to serve as a strong advocate for both Minnesota State University and the Greater Mankato community.
In November 2014, while at a regional championship event with the nation's top-ranked women's soccer team, Buisman received the life-changing news that he had been diagnosed with head and neck cancer. Buisman elected to defer surgery until after a run to the national title game for the Maverick football team in December 2014. A successful surgery in January 2015 was followed by treatment as part of a clinical trial that focused on preserving quality-of-life elements. After a decade of cancer-free follow-up care, he reached a significant milestone in 2025 when he was permanently discharged from cancer care by his Mayo Clinic medical team. Inspired by his experience, he has remained committed to supporting cancer awareness and survivorship efforts throughout the community.
Today, Buisman continues to lead Maverick Athletics through an era of unprecedented change in collegiate athletics while maintaining a focus on competitive excellence, student-athlete success, strategic growth and service to the university and community. Buisman is married to his wife Heather, a Minnesota State graduate and Director of Residential Construction with DeMars Construction. They have two daughters, Alyssa and McKenna. Alyssa, her husband Zach and children Livi and Luke live in the Twin Cities and McKenna and her fiancée Zach reside in Carlsbad, CA.
