Project Director - Dr. Lindsey C. Blom, Assistant Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology at Ball State University, certified sport psychology consultant, and D licensed soccer coach. Dr. Blom’s research expertise relates to the psycho-social aspects of youth sport and sport for peace and development. She co-authored Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer and coached male and female youth soccer players at the club, high school, and Olympic Development level for 13+ years, with 7 state championships.
Peace Curriculum Coordinator – Dr. Lawrence Gerstein, George & Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology – Counseling and Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies at Ball State University. Dr. Gerstein has a long history of conducting community projects and is a recognized international expert in peace studies, international psychology, and social justice. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and Co-Editor of the International Forum – The Counseling Psychologist.
Coaching Education Expert – Dr. Lawrence W. Judge, Associate Professor of Coaching Education at Ball State University. Widely recognized as one of the premiere track and field coaches in the U.S., Dr. Judge has tutored All-Americans, national championships, and Olympians, justifying his recognition as 2003 NCAA assistant coach of the year and 2004 USATF coach/educator of the year. Dr. Judge is President for the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education and has lectured in 37 different countries.
Program Event Manager – Dr. David Pierce, Assistant Professor of Sport Administration at Ball State University. Dr. Pierce coordinates the undergraduate sport administration program and teaches Sport Event Management, serving as Event Director for the Chase Charlie Races, a series of community road race events for all ages focused on healthy lifestyles.
Cultural Exchange Expert – Dr. Edward E. Curtis IV, Millennium Chair of Liberal Arts and Professor of Religious Studies and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Dr. Curtis has directed summer abroad programs and State Department-funded faculty-student exchanges in Jordan and served as visiting professor at the University of Jordan as a Fulbright Scholar.
Cultural Affairs and Interfaith Expert – Mr. Charlie Wiles, Director of the International Interfaith Initiative and Co-Founder and Director Emeritus of the Peace Learning Center. Mr. Wiles has organized Habitat for Humanity projects in Jordan and introduced the Peace Learning Center’s Peace Education Workbook, translated into Arabic, to local youth service NGO’s.
Curriculum Consultant: Dr. Sarah Hillyer, post-doctoral fellow in Sport and Peacebuilding at Georgetown University. Dr. Hillyer has extensive experience in creating women’s sports program and cultural exchanges in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, China and Mongolia.
International Logistical Consultant and Coordinator: Mr. Garth Eberhart with the Rinker Center at Ball State University. He will assist program staff in protocol training, event planning, logistics, travel, and program scheduling.
External Evaluator of the Project: The Social Science Research Center, founded in 1981, is an interdisciplinary research and service center located on Ball State University’s campus, sponsored by the College of Sciences and Humanities. The Social Science Research Center (SSRC) has a rich history of providing evaluation research and program evaluation for a variety of programs and sponsors, from local human service agencies to federal grant and training programs. The SSRC has experience evaluating international programs, and provides extensive expertise in instrument development, data collection and methodologies, data management and analysis, and summary.
Main Soccer Instructor: Steve Franklin, Indiana Soccer Association Director of Education. For the past 16 years, Franklin served as the head-coach for IUPUI’s Men’s Soccer team where he developed Hall of Famers and All-Americans. Steve hails as the first coach in IUPUI’s history to take a team to the NCAA Division I tournament in any sport. Coach Franklin has earned an NSCAA Premier Diploma; an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma; and USSF “A” coaching license; the US Soccer National Youth Coaching License; and the US Youth Soccer TOPPSoccer state Coaching Certificate.
Soccer Instructor in 2013: Coach Laura Kane (Coach Kaneo) – Coach Kaneo is a former All-American and team captain at West Virginia University and played professional soccer in Sweden in 2008. She spent two years as an assistant coach at Purdue University, helping the Boilermakers to a pair of Big Ten titles, and most recently spent two years as an assistant coach at Bucknell University. Laura graduated magna cum laude from West Virginia in 2005 with a degree in physical education, and she received a master’s in athletic coaching education from WVU in 2006. In 2007, Laura became involved with Soccer Shots in NJ as an instructor and between 2008 and 2010 was the Director of Soccer Shots in Lewisburg, PA. In December of 2010, Laura became the Director of Company-Owned Units for Soccer Shots Franchising and oversees the development of Soccer Shots Directors and programs in PA, MD, and VA.