Nicole LaVoi

Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D. is a Senior Lecturer in the area of social and behavioral sciences in the
School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota and the Director of the Tucker Center for
Research on Girls & Women in Sport. Through her multidisciplinary research she answers
critical questions that can make a difference in the lives of sport stakeholders—particularly girls
and women. As a leading scholar on gender, leadership and women coaches, LaVoi has
published numerous book chapters, research reports and peer-reviewed articles across multiple
disciplines. Her seminal research includes the annual Women in College Coaching Report Card™
which is aimed at retaining and increasing the number of women in the coaching profession, a
groundbreaking book Women in Sports Coaching (2016), and a documentary GAME ON:
Women Can Coach (2018). GAME ON is the third Emmy-nominated collaborative film project
with tptMN; the first was Concussion & Female Athletes (2011) and the second, Media
Coverage & Female Athletes: Women Play Sports, Just Not in the Media (2013) won a regional
Emmy for best sports documentary. As a public scholar she consults, speaks frequently around
the world, fields media requests, and serves on national advisory boards for Gustavus Women
in Leadership, Sports Advocacy Network of the Women’s Sport Foundation, espnW and
WeCOACH. LaVoi played collegiate tennis at Gustavus Adolphus College earning two-time
Academic All-American status and an NCAA-III National Team Championship. Prior to her career
in the academy, she taught in numerous USTA programs, was a USPTA Teaching Pro, an
assistant coach at Carleton College, and the head tennis coach at Wellesley College. In her free
time she enjoys being outdoors, biking, hiking and soaking up the sun.