Center for Performance Excellence (CPEX)
FAculty
Dr. Mark Aoyagi is the Director of Sport & Performance Psychology and Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. He earned a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Sport Psychology from the University of Missouri in 2006 and was the Sport Psychology Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Southern California. Prior to that, he completed a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science and a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Utah in 1999 and a M.S. in Kinesiology, Sport Psychology emphasis from Georgia Southern University in 2001. He was the recipient of the 2005 Student-Practitioner Award from the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology for excellence in applied sport psychology.
Dr. Aoyagi is a recognized sport psychology consultant and has worked with several Division I athletic departments as well as professional and Olympic individual athletes. His areas of expertise include peak performance, team effectiveness, and sport as a mechanism for personal growth and social change. Dr. Aoyagi is active in several professional organizations including the American Psychological Association and the Association for Applied Sport Psychology; and has several publications and national conference presentations on the topics of sport psychology, team effectiveness, and ethics among others. Mark played rugby, football, baseball, and wrestling competitively, and now enjoys a variety of recreational sports and outdoor activities.
Dr. Artur Poczwardowski is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. He earned a Ph.D. in Exercise and Sport Science with an emphasis in Psychosocial Aspects of Sport from the University of Utah in 1997. He completed an M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science (1989) and an M.S. in Psychology (1991).
For past 18 years, Dr. Poczwardowski has consulted with athletes and teams in a number of sports such as judo, hockey, golf, tennis, soccer, rowing, track and field, team handball, air pistol shooting, and speed skating (populations: elite children and youth sport, Division I, II and III collegiate teams, individual players, and Olympians). He also consulted with groups and individuals in sales and stage performance. His areas of practice include quality practice, optimal performance, team building, and enjoyment and personal growth.
Dr. Poczwardowski actively participates in professional organizations such as Association for Applied Sport Psychology, International Society of Sport Psychology, and American Psychological Association (e.g., serving on and chairing committees, delivering conference presentations). He has published and presented on models in sport psychology service delivery for performance enhancement and psychological well-being, professional philosophy in sport psychology consulting, coach-athlete relationships, coping strategies in elite performers in sports and arts, and scientific methodology in sport and exercise psychology.
Artur coached judo and taught English language to Polish elementary and high school students before moving to the United States. He competed nationally and internationally in judo in Poland (the country of his origin). He also enjoys recreational running, biking, and skiing.
Jamie Shapiro
Dr. Jamie Shapiro is an Assistant Professor in Sport and Performance Psychology in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology. She earned a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University (2009), an M.A. in Community Counseling from WVU (2008), and an M.S. in Athletic Counseling from Springfield College (2005). She earned a B.S. in Psychology from Brown University (2003), where she was on the gymnastics team for 4 years. Dr. Shapiro is a Certified Consultant of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (CC-AASP) and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board of Certified Counselors.
Dr. Shapiro has consulted with youth and collegiate athletes from a variety of sports, including gymnastics, soccer, lacrosse, wrestling, volleyball, and track and field. She has also coached gymnastics at the recreational, club, and collegiate (Division III) levels. In addition, Dr. Shapiro has done exercise psychology consulting to help adults with motivation and adherence to exercise programs. Dr. Shapiro’s specific interests include psychology of sport injury, learning life skills through sport, psychological skills training, counseling athletes, and exercise psychology.
A former competitive gymnast, Dr. Shapiro still likes to do handstands in cool places all over the world. She is originally from NJ, and now that she lives in CO, she is attempting to improve her skiing abilities! Learn more about Dr. Shapiro’s scholarly and professional activities.
