Katherine Robbins, PhD

Dr. Katherine Robbins took over as Interim Director of Athletics on May 14, 2018, and on November 24, the "interim" tag was removed and Robbins took over as the permanent Director of Athletics.  Robbins previously served as assistant professor and assistant chairperson of Edinboro’s Department of Counseling, School Psychology and Special Education prior to her move to athletics.
 
Upon her appointment, Robbins noted how much she was looking forward to working with Edinboro’s coaches, trainers and athletics staff to best meet the needs of student-athletes and the university. “I have been working directly with coaches for the last several years.  They are incredibly passionate and hard-working and I am very excited about the opportunity to partner with them in this new role.”
 
She joined the Edinboro faculty in 2012, and began her work with student-athletes while working on her doctorate at Clemson University, where she served as a learning specialist and mentor in Clemson’s student-athlete enrichment program from 2004-09.
 
Three years ago, working in collaboration with Associate Athletic Director Todd Jay and Edinboro’s coaches, Robbins launched a pilot program to provide academic support and assist Edinboro’s first-year student-athletes in their transition from high school to college.  The pilot was started with four students and, during the past two years, has grown to more than 40 students. 
 
A college athlete herself, Robbins understands the challenges of balancing college classwork with competitive sports. “College athletics is an important part of campus life,” she noted. “The program we started at Edinboro and the support it provides can make a real difference for student-athletes struggling with the challenges of adapting to college life.”
 
A native of Pittsburgh, Robbins attended North Allegheny High School. She was a three-time All American and a member of three national water ski championship teams – in 1991 with the University of Central Florida and in 1993 and 1994 with the University of Louisiana-Monroe.
 
Robbins earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Louisiana-Monroe in 1995, and in 1996 earned her master’s degree in Special Education. She completed work on her doctorate in Special Education from Clemson in 2010.
 
In addition to her time at Clemson, Robbins served as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Pittsburgh in 2006, and from 2009-12 was an assistant professor at the University of Southern Indiana.  Dr. Robbins also taught special education, predominately in middle and high school for eight years before pursuing her doctorate.

She resides in Edinboro where you can still find her waterskiing in the summer months, and she also enjoys travel, hiking, biking, and even playing golf at an outing from time to time.  Despite much adversity, she is a fighter, beating cancer twice, and surviving a surgical error that almost took her life.  She is people-centered, passionate about academics and athletics, and grateful to have the opportunity engage and advocate for Fighting Scots past and present.