Dr. Colleen Hacker Speaker & Booking Information

Dr. Colleen Hacker has served as the Sport Psychology Consultant for the United States Women's National Soccer Team, is a member of the NSCAA National Soccer Coaching Staff, and a member of  the USOC Performance Enhancement Team. During her tenure, The National Soccer Team won a Gold Medal at the 1996 and 2004 Olympic Games (a Silver Medal in the 2000 Olympic Games), the 1998 Goodwill Games and the 1999 World Cup.  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. In addition to her work with U.S. Soccer, Dr. Hacker works with professional, international and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports including the NFL, MLB, WNBA, etc.  Dr. Hacker serves on the expert panel for the Center of Sport Parenting for the Institute for International Sport, the Advisory Board for ClubLife Magazine, and the USSF-USOC Performance Enhancement Team.

Her insights into the psychology of peak performance and performance enhancement techniques (in sport, business and life) make her a much in-demand speaker to corporations, business groups and civic organizations both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Hacker received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from Lock Haven University (PA) in 1978, earned her master's degree in Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Arizona in 1979 and received her Ph.D. in Exercise and Movement Science from the University of Oregon in 1992. Dr. Hacker has conducted extensive, applied research in the field of sport psychology with particular emphasis on peak performance, cohesion and performance success and moral development in sport.

In 1995, she retired from coaching collegiate Women's soccer at Pacific Lutheran University after 15 years at the helm.  Under Coach Hacker, PLU's women's soccer team played for the NAIA national championship five consecutive years. Her club won NAIA titles in 1988, 1989 and 1991, and was runner-up in 1990 and 1992. In her 15 seasons (1981-95), Hacker guided PLU to an enviable 232-59-18 (.780 percentage) record. The win total ranks her first among all coaches in NAIA women's soccer history. The Lutes' championship record under Hacker is impressive: 10 Northwest Conference titles and five straight NAIA District 1 and NAIA West Regional crowns (1988-92). In addition, the Lutes qualified for postseason play 11 straight years.

Pacific Lutheran's first national championship in 1988 marked the first time that a woman head coach led a collegiate soccer program to a national title. By winning the 1989 crown, Pacific Lutheran earned the distinction of being the first program to win back-to-back NAIA national women's soccer titles. The 1991 win marked the first time an NAIA team had won three national championships in women's soccer.

She served as the president of the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches Association from 1989-1991, the first woman to hold that position, and was a member of the NAIA Women's Sport Development Committee. She also served as Northwest Conference Women's Soccer Chair, ISAA Scholar-Athlete West Region Coordinator, advisor to the NSCAA Women's Soccer Sub-Committee and as a member of the NSCAA All-America Committee. In 1994, she coached the West All-Stars in the first-ever NAIA Women's Senior Bowl soccer game. Coach Hacker is a seven-time NAIA District 1 Soccer Coach of the Year, a five-time Northwest Conference of Independent Colleges Coach of the Year, a four-time NAIA/NSCAA West Regional Coach of the Year and three-time NAIA/NSCAA National Coach of the Year.  In 2005, Dr. Hacker was inducted into the NAIA National Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.  

Dr. Hacker earned special honor in January of 1994 as the first woman recipient of the NSCAA/NISOA Merit Award. The award recognizes coaches whose relationships with fellow coaches, soccer officials and players is reflective of the highest ethical ideals as set forth in the NSCAA/ISAA Code of Ethics. In 1996, she was the recipient of a special commendation from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for "a career of exceptional service to the sport of soccer." In 2005, Dr. Hacker received the  NSCAA National Award of Excellence.  She is a member of the NSCAA Women's Soccer Development committee and a member of the Soccer Ethics committee. 

She has been the recipient of numerous professional and civic awards during her career. She was named Washington's Outstanding Young Woman in 1986, received a Lutheran Brotherhood Faculty Growth Award, numerous Regency Advancement Awards, and was named CASE Professor of the Year in the School of Physical Education. Dr. Hacker has also been awarded the highest teaching honor presented at Pacific Lutheran University when named the recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award, given to the outstanding faculty member at the University. She received the Lock Haven Alumni Achievement Award and was the ELCA Higher Education Grant recipient. Dr. Hacker was presented with the Pathfinder Award for Washington State, given by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport, recognizing each state's leader in women's athletics. As part of a DOE Grant, she traveled to the famed Tahuichi Academy in Santa Cruz, Bolivia to study this organizations' soccer and humanitarian contributions. She was awarded the Presidential Medal from Pacific Lutheran University for her contributions to women's sports not only at the university but  also to international sport.  Most recently she has been awarded a Presidents' Citation from the American Psychological Association for her contributions to the Psychological Skills Training Program for the United States Olympic and World Cup Soccer Teams.

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, Conde Nast, Million Dollar Round Table, GLAMOUR, House and Garden, 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 (2000), Lauren Gregg's book, The Champion Within (1999), and Michelle Akers' book, The Game and The Glory. Articles about Dr. Hacker's work have appeared in Newsweek, USA Today, Sports Illustrated for Women, 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, Discovery Channel and Extra. Her new book, Catch Them Being Good (Viking Press) a collaboration with champion soccer coach Tony DiCicco, was released in August 2002.

Dr. Hacker's insights into topics such as the psychology of peak performance, team building, leadership and men and women working effectively in the workplace strike a chord with organizations and corporate audiences across the world.