Aaron Goodson, DEIBJ Division Head

Dr. Aaron Goodson is a mental health and performance psychology service provider and collegiate athletic administrator with over a decade of training and experience in the psychosocial development of collegiate student-athletes, specifically Black student-athletes. When it comes to collegiate student and student-athlete wellness, mental health, growth and development, he has occupied roles in several domains across higher education – student affairs, academia, and within collegiate athletics.

Goodson earned a Ph.D. in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology from West Virginia University (WVU) in 2018. During his time at WVU, he completed a M.S. in Sport and Exercise Psychology, a M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a graduate certificate in University Teaching. Prior to that, he completed a B.A. in Sociology from Davidson College in 2011, where he was a member of the tennis team during his first two years.
Professionally, Dr. Goodson worked as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) before his full-time professional journey in collegiate athletics. At WSSU, he taught sport psychology and his research focused on collegiate student-athlete psychosocial development, performance enhancement and mental health, as well as issues of diversity in sport, exercise, and performance psychology.

Currently, he works at Duke University as the Director of Mental Health and Performance within the Athletic Department where he provides psychological services to Duke student-athletes, manages a staff, and collaborates with other units across the athletic department and across university campus.