Anna M. Butzlaff serves as the Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications & External Operations for the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), where she leads the conference's communications strategy, executive messaging, media relations, and public affairs. As the conference's primary media contact, she serves as the liaison between the CIAA and local, regional, and national media while advising executive leadership on communications strategy, reputation management, crisis communications, and organizational messaging.
Since joining the CIAA in 2023, Butzlaff has helped strengthen the conference's communications strategy and increase its national visibility. She oversees conference-wide communications planning, executive messaging, media operations for championships and marquee events, and works collaboratively across departments to ensure a consistent organizational voice. During her tenure, the CIAA has become the most-followed NCAA Division II conference on Instagram and Facebook while increasing overall content production by more than 50 percent.
Throughout her tenure, Butzlaff has led communications initiatives that strengthen the CIAA's brand, elevate its member institutions, and enhance the championship experience. Among those efforts was leading the development of the conference's Women's Basketball 50th Anniversary commemorative uniforms, recognizing five decades of excellence in women's basketball and celebrating one of the conference's most significant milestones.
She also developed the CIAA's championship photography and videography talent development model, creating a pathway that recruits, mentors, and develops students and recent graduates from CIAA member institutions. Today, the conference's championship visual media teams are composed entirely of CIAA graduates, providing meaningful professional experience while creating opportunities that extend well beyond graduation.
Prior to joining the CIAA, Butzlaff held leadership positions at Cannon School, Gulliver Preparatory School, Florida International University, and Owlcam, building more than a decade of experience in communications, marketing, digital media, and brand strategy.
While at Gulliver Preparatory School, Butzlaff helped lead the communications strategy for the announcement of NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen as Head Boys Basketball Coach, supporting media relations and institutional messaging for one of the school's most high-profile announcements.
At Owlcam, a Silicon Valley technology startup, Butzlaff served as Senior Communications & Digital Media Manager, leading communications, digital content, and brand storytelling. During her tenure, she grew the company's online community to more than 200,000 followers while helping position Owlcam as Amazon's top-selling smart dash camera. Her work supported national media coverage across Good Morning America, ABC News, Nightline, ESPN, Engadget, PCWorld, and numerous other media outlets.
In 2026, Butzlaff was selected to the NCAA Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, one of the NCAA's most prestigious leadership development programs for intercollegiate athletics administrators. She is also a graduate of the 2024 Women Leaders in Sports Governance Academy and was selected to attend the 2026 NCAA Division II Professional Development Workshop in Indianapolis.
A former NCAA Division I women's soccer student-athlete, Butzlaff competed at the University of Memphis, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications, magna cum laude. She later earned a Master of Science in Sports Administration and Educational Leadership from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, graduating summa cum laude. Her experience as both a student-athlete and athletics administrator continues to shape her approach to leadership and strategic communications.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Butzlaff is the proud mother of her son, Roman. Raised in Wisconsin, she remains a passionate supporter of the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Brewers, and Manchester City Football Club.