PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
* Director of Performance Psychology, Intensity Tennis Academy, Norwalk, CT, USA, 6/2013 – Present
- Advised two Senior Managers to design training needs assessment (TNA) and hold individual meetings with 12 coaches, with aim to improve coaches’ professional skills
- Delivered classroom presentations for 12 coaches on performance management (effective feedback appraisal methods), core values (integrity in coaching) and cultural philosophy (mission, SMART goals)
- Coached four Senior Directors on best practices to manage strategy development, relationship building, staff under-performance and best practices to deliver mid-point and end-year feedback appraisals via Nikola’s top 5 tips
- Helped establish ‘continuous learning’ culture by initiating specific language to be used in providing feedback to athletes across all three foundational programs (High Performance, Junior Tennis, Adult Tennis)
- Implemented sport psychology service to athletes in daily training environments
- Led individual sport psychology sessions with thirty 18 and Under junior athletes helping them achieve a top 10 ranking in New England and top a 100 ranking at the national level
- Taught daily group ‘Mental Classroom’ for sixty 18 and Under junior athletes focusing on awareness development, SMART goals, self-talk, visualization, confidence building, managing emotion, mindfulness, sportsmanship
*Internship Coordinator, Human Resources, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), The Hague, Netherlands, 8/2012 – 6/2013
- Coordinated full application cycle of around 100 interns at any one moment, coordinated acceptance/rejection flow of applications between the Office of the Prosecutor, Chambers and Registry
- Maintained all induction steps within an internal electronic system (applicant basic info, stage of application, room setup, security clearance, badges, booklets, pick up/drop off, housing/medial info, certificates of completion)
- Facilitated weekly induction sessions for new interns according to ICTY program guidelines regulations and policies
- Presented current intern application process, benefits and areas of improvement to the Chief of HR
- Assisted the Chief of HR and the Chief of IT evaluate benefits of changing from the current internal system of intern applications to the new online ‘Inspira’ platform
- Assisted five Senior Legal Officers (SLOs) create a performance management document for 20 interns per SLO unit, maintaining notes on mid-point review, end-year review and underperformance
- Coached five SLOs on developing their own SMART goals and balance between process and outcome focus
- Represented ICTY internship office in The Hague via ‘Lunch & Learn’ events promoting ICTY internship benefits, application guidelines and policies
*Learning and Development (LD) Coordinator, International Criminal Court (ICC), The Hague, Netherlands, 10/2010 – 4/2011
- Assisted LD Unit Head in using surveys to conduct training needs assessment (TNA) across all departments, with a goal to improve staff technical skills, professional development, knowledge, and core competencies
- Assisted LD Unit Head in facilitating appropriate trainers based on the TNA results and department heads’ input
- Organized each training course within its full cycle (raising requisitions, appointment contracts, catering, room setup, tech check-ups)
- Administered post training questionnaires to participants to assess quality of training and improvements, maintained relevant attendance records, charts, statistics and feedback, within an internal document
- Collected, analyzed and presented each training data to the LD Unit Head, focusing on strategic planning such as training innovations, participant feedback and department heads’ input
- Improved LD Unit internal knowledge sharing culture by supporting specific language to be used while labeling training participant info, stage of trainer facilitation and steps to be taken
- Assisted LD Unit Head in presenting strategic planning to Senior Management and Department Heads including future learning trends, benefits and challenges
*Visiting Learning and Development Consultant, UNICEF Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia, 7/2009 – 6/2012
- Advised two Senior Officers to use both surveys and group meetings to assess and build awareness behind improving communication and teamwork among all staff , assisted them in researching online learning programs based on the assessment results
- Monitored and evaluated development of an internal knowledge sharing document to keep records of staff performance reviews
- Helped program directors coordinate 'School Without Violence' workshops for 200 elementary school students in Belgrade; advised on strategic planning for programs on social inclusion in the school system
- Assisted ‘Sport Without Violence’ program directors on educating parents, teachers and students on implementing sport specific values and mental skills such as integrity and diversity and inclusion, into the school classroom
*Visiting Sport Psychology Lecturer, Belgrade Sport Academy, Belgrade, Serbia, 7/2009 – 6/2012
- Served as a Lecturer of Sport Psychology and Sport Pedagogy classes for Olympic Coaches of three sports federations
- Facilitated sport psychology workshops directed at educating Olympic Coaches of the Serbian Tennis Federation on best ways to implement mental skills into their own coaching curricula
- Advised Olympic Waterpolo Federation Coaches and Women’s Basketball Olympic Team staff on incorporating mental skills during seasonal games and developing a positive winning mentality development. Skills included: Awareness development, Dealing with Adversity, Confidence Building, Goal-Setting, Imagery, Self-Talk, Relaxation, Rituals
*Head Mental Toughness Coach, International Tennis Academy, Delray Beach, FL, USA, 9/2008 – 7/2009
- Conducted needs analysis based on in person meetings with ten coaches, to improve athlete technical, tactical, physical and mental record keeping
- Facilitated development of a knowledge sharing document based on the needs assessment results
- Coached four program directors and one Senior Manager on improving leadership skills and best practices to provide feedback to athletes
- Led individual sport psychology sessions with sixty 18 and Under athletes on executing SMART goals and using mental tools to decrease stress levels and increase concentration during competition
- Led individual sport psychology sessions with five 18 and Under athletes helping them achieve a top 100 world junior ranking
- Taught weekly group ‘Mental’ classroom for 60 high performance tennis players ages 11-15; ‘Mental Skills’ include Integrity, Goal Setting, Building Confidence, Positive Self-Talk, Effective Communication, and Team Building
*Head Tennis Recruiter/HR Assistant, Clark University Athletic Department, Worcester, MA, USA, 9/2006 – 6/2007
- Managed a recruitment sharing document of 200 applicants including applicant’s basic information, grades, references, standardized test scores, match videos, statistics, tournament results
PUBLICATIONS
-Sport and Development Platform, http://www.sportanddev.org/en/about_this_platform/ ‘Mindfulness training to Optimize tennis performance’; August 2016
-TV show “ Uvecanje”, appeared as a sport psychologist on National Television (B92, Serbia); spoke about importance of sport psychology as a life skill and character development; September 2010
PRESENTATIONS
- Association for Applied Sport Psychology National Conference, October 2017, Orlando, FL, USA, ‘Adopting a Worldview Perspective: Working with Clients from Diverse Backgrounds’
-US Department Of State/Bureau of Educational And Cultural Affairs - Topic: 'Managing Emotion and Performance through Awareness and Self-talk', presented for Sports Administrators from Israel, December 2015, Washington DC, USA
CERTIFICATIONS
-Certified Mental Performance Consultant, Association for Applied Sport Psychology, License # 586
- United States Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR) certified coach
-United Nations Administration Support (UN ASAT)
VOLUNTEER WORK
-Special Olympics, USA, 4 years, event management (eight events total)
-Oyebog Tennis Academy, USA branch (home location in Africa), 3 years, fund raising (helped raise over $50,000 total)
AWARDS
-Senior Class Award, May 2006 – Given annually to the senior student-athlete of highest impact on his/her sport development, who best exemplifies class, spirit and integrity in his/her athletic endeavors, May 2006
EDUCATION
-Master of Education (EdM) Counseling/Sport Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA, 9/2007 – 6/2008
-Bachelor of Arts (BA) Psychology and Theater Arts, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA, 9/2002 – 6/2006
LANGUAGES -Serbian – Native, English – Fluent, French/Dutch – Basic
*Note: Full CV available upon request