Consultant Profile

Dr. Colleen M. Hacker, Ph.D.
Internationally recognized Speaker and Consultant in Mental Performance Coaching
• Six Time Olympic Games Coaching Staff
• CMPC, #300
• Listed in the USOPC Mental Performance Registry

Dr. Colleen Hacker has served as a member of the United States coaching staff for six Olympic Games as a Mental Skills Coach. Dr. Hacker began her National Team service working with the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. During her tenure, the National Team won the first Gold Medal awarded in women’s soccer at the 1996 Olympic Games followed by a dramatic overtime victory over China in the 1999 World Cup to win the United States its second World Cup title. Named as an Assistant Coach in 2000, the National Team won a Silver Medal at the Sydney Olympic Games and a second Gold Medal in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The Team won their third Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China. Hacker also served as the Mental Skills Coach for the Olympic Field Hockey Team at the 2008 Olympic Games in China her fourth Olympic Games Coaching Staff selection. Serving as the Mental Skills Coach for USA Hockey (multiple-time World Champions), Dr. Hacker was a member of her fifth Olympic Coaching Staff as Team USA won a Silver medal in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. In 2018, Dr. Hacker served on her 6th Olympic Games and National Team coaching staff again with USA Ice Hockey. The team won the Gold Medal in PyeongChang, S. Korea for the first time in 20 years. Most recently, Dr. Hacker service as a Mental Skills Consultant to the US Women's Lacrosse Team that won the first World Championship on home soil.

In addition to her work with National Teams, Dr. Hacker serves as the mental skills coach to professional, international and Olympic athletes in a variety of sports including MLB, the NFL, MLS, NWSL (professional soccer),PGA, LPGA, USA swimming, and tennis to name a few. She has also served as the Mental Skills Coach for the Under 16, Under 19 and the Under 21 United States Youth National Soccer Teams. Dr. Hacker is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance and a Fellow in the National Academies of Practice. Her strategies for peak performance are sought by corporations, business groups, professional sport teams, civic organizations and both print and television media.

Dr. Hacker has received numerous professional awards including the Distinguished Professional Practice Award from AASP (the first woman to do so), the American Psychological Association’s Presidential Citation, Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award (the highest teaching honor awarded by the University), the NAGWS Pathfinder Award, the NASPE Inspiration Award, the President Medal from PLU, the NSCAA Letter of Commendation (now USC) and the National Award of Excellence, to name a few. She has been inducted into seven different athletic and coaching Hall of Fame organizations including the Pacific Lutheran University Hall of Fame, Pierce County Hall of Fame, the NAIA National Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Washington Soccer Hall of Fame. Most recently, Dr. Hacker was inducted into the National Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame by the United Soccer Coaches, the first time a woman was honored with that Award. Dr. Hacker received the NAGWS Honor Award, the most prestigious award presented by that organization. ESPNW named Dr. Hacker as one of 30 women in the country who “change the way sports are played”.

Much in demand as a speaker and consultant, Dr. Hacker has delivered over 200 professional presentations and published more than 45 articles, chapters and two books. Her most recent book, Achieving Excellence: Mastering MIndset for Peak Performance in Sport and Life has been a valuable addition for athletes, coaches and high achievers in all performance domains. Dr. Hacker has worked with corporations such as Morgan Stanley, NIKE, Equinox, Meredith Corporation, S.C. Johnson Company, MTV Networks, Infinity Broadcasting, The New Yorker Magazine, Citadel Broadcasting, Conde Nast, Million Dollar Round Table, Bankers Association, General Mills, Pitchbook, and Boeing as well as civic groups and organizations.
Dr. Hacker has delivered lectures and invited papers at such diverse groups as the Miller Humanities Lecture at the University of Arizona, the American Psychological Association, the National Institutes of Health, the Pan American Sports Organization, the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, SHAPE America, 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 Sports, ESPN, Discovery Channel, ESPN2 and Extra. Her publications and presentations have impacted audiences both academic and corporate. Her first book, Catch Them Being Good (Penguin Books and Viking Press) is a collaboration with champion soccer coach Tony DiCicco.