Our Team

Khari Roulhac

Khari RoulhacKhari Roulhac, Boston native and President of GetPsychedSports.org, is a school administrator and currently Dean of Students at Newton North High School, Newton, Massachusetts, with over twenty years experience in athletics and education. He is also co-chair of the Board of Directors of the Social Emotional Learning Alliance of Massachusetts (SEL4MA). In addition, Khari served on a 25-person Remodeling Athletics Committee at the Boston Public Schools that changed the mission and vision of athletics to include the purposeful teaching of social emotional learning.

Prior to his work as Dean, he spent twenty years in athletic administration at Cathedral High School (Athletic Director), MassBay Community College (Associate Athletic Director) and Bunker Hill Community College (Athletic Director).

In those capacities, Khari has been steadfast in maintaining a standard of academic excellence by putting academics first and initiating programs like Young Men of Color (YMOC) for at risk students, an Academic Success Program to support athletes’ academic performance, and the Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB), which provides a vehicle for students to voice their experiences.

Students identify his office as a safe space to reflect, problem solve and receive support in academics and social development with special attention to the issues of people of color. Khari has been intentional about establishing environments of teamwork and support for students. Creating a culture of goal setting, effort, and accountability has become his signature.

Dr. Julie Wiernik​

Dr. Julie VernickDr. Julie Wiernik is a licensed clinical sport and performance psychologist in private practice and owner of the Texas Center for Sport Psychology in San Antonio, TX. She has been practicing in the field of mental health and sport psychology since 1997. She currently counsels numerous athletic students and professional athletes and their families.  Her extensive training as a clinical psychologist and certification in sport psychology gives her the expertise to offer comprehensive mental health services to athletes of all ages and backgrounds.

As an athletic student, Dr. Wiernik played numerous sports in high school and went on to the University of North Florida where she was a 4-year softball starter from 1992-1996. As a competitive athlete, she understands the mental and physical stressors an athlete will experience and uses this first-hand knowledge to help and identify with her athletes.

Dr. Wiernik is inspired to help others to become mentally strong, both on and off the playing fields.  In 2010, Dr. Wiernik became the owner of the Texas Center for Sport Psychology in San Antonio, Texas.  She consults with various sports clubs, professional organizations, and college/universities as well as individual athletes., Dr. Wiernik continues to help her athletes mentally train and cope with the various stressors such as injury, coaches, burnout/balance, performance anxiety/pressures, and other issues athletes face.

Mitch Lyons

Mitch LyonsMitch Lyons, a retired lawyer, is the founder of GetPsychedSports.org (GPS) in 2002 and the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts in 2011, both of which are tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) educational advocacy organizations. GPS remains the only educational organization promoting athletic reforms that address the fundamental problems of using a 19th century team model in a 21st century world. SEL4MA was the first grassroots educational advocacy group promoting social-emotional learning (SEL) and is now being replicated in twenty-one states under the banner of www.SEL4US.org.

Beginning in 1988, Mitch has coached in all types of sports leagues available to children: town recreational leagues (8 years); travel teams (8 years); AAU basketball (9 years); girls and boys high school basketball (8 years); Division III college basketball (3 years). Both his daughter and son were captains and point guards for their high school teams. Mitch played full-court basketball until he was 65 years old, often three times a week, which is mentioned here because competition and playing in the post was a constant joy for him.

Mitch is known as an innovator, bringing practical and common sense solutions to difficult problems. In 2016, Mitch began work with Boston Public Schools by becoming co-chair of the Committee to Remodel Athletics because of the importance BPS placed on teaching of social-emotional learning skills through sport.

He is now retired in Newton, Massachusetts with Joanne, his wife of over fifty years.