University of California Athletics

Dr. Marissa Nichols

Senior Associate Athletics Director, Student-Athlete Development; Director, Cameron Institute 
Department Bio

Dr. Marissa Nichols, one of the leaders in intercollegiate student-athlete development, was named the first-ever Associate Athletics Director and Director of the newly formed Cameron Institute in August 2019. A former NCAA Woman of the Year finalist and Division I First-Team All-American, Nichols has spent 12 years in leadership roles within higher education. Her specialties include building data-driven student development models for collegiate athletes and demonstrating measurable success through assessment and evaluation. She has been appointed to inaugural roles at three institutions, including UNLV, Boston University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Nichols' formal training encompasses a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and an M.Ed. in Guidance Counseling. Identifying as a practitioner-scholar, her research focused on examining factors tied to collegiate student-athlete success. Dr. Nichols has delivered over 25 academic presentations and conference talks with organizations such as the National Association of Academic & Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists (PAADS). Nichols has authored pieces for the Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Publication.

In 2023, Nichols was appointed to an At-Large Position on the NACDA-N4A Board of Directors. Her main charge is building Phase 2 of the industry’s inaugural White Paper, which she helped produce as a part of an appointed Task Force to set professional industry standards. In 2022, she received N4A’s Professional Excellence Award and was selected as a faculty member for the Steve McDonnell Professional Development Institute. Nichols is certified as an effective facilitator with the NCAA, including the Student-Athlete Leadership Training and DiSC.

Outside her professional scope, Marissa enjoys a transcendental meditation practice, fostering her entrepreneurial spirit, reading, playing tennis, connecting with loved ones, the piano, and having adventures near and far.

Dr. Graig Chow

Assistant Athletics Director; Director, Mental Performance

Dr. Graig Chow is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). His work broadly focuses on optimization of mindset, mental skills, performance, involvement, enjoyment, culture, team dynamics, and leadership in sport and other performance domains. As Director of Mental Performance & Leadership Development at Cal Athletics, he provides comprehensive sport and performance psychology services to student-athletes, teams, and coaches. In his private practice, he primarily provides mental performance consultation to professional athletes and executive coaching to business professionals. Dr. Chow has worked with Olympic, professional, and Division I collegiate athletes, including NBA, World, NCAA, and PAC-12 Conference champions. In the business domain, he has worked with Founders, CEOs, and COOs. Dr. Chow has received extensive training in DiSC as a Certified Facilitator, Mindfulness Meditation Training for Sport, Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement, Motivational Interviewing, and Solution-Focused Sports Performance Counseling. 

Prior to his arrival at Cal, Dr. Chow was Program Director and Assistant Professor of Sport Psychology at Florida State University. Additionally, he served as the Director of Practicum and Supervision for Applied Sport Psychology. As a Supervisor, he served as major advisor to 10 doctoral graduates, provided supervision to 83 mental performance consultants-in-training, and produced 14 CMPCs. Dr. Chow has published 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and 5 book chapters, and has given over 60 presentations at national and international conferences. He has received 10 research grants, including PI of an NCAA Innovations in Research and Practice Grant. At FSU, he was a University Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee for 5 consecutive years and a Seminole Leadership and Service Award Recipient. Dr. Chow is currently an AASP Fellow and was previously the Research & Practice Division Head of AASP from 2017-2020. He serves on the Editorial Board of The Sport Psychologist and Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. He received his B.A. in Psychology from UCLA, his Ph.D. in Sport Psychology from Michigan State University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA in Sport Psychology and at UNLV in Clinical Psychology.

Dr. Bineti Vitta

Assistant Athletics Director; Director, Career Development

Dr. Bineti Vitta has an educational background in nutrition and received her M.S. and Ph.D. from UC Davis’ Program in International and Community Nutrition. After working on two Gates-funded research projects as a postdoctoral scholar, she embarked on a wandering vocational path with stops in state government, yoga instruction, environmental science policy making, global learning programming, and, her ultimate passion, career development. 

Prior to coming to Cal, Dr. Vitta worked in a variety of career development roles at UC Davis. Over the course of two years, she taught eight quarters of a student-athlete career development course focusing on equipping students with the necessary tools to secure their desired careers. She also created a robust network of professionals for program participants to connect to for career support as the Partner Development Coordinator for an NIH-funded career development program. As the Experiential Learning Coordinator within the Global Learning Hub, she identified over 200 globally-focused experiential learning opportunities and developed virtual internship programs with partners in the U.S., Spain, and East Africa. Dr. Vitta enjoyed organizing a variety of career development events including speed networking lunches, panels, workshops, and employer information sessions. Additionally, she has worked as a career counselor at the UC Davis Internship & Career Center.

A grown up "third culture kid”, she was born in Senegal to Tanzanian parents and raised in Senegal, Canada, and Kenya before moving to the United States for college. Dr. Vitta enjoys singing, hot yoga, and organizing things.

