Kansas Wesleyan University

Miguel Paredes has been the Athletic Director at Kansas Wesleyan since January 2023. 

Paredes comes to KWU from Stephens College, a fellow NAIA institution in Columbia, Mo., where he has spent three-plus years as athletic director. All told, he possesses nearly 13 years of higher education experience, including administration, coaching, fundraising, academic advising and student life at five different universities.

While at Stephens, Paredes improved the student-athlete retention rate by nearly 14%. Athletic revenue jumped by 25% under his watch, and the overall student-athlete enrollment count leapt by 35%. He secured important agreements with BSN and Nike, as well as a partnership with the Show-Me-Sports network that facilitated the college's play-by-play broadcasts.

Paredes spent two years as assistant director of athletics for academic outreach at Texas A&M-Kingsville, an NCAA Division II institution. There, he served as an academic coordinator for all athletic programs, assisted with event management, acted as CHAMPS/life skills coordinator and chaired the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Paredes helped the university win three notable Lone Star Conference honors, the SAAC Cup, the Award of Excellence and the Community Engagement Award.

He also worked at Westminster College (NCAA Division III), Central Methodist University (NAIA) and Graceland University. In 14 years of coaching (including high schools), he has led teams to a pair of national championship appearances, two conference titles and numerous other accolades, including more than 100 all-conference or academic-related awards.

Paredes holds a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health from Graceland University and a Master of Education degree from Central Methodist. He and his wife, Kea, have two daughters.