2023 TrueSport Talks

Joining the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) in 2020, Dr. Jess Bartley (she/her) is the senior director of psychological services. She is a licensed psychologist, clinical social worker and a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC®) with the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She’s served on the executive board for Division 47 in the American Psychological Association (APA) in various roles and was elected President in 2023 of the division. She has also been a member of AASP, the Counseling/Clinical Sport Psychology Association (CCSPA), and the International Society for Sport Psychology (ISSP).

Dr. Bartley earned her bachelor’s degree in government and sociology as well as a master of science in social work from the University of Texas at Austin. She went on to complete a master of arts in sport and performance psychology as well as a doctorate in clinical psychology with an emphasis in sport and performance psychology and behavioral therapy at the University of Denver. After graduation, Dr. Bartley completed a fellowship at the Eating Disorder Center of Denver where she worked with colleagues to develop a treatment program for athletes with eating disorders. She has served collegiate student athletes’ mental health and performance needs at the University of Denver, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Ohio State University. She has also been contracted as the sport psychologist with USA Karate and USA Track& Field, and provided mental health and performance psychology services to professional bull riding and the Colorado ballet.

Her areas of expertise include mental health with athletes, specifically depression, anxiety, eating disorders and body image, and substance use, as well as performance anxiety, motivation, and sport transition/retirement after sport. She has presented more than a hundred times at national and international conferences and has published more than two dozen journal articles and book chapters. Her theoretical orientation is rooted in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and she often utilizes tools from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT),cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and interpersonal process therapy (IPT) while infusing multiculturalism.

Dr. Bartley is licensed to provide services in California, Colorado, and New York as well as PSYPACT® states.

When she is not working, Dr. Bartley is spending time outdoors with her husband, her three young children, their Germadoodle – Herbie, and her mom. These outdoor activities often include hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, snowshoeing, and playing soccer.

Dr. Alexander Cohen is a Senior Sport Psychological Services Provider at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Working primarily with winter sports, Dr. Cohen provides sport psychology consultation and counseling for national teams, athletes, and coaches at the Olympic Training Centers, at various National Governing Body training sites, and at national and international competitions.
As a licensed psychologist and certified mental performance consultant, Dr. Cohen assists coaches in creating supportive performance environments that promote psychological and physical skill acquisition and mastery. He works directly with athletes to maximize Performance Readiness (the ability to focus on the right thing, at the right time, every time) through quality preparation, enhanced resilience, and mindful self-regulation of awareness and attention.

Dr. Cohen joined the USOPC in 2011 after maintaining a psychology practice in Athens, GA. He also served as program chair for the sport psychology graduate program at Argosy University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Cohen is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Society for Exercise, Sport, and Performance Psychology and is a member and Fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). Dr. Cohen served on AASP’s Executive Board as Professional Standards Division Head (2013-2016), providing leadership in Diversity, Certification, Ethics, and Continuing Education.

Dr. Cohen earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas A&M and his M.S. in sport psychology and Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Florida State University. He completed a pre-doctoral internship with a specialization in sport psychology at Kansas State University and a post-doctoral fellowship specializing in sport psychology at the University of Georgia. Dr. Cohen is licensed as a psychologist in Utah as well as being a PSYPACT authorized provider.

Dr. Cohen resides in Park City, UT with his wife, son, and golden retriever.

Dr. Adam Feit teaches strength and conditioning and sport psychology as an Assistant Professor and Fieldwork Coordinator of Exercise Science at Springfield College (MA). He has served as a collegiate and professional strength and conditioning coach and nutrition coordinator for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Eastern Michigan University, University of Louisville, and The Citadel. Dr. Feit also owns and operates TF Performance, a family-driven, athlete-centered youth sports performance facility in western Massachusetts. His research interests include the use of mental skills in strength and conditioning, coaching efficacy and education, and youth physical and mental performance.

Dr. Jay Harrison is a former NHL hockey player and current licensed clinical mental health counselor in North Carolina. Dr. Harrison played 15 professional hockey seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, and Chicago Blackhawks organizations, while representing Canada multiple times in international play.

Always valuing his development off the ice, Dr. Harrison completed his BA in Psychology, and MS in Clinical Psychology while playing professionally. Rather than seeing education as a distraction to performance, Dr. Harrison ascribes his commitment to education while playing at an elite level as a performance enhancing investment and as a source of resilience. Upon transitioning from sport, Dr. Harrison completed his clinical residency in counseling, specializing in the treatment of PTSD and doctoral studies in Performance Psychology at Grand Canyon University.