Jessie Stewart

Assistant Athletics Director; Director, Community Engagement & Partnerships

Jessie Stewart, MCRP,  joined the Cameron Institute team in October 2021 as the Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships and brings a decade of experience at the intersection of education, community development, and higher education equity. She leads the development of intentional, reciprocal, and sustained community and student-driven engagement efforts between Cal Athletics and the larger campus and Bay Area communities. 

A Midwesterner at heart, Jessie is a former student-athlete at the University of Michigan where she served as team captain of the Cross Country Team. She also holds a Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon where her research focused on authentic engagement of young people in community development and policymaking. While at Oregon, she also had the opportunity to work within the Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes where she supported a case-load of student-athletes.

Most recently, Jessie had the privilege of serving as the Founding Executive Director for the Richmond Promise - a community-wide scholarship and college success organization in Richmond, CA, serving nearly 2,000 students (including over 80+ currently at Cal!).  Prior to that, Jessie served as National Director of the Y-PLAN (Youth-Plan, Learn, Act Now) initiative with UC Berkeley’s Center for Cities + Schools. Jessie began her career in education as a founding high school history teacher at Golder College Prep in Chicago, IL where she had the privilege of handing out diplomas to the school’s first graduating class.

Jessie lives in Richmond, and when she is not working, she loves to run, take the ferry across the Bay, travel to northern Michigan, seek out awesome views, and spend time with her husband, Brian, and two children, Avi Mae and Jack.

Ryan Rodriguez

Senior Career Development Advisor

Ryan Rodriguez is a Senior Career Development Advisor for the Cameron Institute working in the Career Development Pillar. His responsibilities include 1:1 advising, managing the Cal Student-Athlete Mentorship Programs, building external relationships to connect Cal student-athletes with world of work experience opportunities, and teaching the Career Readiness Seminar. He also assists the other pillars as needed to help the Cameron Institute fulfill its mission.

Prior to joining Cal, he worked for two and a half years at California State University Maritime Academy as a Career Coordinator in the Career Services department. Ryan co-led the university’s internship program, which included meeting with students and professors to ensure a robust set of services were delivered and strengthening both new and existing employer partnerships to provide opportunities for students. He also started a podcast titled “Konnecting Keelhaulers” which interviewed students, alums, and employers and brought career information to a broader campus audience.

Before he began working in career services, Ryan coached football at the high school, Division III, and Division II levels for six years. He earned his M.S. in Counseling and Guidance from Texas A&M University - Kingsville while also serving as a Graduate Assistant Defensive Backs Coach. He earned his B.A. in History from Occidental College where he was also a member of the football team. Ryan is thrilled to be able to combine his passion for career development and working with student-athletes at the Cameron Institute.

Tayler Perez

Senior Manager of Community Engagement & Partnerships

Tayler Perez is the Senior Manager of Community Engagement & Partnerships for the Cameron Institute, working within the Community Engagement Pillar. Her responsibilities include developing programming and partnerships for student-athletes and teams to engage in meaningful campus and community-based social impact projects and experiences. She also provides 1:1 advising support to student-athletes, teams, and student-athlete led organizations. 

Before joining Cal, Tayler served as the Youth & Community Engagement Manager for the Local Organizing Committee that put on the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 in Eugene, Oregon, the first World Athletics Championships hosted in the U.S. As the Youth & Community Engagement Manager, Tayler helped lead the youth and community engagement program, Making Tracks, where she helped engage and bring awareness of the event to youth groups nationwide. Prior to that, Tayler served as a Student-Athlete Advisor at Lane Community College and a Program Associate of Scholarship Awards at the Ford Family Foundation. Tayler started her career as a College and Career Specialist serving underprivileged youth in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon.

Although she spent six years living in Oregon, Tayler is a Southern California native and a former student-athlete at Mount San Antonio College and California State University, San Bernardino, where she ran distance events on the Track and Field and Cross Country teams. Tayler identifies as a first-generation college student and holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology. In her spare time, Tayler enjoys an array of hobbies. To name a few; running, traveling, sports and film photography, fiber crafts, and spending time with her dogs, cat, and husband Mikey. 

James Van

Career Development Advisor

James Van is a Career Development Advisor for the Cameron Institute, working in the Career Development Pillar. His responsibilities include 1:1 advising, managing Alumni & Employer Engagement, building external relationships to connect Cal student-athletes with world of work experiences, and teaching the Career Readiness Seminar. He also assists the other pillars to help the Cameron Institute fulfill its mission.

James has over 25 years of experience helping people find their next professional passion and job. He has worked with diverse student populations, including those from community colleges and undergraduate, master's, and accelerated learning programs. Prior to joining Cal, he worked for two years at FourthBrain, a machine learning and AI accelerated learning program. As the Director of Career Services, James managed all aspects of career development, industry outreach for students & alumni, and business development for FourthBrain’s external partners. James developed and taught career curriculum, coached all job seekers to their next job, created a weekly industry guest speaker series, and built out employer partners and hiring events.

James received his Masters in Counselor Education from San Jose State University. He completed a Bachelor of Arts in Black Studies and History at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In his free time, he enjoys windsurfing, surfing, and cycling. He lives with his wife, Kristi, and daughter, Katherine, and their two dogs, Snickers and Mosely.

