The Story of Golden Minds
“Peak Performance Starts With Strong Mental Fitness”
—Karen Phelps, Golden Minds
Director Karen Phelps, daughter of legendary Irish basketball coach Digger Phelps, has been around sports and the mental wellness movement her entire life. As the former wife of a major league baseball pitcher for decades and the mother of six children who all played college sports, she is all too familiar with the high-pressure, intense spotlight and endless demands young people on campus endure.
For years, Karen built up her knowledge around mental fitness, leading her to launch her own foundation, now Eluna Network (elunanetwork.org) – a trailblazing endeavor establishing grief and addiction camps for children dealing with loss or drugs and alcohol. Her work has been honored countless times and the HBO documentary chronicling her humanitarian work with children in grief ("One Last Hug...") earned an Emmy Award.
As she continued to read about and hear about the alarming rise in rates of anxiety and depression in college sports – including the shocking tragic suicides of multiple players and the abrupt retirement of student-athletes over their mental fitness crisis, Phelps rolled up her sleeves to help create more solutions.
“We need to do more, and now – and we can,” says Phelps. “We created this one-stop online platform to make navigating mental fitness easier. There’s no reason every athlete shouldn’t put their mental wellness first because it’s everything. Any stigma about it must stop – we all need to be telling players, mental fitness goes hand in hand with physical health, that talking to others and seeking support is a sign of strength not weakness, and that they are surrounded by a community ready to lift them up and connect them to the right resource. We passionately believe Golden Minds can be a part of these necessary conversations.”
Board of Directors
Chris Brienza, Marketing and Communications Board Chair, has worked for more than 30 years in public relations and communications, with time primarily split between professional sports and the agency side of the business.
Most recently, Brienza ran the Sports and Media practices at Coyne PR, joining the agency in 2007 and building a business that included clients such as the Harlem Globetrotters, Daytona International Speedway, IRONMAN, the USGA, the USTA, USA TODAY Sports and ESPN.
Prior to joining Coyne, Chris served as the executive director of publicity for the Sports Group magazine brands (Runner’s World, Bicycling, Backpacker and Mountain Bike) at Rodale, the world’s leading provider of health and wellness content.
He previously spent nearly 15 years in professional sports at both the league and team level. Chris served as Vice President of Communications for Major League Soccer’s NY/NJ MetroStars (now Red Bulls), where he earned MLS PR Executive of the Year honors in 2001. That was preceded by eleven years working within the National Basketball Association, including nearly five years as the league’s VP of Media Relations.
In that role, he served as a primary spokesman for the league and supervised all day-to-day media relations efforts between the NBA and all North American print and electronic media, as well as with the league’s national broadcast partners. He also helped create all official league statements and external communications, helped supervise media operations at all major NBA events (including the NBA Finals and All-Star Weekends) and served as part of the NBA’s PR support team with USA Basketball, the sport’s national governing body, during the Olympic Games in Atlanta.
A proud native of South Orange, NJ, Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University, where he played three seasons of varsity soccer. He and his wife Janet reside in Spring Lake, NJ.
Diane Fox, Board Secretary, recently retired in May, 2023 after devoting 43 years as an educator. She spent her first 22 years at Saint Joseph’s High School in South Bend, Indiana, teaching and coaching. She then spent 7 years at Holy Cross College where she taught and advised students and, eventually, was named the director of Academic Advising. For the past 14 years, Diane served as the director of the Office for Student Success at Saint Mary’s College where she taught, advised, and mentored students. Also in May, she was awarded the Saint Mary’s College Belles Varsity Club Appreciation Award, which is presented to a member of the Saint Mary's College community for extraordinary contribution to the Saint Mary's Department of Athletics. Recognizing the academic, social, and spiritual needs of her students, Diane taught and mentored hundreds of students throughout her career and enjoyed every minute.
Tim Frank is in his 23rd season at the league office of the National Basketball Association and his 30th overall in the NBA, including a seven-year stint at the Houston Rockets.
Frank’s responsibilities with the NBA include managing the publicity of the NBA and its players, working with the 30 NBA teams in coordinating their media operations and serving as a liaison between the media and NBA executives. Frank also oversees the management of media operations for NBA events, including the NBA Finals and NBA All Star, and publicity for the NBA G League and NBA 2K League.
During his time at the NBA, Frank and his team have re-defined the league’s media access policies to properly align with current league and media priorities. He was also instrumental in the introduction of the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, created to honor the relationship of former NBA stars Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes.
In addition to his NBA duties, Frank has served as a press officer for USA Basketball at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and the 2010, 2014, 2019 and 2023 World Cup of Basketball.
Prior to joining the NBA, Frank worked for seven years at the Houston Rockets, the last five as the team’s communications lead. In Houston, Frank oversaw the media relations for the team and was the liaison between the team’s basketball operations staff and the media.
During his tenure in the NBA, Frank has worked closely with numerous Hall of Famers, including David Stern, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Cynthia Cooper, Clyde Drexler, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Rudy Tomjanovich and Van Chancellor.
Before joining the Rockets, Frank served as a Sports Information Assistant at the University of Michigan. In Ann Arbor, he assisted the Sports Information Director with Wolverine football and basketball and was the primary media contact for Michigan wrestling, gymnastics and tennis. Prior to his time at Michigan, Frank served as a student assistant in the Notre Dame sports information office for four years.
