Wisconsin Badgers

AJ Whitehead joined the Badgers in June of 2021 as an associate director of strength and conditioning, working with the women's basketball program. She will be in charge of the improving the team's athletic performance, reducing athletic injuries, and teaching lifelong fitness and movement skills. 

Whitehead was named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA) in May 2023. The title of master strength and conditioning coach is the highest given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession.

Whitehead comes to Wisconsin after three years as associate director of strength and conditioning at Purdue, taking care of the softball and men’s and women’s tennis teams. She also oversaw daily operations in Mollenkopf Athletic Center, assisted with budgets and various administrative projects within the department and was a member of Purdue SAAC Leadership Advisory Team.
 
Prior to Purdue, Whitehead was at UMASS Lowell for four seasons as the head sports performance coach for the River Hawks, working primarily with the women’s basketball, softball, women’s lacrosse and men’s soccer programs. She served as the head strength and conditioning coach for the women’s U16, U18, U20 and Senior B National Teams of the Turkish Basketball Federations as well as professional clubs for two years in Turkey.
 
Whitehead is a Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning (NSCA), a Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC) through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA), and a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Coach. She also has her CES (Corrective Exercise Specialist) certification through NASM.
 
Whitehead earned her bachelor’s degree in sports studies from Bethel College in 2001, where she also played basketball, and attained her master's in exercise science and health promotion from California University of Pennsylvania in 2017.