Lenny Wiersma

Senior Mental Performance Consultant

Dr. Lenny Wiersma joins the Cameron Institute after an extensive academic and consulting career. His role will include providing mental performance consulting to coaches, teams, and student-athletes in various sports. Before arriving at Cal, he was the Director of Performance for a professional esports organization in Los Angeles, providing comprehensive performance consulting to professional esports players. But the bulk of his career was spent at California State University, Fullerton, for more than 20 years as a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Sport and Performance Psychology, was the Director of the Performance Psychology Laboratory, and mentored several prominent mental performance consultants currently practicing in various high-level capacities. He retired from CSUF as an Emeritus Professor of Kinesiology in 2021.

Dr. Wiersma has extensive experience consulting with collegiate, Olympic, and professional athletes. Clients have included big-wave surfers, extreme backcountry skiers and snowboarders, ultramarathon runners, Crossfit Games champions, and UFC fighters. He has also worked and traveled with the National Team of USA Swimming, specializing in Open Water. He has published over 50 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and over 50 articles or interviews in popular media outlets. He has served on the advisory boards of the Nike Sport Research Lab and USA Swimming’s National Team Mental Health Council and Sports Medicine Committees.

Dr. Wiersma earned his Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Whitworth University and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Springfield College. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he is an avid San Francisco 49ers fan, and he excitedly returns home after more than 30 years to serve the Golden Bears.

Samantha Gilmore

Oski Technology Mental Performance & Life Skills Consultant

Samantha Gilmore is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) whose work is focused on helping individuals and groups achieve their highest aspirations through self-exploration, education, and the application of methods that inspire personal growth and development as well as performance enhancement. In joining the Cameron Institute, Samantha is passionate about supporting the team in raising the standard of the student-athlete experience at Cal and fostering student-athlete success on and off the field.

Previously an award-winning collegiate softball player with athletic and academic honors, including CoSIDA Academic All-America and Heartland Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Samantha has a comprehensive understanding of both the physical and psychological demands that accompany sport while also managing outside life interests and pressures.

Samantha began the first five years of her career in professional baseball. As coordinator of the Mental Performance Department, Samantha was in an influential position to establish a department of mental performance coaches that worked alongside both players and staff to boost player performance, department collaborations, organization culture, and employee well-being.

Samantha is an Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) member and has received additional training in DISC, motivational interviewing, and mindfulness performance sport enhancement (MSPE). She will leverage the use of these concepts, among others, within the realm of mental performance and sport psychology to support both individual student-athletes and teams at Cal.

Dr. Ian Perry

Mental Performance Consultant
 

Dr. Ian Perry is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) committed to helping individuals and teams achieve optimal performance and well-being. Ian has extensive experience as a mental performance consultant in high-performance sports, predominantly in professional and collegiate settings. Over the past seven years, Ian has served as the mental performance consultant for nine varsity sport programs at the University of British Columbia (UBC), one of the top universities in Canada, earning numerous conference and national titles during this time. Ian has also achieved great success with programs such as Team Canada, as well as with individual collegiate and professional athletes, helping them attain top 10 selections in the NBA draft, Champions League MVP awards, and Olympic qualifications.

Ian earned his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology at UBC and received Academic All-Canadian honors as a student-athlete. He then went on to earn his master’s degree at UBC, specializing in Sport Psychology, and his doctorate in Sport & Performance Psychology from the University of Western States in Portland. He is also a Registered Clinical Counselor (RCC) in Canada.

Prior to becoming a mental performance consultant, Ian was an elite varsity athlete at both the collegiate and national team levels, followed by a successful coaching career. His background as both a coach and an athlete allows him to genuinely and meaningfully connect with athletes and coaches in his role as a mental performance consultant. Ian is committed to an ethical and evidence-based approach that adheres to the foundational principles of sport psychology while continually seeking novel and innovative methods to help his athletes and teams thrive.
 

C. Bryan Cameron

Cameron Institute Board Chairman

C. Bryan Cameron earned his bachelor's degree in economics from UC Davis in 1980 and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1983. Bryan currently serves as the Founder & Chairman of the Bryan Cameron Education Foundation, a private family foundation established in 2015 on the principle of making a difference by investing in young people’s education. He previously served as the Director of Equity Research at the San Francisco investment firm Dodge & Cox, which manages approximately $300 billion in assets. In 2019, Bryan Cameron generously gave the gift of $12.5M to start the Cameron Institute, a program that helps student-athletes with assistance in focusing on skills they need for a successful future. Bryan Cameron is active in a number of philanthropic organizations. He is past President of the Bear Backers, the Athletic Development office of the University of California, Berkeley, and currently serves on the Board of the Institute of Government Studies at the University. He also serves on the Chancellor’s Advisory Board at the University of California, Davis, the Board of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Foundation in Palo Alto, CA, and the Board of the Church of the Pioneers Foundation, Menlo Church, in Menlo Park, CA. Bryan considers himself most fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful family and friends, many of whom call him “Bear” due to his devotion to Cal. When not at Cal Athletic events, his interests are primarily reading, politics, travel, and golf.