Advisory Board Bio – Dr. Jeffrey O’Brien

Dr. Jeffrey O’Brien, a leader in sports-based social justice and education, became the CEO of the Institute for Sport and Social Justice in 2022, following seven years as its Vice President. With over 20 years of dedication, Dr. O'Brien focuses on empowering high school, collegiate, and professional athletes through personal growth and leadership. Recognized as a prominent social justice educator, he offers expertise, training, and curriculum development across sports, educational institutions, corporations, and non-profit organizations.

 

Dr. O’Brien has worked extensively in athletics, providing leadership and social justice training to thousands of student-athletes, coaches, and administrators across more than 150 universities and conferences such as the SEC, A-10, and Big Ten. His impact also extends to professional sports, including the NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, and MLL. Through interactive training, he uses leadership as a foundation for various personal development areas.

 

Creator of the "Huddle Up" educational program, Dr. O’Brien addresses gender violence, diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging (DEIB), and leadership. He previously directed the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) National Partnership, North America's largest gender violence prevention initiative in sports, pioneering the bystander approach. He also led the development of the Institute’s DEIB-focused Culture & Climate Assessment model, widely implemented across college and professional sports.

 

Since 2014, Dr. O’Brien has served as the NCAA’s lead consultant in leadership development, creating and facilitating training for the NCAA Leadership Forum and Leadership Academy Workshops. Additionally, he directs the Huskies Leadership Academy at Northeastern University, guiding leadership initiatives in various athletic departments.

 

Beyond athletics, Dr. O’Brien is a Subject Matter Expert on bystander intervention and gender violence for the U.S. military, delivering prevention education on bases globally, including Iraq, Germany, and Japan. Co-creator of the U.S. Air Force’s Bystander Intervention Training, he helped train over 350,000 Airmen in leadership-based intervention.

 

An Adjunct Professor at the University of Central Florida, Dr. O’Brien teaches “Diversity and Social Issues in Sport.” He holds a BA in English and an MS in Education from Canisius College, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCF. An accomplished former football player, he was inducted into the Canisius College Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Dr. O’Brien resides in Orlando, FL, with his wife, Jennifer Williams, and their sons, Parker and Alexander.