Dr. Austin Rickels

Austin Rickels began his education at the University of Northern Iowa where he graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in English and Social Sciences Education. He then earned his Master of Education in Educational and Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Positive Coaching from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Recently, he earned his Doctor of Education in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership with an emphasis in Learning, Design, and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Here, he defended his dissertation entitled, “Class in Session?: A Case Study Exploration of the X’s and O’s Behind Teaching a Sport and Performance Psychology Course at the High School Level."

He also was a teacher and coach at Lena-Winslow High School in Lena, Illinois, from 2011-2024. As a secondary educator, he taught courses in English, Social Sciences, and Sport and Performance Psychology, while also coaching high school football, girls basketball, and boys track & field. Dr. Rickels is one of the only rural educators to have designed and implemented a sport psychology course for high school student-athletes, which he presented as research at the International Conference on Education and New Developments. His other academic and athletic interests include positive leadership, mindset, secondary education, and performance science.

Currently, he is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the School of Education, teaching the following academic courses: Human Growth and Development, Pre-Student Teaching, Intro to Education, and Sport Administration. He is also the program coordinator for the Master of Science in Education: Educational Leadership program launching in 2025. Finally, he has been a keynote speaker for many rural schools and teams across the tri-state area of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, presenting on various topics such as career exploration, positive education, sport psychology, leadership, and speed development.