General | July 12, 2023

PHILADELPHIA – Amy Coffey, who has been the Associate Director of the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy (PAWLA) for the past five years, has been elevated to Director. Coffey will be transitioning out of her hybrid role as Director of Women's Lacrosse Operations to focus on PAWLA full-time moving forward. In addition, all incoming freshmen student-athletes will be enrolled in PAWLA for the first time, and the Lois S. Leitner Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Karin Corbett, who has served as the Director of PAWLA since its inception, will remain involved as a Senior Fellow.
 
Powered by the McNulty Leadership Program at Wharton and leadership donations by former trustee David Pottruck C'70 WG'72 and current Athletic Advisor Benjamin Breier C'93 W'93, the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy provides student-athletes with an opportunity to receive best-in-class leadership training with the experts in the world's first business school. A specialized curriculum allows our student-athletes to explore their leadership styles, as well as focus on character development, personal values, and effective communication. 
 
"I am honored to lead this new phase of PAWLA," Coffey said. "This expansion gives us the opportunity to help all Penn student-athletes navigate their lives as leaders both on the field and in the world.  I've seen firsthand the difference this program can make and I'm thrilled to be able to offer this experience to every student-athlete at Penn."
 
Corbett will serve as one of the core members of the PAWLA steering committee and will continue to be an important voice from the Division in the work of the leadership academy.
 
"I am excited for the future of this program and happy that every Penn athlete can now experience all that PAWLA has to offer," Corbett said. "Amy will do an amazing job directing this program. She has been an integral part of helping to develop the curriculum, organize the ventures and run the daily operations.  Her energy coupled with her experience in coaching and working with student-athletes enables her to relate to them as they learn about leadership and discover their strengths and what kind of leader they hope to become."
 
"This announcement comes at such an important time for the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy," Jeff Klein, the Executive Director of the Wharton Leadership Program, said. "We have benefited greatly from Karin's leadership as the founding director. A successful coach and an accomplished educator, Karin has infused her deep expertise and commitment to student development into the foundations of PAWLA.  We will continue to benefit from her wisdom and guidance as a steering committee member, and we are delighted that Amy Coffey will be stepping into this newly-created role as the full-time Director of PAWLA.  Amy's skill at scaling programs and quickly building relationships with students will ensure that this next phase of PAWLA is a success."
 
"The Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy could not be where it is today without the vision, guidance, and passion of Karin Corbett," Matt Valenti, Senior Associate AD/Student-Athlete Leadership & Development said. "Her dedication to PAWLA has created a rock-solid foundation that will set up the academy for years to come. As we look toward the future, there is no better person to be taking the reins than Amy Coffey. Her intimate knowledge of the academy, combined with her commitment to helping our student-athletes develop and grow makes her the ideal fit as we take the next step. We are incredibly excited to continue this elite collaboration with Jeff Klein, Dr. Anne Greenhalgh and all of our Wharton partners at the McNulty Leadership Program. The future is incredibly bright."