BridgeAthletic’s assessment tools support athletes with evidence-based solutions for career transitions and personal development. This overview covers our research team, methodology, and assessment frameworks.

Dr. Nathan Wiita

Led the first product launch (June 2015) focused on athlete identity transition, followed by the Athlete Interest Inventory assessment (October 2015). Nathan holds doctorate and master's degrees in industrial and organizational psychology from Georgia Tech and was a varsity soccer player at Lehigh University. As principal for RHR International, he leads firm-wide research initiatives. His work has been featured in Harvard Business Review and Fast Company.

Dr. Samuel Posnock

Senior Data Analyst at CSRA, delivering Human Capital solutions to Federal and commercial clients. Ph.D. and M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Georgia Tech, specializing in performance evaluation and advanced statistical analysis. His research explored teamwork's effects on work motivation.

Dr. Elnora Kelly

People research Scientist at Facebook with a doctorate in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Georgia Tech. Specializes in interactionism research related to organizational development. Also holds degrees from Old Dominion University and Georgia State University.

Athletes invest countless hours in their sport, deeply intertwining their identity with their athletic role. Next Play Pro (NPP) provides personalized insights about post-athletic transition challenges and strategies.

Just as coaches help athletes discover athletic challenges to improve performance, NPP aims to provide personalized insights about the most difficult aspects of post-athletic transition, offering potential strategies to effectively adjust to life and work after an athletic career.

Additionally, coaches have used the assessment to evaluate the individual needs of their athletes and enhance the team dynamic.

Through two years of research, Dr. Wiita's team identified eight key categories where athletes form strong identity ties:

Our methodology incorporated thousands of data points from athletes, coaches, administrators, parents, and employers to inform the category development, assessment items, and scoring methodology.

Between 2010-2015, Game Plan, now part of BridgeAthletic, administered thousands of Strong Interest Inventories to athletes, noticing they frequently scored high on the Realistic scale of Holland’s RIASEC framework, often directing them toward athletic-related careers.

We theorized these elevated scores compared to the general population stemmed from athletic background, not necessarily genuine interests. Working with Dr. Wiita's team, we created a customized solution addressing athletes' unique needs.

Scientists have identified six areas of career interests, with each person having different attitudes toward each area. Understanding your feelings about all six areas helps identify major and career paths matching your personality.

The Athlete Interest Inventory (AII) codes personalities based on interests and suggests potentially satisfying college majors, career fields, work environments, and job titles.

The AII uses Holland's RIASEC framework but with models calibrated specifically for athletes:

Our athlete-specific approach eliminates potential scoring bias, helping athletes discover authentic interests and facilitating more meaningful career development conversations with coaches, counselors, and family members.