As a four year Division 1 swimmer at Towson University, I developed a deep appreciation for sports' contribution to character development. Since then, I've worked as a behavioral researcher in HIV/AIDS at Johns Hopkins University and then worked as Program Manager for The Grassroot Project, a Washington DC based nonprofit using university athletes to provide sport based HIV/AIDS education. As a Certified USA Triathlon, Masters Swimming Coach, and sport for development advocate, I've worked with differently abled, LGBT, female and displaced athletes. I am a Master of Public Health in Physical Activity candidate and Graduate Assistant at George Washington University's Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. I write about sport and social justice on my website: www.melissaotterbein.com and am on twitter: @motterbein.
Publications:
https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzy103 
https://www.sportanddev.org/en/article/publication/sports-tool-refugee-empowerment