Katlin Okamoto

Katlin Okamoto joined the U.S. Soccer Foundation in June 2022 as the Director for the Coach-Mentor Training Program. She is a practitioner-scholar who embraces the opportunity to bring theory and research onto the field and into the day-to-day of sport coaching. Her coaching, teaching, and scholarship is focused on elevating sport opportunities to best serve young people through integrating youth agency and voice into program design and implementation.

Katlin comes to the Foundation with over two decades of coaching experience at the collegiate, youth, and community level, most recently serving as the Girls Academy Director at Salvo Soccer Club in Minnesota. Katlin has also taught extensively in higher education, including as Community Faculty at the University of Minnesota in the Youth Development Leadership master’s program. Her areas of research and scholarship include youth work in sport, action research, youth development, youth participatory action research, and social work in sport, and she has published in several academic journals.

Katlin has a United States Soccer Federation A coaching license, United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Katlin graduated with a Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Minnesota; a Masters of Science in Exercise and Sport Studies from Smith College; and a Bachelors of Arts in Biology with a minor in Asian Studies from Colorado College. Katlin played Division I women’s soccer at Colorado College where she captained the team back to their first NCAA appearance in 15 years. She enjoys hiking, travel, and delicious coffee.