Printable Biography of Dr. Colleen Hacker

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Dr. Colleen Hacker has served as the Sport Psychology Consultant to the Women’s U.S. National Soccer Team since 1995. During her tenure, The National Team won a Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1999 World Cup. Named as an Assistant Coach in 2000, Dr. Hacker helped lead the National Team to a Silver Medal at the Sydney Olympic Games and a third place finish in the 2003 World Championships. Most recently, the team won a Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The United States is the only country in the world to finish in the top three of every major world championship in soccer history.

In addition to her work with the National Soccer Team, Dr. Hacker works with professional, international and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports including swimming, speed skating, track and field, tennis, Major League baseball, the WNBA and the NFL.  She has also served as the Sport Psychology Consultant for the Under 16, Under 19 and the Under 21 United States Youth National Soccer Teams. Her strategies for peak performance are sought by corporations, business groups, professional sport teams, civic organizations and both print and television media.  With more than 25 years experience in higher education, she is currently a professor and an Assistant Dean at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.  Dr. Hacker has conducted extensive, applied research in the field of sport psychology with particular emphasis on peak performance, cohesion, leadership and psychological skills training for excellence. 

Dr. Hacker received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from Lock Haven University (PA).  She earned her master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Arizona and received her Ph.D. in Exercise and Movement Science from the University of Oregon in 1992.

Dr. Hacker has received numerous professional awards including the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (the highest teaching honor awarded by the University), the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport Pathfinder Award, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Inspiration Award, the President Medal from Pacific Lutheran University, the American Psychological Association’s Presidential Citation, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Letter of Commendation, and the National Award of Excellence, to name a few.  She has been inducted into the Pacific Lutheran University Hall of Fame and the NAIA National Soccer Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Advisory Panel for the Center for Sport Parenting through the Institute for International Sport, Club Life Magazine Advisory Board, the NSCAA National Coaching Staff and has served on the United States Olympic Committee Performance Enhancement Team.

Much in demand as a speaker and consultant, Dr. Hacker has worked with corporations such as Morgan Stanley, NIKE, S.C. Johnson Company, MTV, Infinity Broadcasting, Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance Company, The New Yorker Magazine, Citadel Broadcasting, Conde Nast, Million Dollar Round Table, GLAMOUR, Parent’s Magazine, House and Garden, Franciscan Health Care Systems, Better Homes and Gardens, Women's Sports and Fitness as well as civic groups such as the Girl Scouts of America and the YMCA.  She has published widely in professional journals and books. Her work has been featured in Jere Longman’s book, Girls of Summer, Lauren Gregg’s The Champion Within, Michelle Akers’ book, The Game and The Glory and Brandi Chastain’s It’s Not About the Bra.

Dr Hacker has delivered lectures and invited papers at such diverse groups as the Miller Humanities Lecture, the American Psychological Association, the National Institutes of Health Conference on the Psychology of Happiness, the Pan American Sports Organization, the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology, the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and the United States Olympic Committee Coaching Summit. Articles about Dr. Hacker’s work have appeared in Newsweek, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, The APA Monitor, The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others. Dr. Hacker has been featured on national television outlets including CNN, FOX, ESPN, Discovery Channel, ESPN2 and Extra. Her book, Catch Them Being Good (Penguin Books and Viking Press) a collaboration with champion soccer coach Tony DiCicco, was released in 2002.

Dr. Hacker’s insights into topics such as the psychology of peak performance, the power of choice, team building, leadership and the “secret of the slight edge” strike a chord with organizations and corporate audiences throughout the United States and across the world.