Lori Gislason is the first to admit that her career path has been unconventional, but she also recognizes that her work at the University of Minnesota has helped break down barriers for women in field maintenance and equipment at the collegiate level.

In 1982, Gislason was hired as the Junior Scientist Trainee for the U of M agronomy department where she oversaw the weed physiology and grass seed production test plots in Roseau for two summers. She is still the only female to hold that position.

In 1989, she was hired full-time as a landscape specialist for the U of M Landcare Department, and in 1993 she was hired as the first - and only - full-time female employee to work on the women’s softball and soccer fields and the men’s baseball stadium. She helped build the original soccer field for the Gopher women’s soccer team, and was overjoyed when the women’s softball team moved into a new complex that was more on par with the men’s facility.

During her tenure with the athletic grounds team, Gislason made sure all of the U of M’s outdoor fields were in pristine condition to keep playing surfaces safe and game ready. From mowing to irrigation, to painting the practice football field and maintaining the infields for softball and baseball, Gislason set high standards for all of the Gophers’ outdoor facilities. 

In 2000, Gislason made the shift from field maintenance to the equipment room for the Gopher athletic department. She was one of two women on the seven-person staff, and her job was overseeing equipment needs for the volleyball team and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. She was one of few women overseeing equipment needs for a men’s basketball program at the collegiate level, and less than a handful of women hold that position yet today.

Eight years later, Gislason was promoted to the director of equipment for the U of M athletic department. She oversaw the equipment staff and teams, including football. Typically, one person oversees all of the Olympic sports and a second member of the team - usually male - oversees football. The Gophers saw Gislason’s talent, drive, and work ethic, and promoted her to oversee the whole equipment unit. She remains one of just a handful of women in all of college athletics overseeing the entire equipment staff.

In her current role, Gislason makes sure each of the Gopher athletic teams has what they need for practice and competition. She manages the school’s Nike contract, and has direct oversight with each sport’s equipment managers and their purchasing needs. 

In her time with the Gophers, Gislason has worked diligently to recruit and train other women, including interns, to join her in this unconventional career.