Our Experts
Julie Hayden
Director of Applied Training | Professor
Department
PSYCHOLOGY
Program
MA in Sport & Performance Psychology
Education
• MA Sport Psychology – John F. Kennedy University
• BS Psychology – Michigan State University
Julie Hayden, MA, CMPC is the Director of Applied Training for the MA in Sport & Performance Psychology program. Julie Hayden earned her MA in sport psychology from formerly JFKU in 2017 and her BS in psychology from Michigan State University. Julie Hayden is driven to provide a rewarding and challenging mentored applied training experience for student-interns within this program, offering an unparalleled supportive and immersive experience. She is extremely proud to be part of this fun and hard-working team. She also teaches for the MA in Sport & Performance Psychology program, specializing in applied training preparation and execution of mental performance techniques. Julie Hayden’s passion in the sport and performance psychology field lies within enhancing sport and performance culture to promote healthy and safe motivational climates where athletes and performers are empowered to become the best versions of themselves, with a particular focus in gymnastics as well as support for underrepresented populations as a centerpiece of her private practice.
Dr. Doug Barba
Academic Program Director | Professor
Department
PSYCHOLOGY
Program
BA & MA in Sport and Performance Psychology
Education
• Ph.D. University of Florida
• MA United States International University
• BA United States International University
Doug Barba, Ph.D., CMPC, is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the JFK School of Psychology and Social Sciences at National University. Dr. Barba serves as the director of the MA in Sport and Performance Psychology program and the Director of the BA in Sport Psychology program at National University. Dr Barba is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and has been working with individuals and teams in a variety of different sports for over 20 years. He holds a doctoral degree in sport and exercise psychology from the University of Florida and a master’s from the School of Human Behavior at the United States International University.
Previously, Dr. Barba served 12 years as an adjunct faculty member at San Diego State University, lecturing in the School of Exercise & Nutritional Sciences and as a sport psychology consultant for several of the university’s intercollegiate athletic teams. Dr. Barba has consulted with a wide range of athletes from both the amateur and professional ranks. Before his collegiate academic career, he played professional baseball. He has coached at several levels of competition, including college baseball and golf. While at the University of Florida, Dr. Barba served as a sport psychology consultant for the Gators’ athletic department. Dr. Barba’s academic interests include motivation, mediating factors affecting performance, and youth sport participation and health.
Dr. Gerson
Associate Professor
Department
PSYCHOLOGY
Program
Sport and Performance Psychology
Dr. Gerson is a certified mental performance coach (CMPC) and associate professor in the Sport and Performance Psychology graduate program at National University. Currently, Dr. Gerson teaches graduate-level sport and performance psychology courses while specializing in elite mindsets, optimal human performance, mindfulness and meditation, stress and pressure proofing, curriculum development, mentorship, and transformative life skills.
Besides working in academia, Dr. Gerson is the owner of Transcend Performance, a high-performance consulting business focused on helping people, teams, and organizations improve their process, performance, and production. Additionally, he is the Director of Mental Skills at Mission 6 Zero, a tribe of performance experts that merges Special Operations Forces veterans with behavioral science experts to teach mental and emotional skill-building tactics. He co-authored a best-selling book titled, Deliberate Discomfort: How U.S. Special Operations Forces Overcome Fear and Dare to Win by Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
Dr. Gerson earned his doctoral degree in clinical and sport psychology from Argosy University and holds a master’s degree in health from Saint Mary’s College. Early in his career, he worked as a senior performance enhancement specialist for the U. S. Army, where he trained elite soldiers in the mental skills necessary to elevate and sustain peak performance in rugged and high-risk environments. Following his time with the military, Dr. Gerson served as the Mental Skills Director for the Seattle Mariners.
A long-time practitioner of daily meditation, Dr. Gerson holds various mindfulness meditation certificates. He has developed mindfulness programs for numerous organizations, frequently presents on the topic of mindfulness at conferences, and is the coordinator for the Mindfulness Special Interest Group for the Association for Applied Performance Psychology.