In 2018, Dr. Harrison founded Work in Consulting Inc., a consulting company that provides services to several high-performance corporations, as well as military and paramilitary organizations aiding in mental health optimization and performance wellness. In sport, Dr. Harrison currently serves as the Wellness, Performance, and Transition Specialist to the NHLPA, as a mental health consultant to NASCAR, and a behavioral analytics consultant for the Miami Marlins. Outside of sport, Dr. Harrison serves as a Psychological Services Manager for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and provides time-limited engagements with high performance corporations that emphasize leadership, performance, and well-being.

Dr. Harrison’s unique approach allows him to connect, understand, and communicate with clients in a way that honors their current experience while inspiring greater confidence, leadership, and commitment to achieving their fullest potential. His experience as an elite athlete and his current work with high performing professionals in sport and industry allows Dr. Harrison to contribute a distinctive perspective on mental health, well-being, and performance.

Dr. Harrison lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife, Jodean and four daughters and loves coaching youth softball.

Lesley Irvine began her tenure as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Colorado College on June 1, 2019. In her role, Irvine serves on Colorado Colleges President’s cabinet and oversees the multidivisional Division III (Division I Hockey and Women’s Soccer) department of Athletics and Recreation sponsoring over 400 student-athletes across 17 sports. Since Irvine’s arrival Colorado College Athletics has experienced unprecedented success in championships, academic performance, attendance, revenue and fundraising while focusing on developing holistic student support including mental wellness and antiracism. A proud former student-athlete and coach Irvine has established herself as a leader in hiring practices and supporting coaches as a sport administrator.

Prior to joining Colorado College, Irvine was Director of Athletics and Recreation and Chair of Physical Education at Pomona and Pitzer Colleges. At Pomona-Pitzer, Irvine managed 21 intercollegiate athletics teams, the Pomona physical education curriculum, faculty/staff fitness and wellness programs, and club, intramural, and recreation programs.

Irvine’s active service is also extensive and includes being an elected member of the Board of Directors for Women Leaders in Sports, Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, the Olympic City USA Task Force and the Colorado Springs Sports Authority. Irvine was also a founding board member of the WeCoach organization and regularly attends the NCAA Coaches academy as a faculty member.

Before Pomona-Pitzer, Irvine was the senior associate athletic director and senior woman administrator at Bowling Green State University from 2010-15.

From 2001-2010, she was the field hockey head coach at Stanford University, leading the Cardinal to three consecutive Northern Pacific Conference championships. She is a two-time conference Coach of the Year recipient, and led her team to program highs in national ranking, wins, goals, assists, and points in 2009.

As a student athlete in field hockey, Irvine led the University of Iowa to the Big Ten regular season title and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1999.

An England native, Irvine was a three-time national champion in outdoor field hockey and two-time national champion for indoor field hockey while attending Loughborough University. Irvine also played for the England Under 18 and Under 21 National team.

Irvine earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, sports science, and sport management at Loughborough University in 1998, and a master’s degree in health, leisure, and sports studies with an emphasis in athletic administration from the University of Iowa in 2001.

After graduating high school in 2016, Geoff was fortunate enough to commit to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and play basketball for the Mountain Lions for 6 years, 5 of which he was a captain. He was also a 5-year leader on the student-athlete advisory committee. He was awarded the UCCS Athletic Director award in 2019 and was named the UCCS Male student-athlete of the year in 2022. During this time, he finished his undergrad degree in Finance in 2020 and went straight into his MBA, which he finished in 2022.

Although he enjoyed everything about UCCS, his career didn’t come without adversity. Between his sophomore and junior years, Geoff tore his ACL and was on the receiving end of 3 different knee surgeries. These surgeries resulted in a year and a half of rehab that forced him to detach from the game of basketball. Like many athletes in similar situations, in his mind he felt distant from his team and was unable to free his mind in the only way he understood, playing basketball. He felt that he had lost who he was because of these injuries. However, with the support of great mentors around him, he was able to understand how much more he was than just a basketball player.

Now, Geoff runs a financial planning practice in Colorado Springs and coaches basketball at Mesa Ridge High School. This past year, the Grizzlies won the 5A state title and finished the season 28-0.

Motivating, developing, strengthening, and empowering Olympic athletes and World Champions is what I do every day, Chief of Sports Performance for USA Cycling [the official cycling organization recognized by the International Olympic Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and the International Cycling Union].

As the COSP, I lead and shape organizational philosophy while managing daily operations. As a High Performance Director, I develop high performance plans and provide fiscal controls to facilitate meeting organizational goals on a global scale.

I employ my passion daily, driving excellence in athletic performance and directing and mentoring coaches and athletes for professional and personal achievement.