Chris Graham was named the eighth commissioner in Midwest Conference history on July 1, 2004. Graham’s appointment made him the first full-time Chief Executive Officer and Commissioner in the league’s history following the retirement of Dr. Ralph Shively. Graham spent four years working under Shively as the league’s Assistant Commissioner and Sports Information Director prior to being appointed Commissioner.

Graham enjoyed a standout career in the Midwest Conference prior to his employment there, earning all-conference accolades in basketball and baseball during his time at Ripon College. As a co-captain on the basketball team, Graham led his squad in three-pointers as a senior and was named the MVP of 1993 Ripon Tip-off Tournament. A left fielder on the baseball diamond, Graham hit over .400 as a senior, helping Ripon to a first-place finish in the MWC North division. During his career, Graham was a part of three Midwest Conference championship teams, winning the league title in baseball in 1990 and basketball championships during the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

In 1995, two years after graduating from Ripon with a BA in Business Management, Graham became the Sports Information Director and Assistant Baseball Coach at his alma mater. The 1989 Whitewater High School alum spent five years at Ripon before joining the Midwest Conference office in 2000.

Graham is currently completing his Master’s Degree in Higher Education at UW-Madison and resides in Ripon with wife his Penny and three daughters Alaina, Sydney and Nora.

Matt Troha joined the Midwest Conference as the first full-time Sports Information Director in the league’s history in July of 2005. A native of Joliet, Ill., Troha graduated from MWC member institution, Monmouth College, in May of 2004 with a BA in Media Communications. During his time at Monmouth, Troha served as the sports editor for the college newspaper, The Courier, while also covering college and prep sports for the Monmouth Daily Review Atlas. Troha completed an internship in the Monmouth Sports Information office during his senior year and covered Fighting Scots athletic events for the campus radio station.

After graduating, Troha served as the Media Relations Assistant for the Mid-Continent Conference, an NCAA Division I athletic conference located in Elmhurst, Ill. During his 10-month assistantship at the Mid-Con, which ended in June of 2005, he also worked as a prep sports stringer for the Chicago Tribune.

Troha played high school football at Joliet Catholic Academy under legendary Ripon College baseball coach Gordie Gillespie. Serving as an assistant coach during Troha's senior season, Gillespie helped the Hilltoppers to an undefeated state championship season that included the No. 10 ranking in the nation from USA Today. Troha went on to serve as the Senior Writer on the book “Hilltopper Pride: The Triumph & Tradition of Joliet Catholic Football,” which was released by Glory Days Books (www.glorydaysbooks.com) in November 2005.

Troha currently resides with his wife in Ripon, Wis. and is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership from Marian College.