A native of Altoona, Pa., Frank received his start in sports media as an anchor on a children’s news show at WTAJ-TV from 1980-86. He then worked as a sports correspondent for his hometown paper, Altoona Mirror, during high school and college.
Frank, a 1993 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, lives in Stamford, Conn. with his wife, Sarah, and their three children, McKenna, Ryan and Kylie. Ryan is a sophomore at Notre Dame while Kylie is a freshman at St. Mary’s College.
Jason Holzer is a Post-Traumatic growth storyteller and the Co-Founder of 4D Athletes. His book, Amazon Best Seller “Shattered by Suicide, Renewed by Resilience: How to Move Forward After Being Left Behind” reflects on losing his father to death by suicide and is positively influencing many readers across the globe every year. Holzer plays an impactful role in the lives of student-athletes through speaking engagements coaching mental health training and leadership development. He is also a certified teacher, mental health specialist, and accomplished basketball coach.
Angie Krilich is a former NCAA Division I rower with over 10 years of experience working with collegiate student-athletes in advising, counseling and career related roles. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the states of Indiana, Massachusetts and Washington, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in the state of Maine, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in the state of Utah, a National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Board Certified Coach (BCC). Krilich holds four degrees from Indiana University, including a master's degree in Counseling & Counselor Education and an Education Specialist degree in Mental Health Counseling. She has a passion for creating a safe space to ensure student-athletes feel heard, appreciated and valued. Krilich resides in central Indiana with her husband, Brian, and their golden retriever, Zoey.
Michael Mitchell, Finance and Strategy Board Chair, is a Small Business Consultant/Advisor. He attended the University of Notre Dame, Class of 1981, where he served as a Notre Dame Basketball Captain. Mitchell became CEO of Dreyer’s in May 2009. Prior to that, he was the President of Sales at Nestlé USA. Mitchell started at Nestlé, Dreyer’s parent company, in 1991. Mitchell now lives in San Francisco.
Timoney Moyer, Former Athlete Advisory Chair, is a graduate of Saint Mary's College where she played basketball for the Belles. With nearly a decade of experience in marketing, go-to-market strategy, and community management, she has significantly contributed to the success of various tech startups. Moyer now runs her own Marketing business, catering to small and medium-sized businesses in a diverse range of industries. Supporting branding efforts, crafting effective strategies, content marketing, and other essential marketing initiatives, she has influenced numerous businesses, including Golden Touch, to achieve greater brand awareness and growth.
In her approach to understanding and connecting with diverse audiences, Moyer places a strong emphasis on empathy. By customizing her strategies to cater to individual needs, she has achieved notable success in crafting marketing initiatives that resonate with the individual to foster meaningful engagement.
Moyer played a pivotal role in the launch of both Golden Touch and Golden Minds in 2022, to promote mental fitness and empower student-athletes as complete individuals beyond their athletic pursuits. Having been a former student-athlete in the Notre Dame tri-campus community, she understands the complexities involved in balancing sports commitments and expectations. Moyer also serves as a valuable member of the Youth Advisory Board at Eluna Network supporting children and families who have been impacted by grief or addiction.
Michelle Olson, Director of Programs, is the Clinical Program Director for Golden Minds. She is a psychotherapist (LCSW, LMSW, LCAC) licensed in multiple States with over 20 years of clinical experience working in Community Mental Health. She is currently a Clinical Practice Manager in Berrien County, MI. This allows her to work with many populations that she specializes in while training and mentoring the next generation of therapists.
She is a specialist in her field regarding areas of: severe and persistent mental ill, substance abuse, children of substance abuse, complex trauma, among many others. Formerly, she was Director of Camp Mariposa-Indiana.
Teresa Godwin Phelps', Board Vice President, passion is in education. She was on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame Law School where she taught and directed legal writing since 1980. She holds three degrees from Notre Dame, including a Ph.D. in English and one degree from Yale Law School. Professor Phelps directed the Legal Rhetoric Program and taught Legal Rhetoric at Washington College of Law and directed the legal writing program at the University of Notre Dame Law School. Her other teaching and academic interests include women and the law, and human rights, and she has published over thirty articles and three books, which have helped her earn the Grenville Clark Award in 1999, which honors voluntary activities and public service to advance the cause of peace and human rights.
Lisa Bonta Sumii is a psychotherapist with over 23 years of clinical experience, licensed in both California and Nevada. She has been a private practice clinician for over 15 years and also works as a consultant and an entrepreneur. Founder of AthMindset, Bonta Sumii supports student-athletes and elite athletes to achieve optimal mental fitness and peak mental sport performance by focusing on the athlete as a human, with multiple intersecting identities. She is also the Mental Health & Performance Coach of the Oakland Roots Soccer Club.
This Board is for graduated athletes.
The Student-Athlete Wellness Advisory Council (SAWAC) is a community passionately dedicated to
championing the holistic wellness of student-athletes.
Our Team
Karen Phelps, CEO
Sean Collins, Director of Partnerships Golden Touch
Sofia Dolan, Executive Assistant to CEO
Kelley Rourke, Social Media Manager and Special Events
Sara Bastian, Website Manager
Pedrera, Web Designer
Isabella Cuevas, Golden Minds Executive Coordinator
Student athlete internships are always available - Reach out to [email protected]