Director of Counseling and College Success

Kristen Wingate brings a wealth of experience and passion for student success to Odyssey, having served as the Assistant Director of Academic Services for Georgia Tech Athletics for five years. At Georgia Tech, Kristen honed her ability to empower students academically, professionally, and personally by fostering meaningful relationships built on trust. Her efforts in academic advising, professional coaching, mental health advocacy, and recruiting contributed to notable achievements, including record-high GPAs for women’s tennis and women’s basketball teams, maintaining a GPA above 3.0 for the softball program, and achieving record high Academic Progress Rate (APR) for all sports.

Before her time at Georgia Tech, Kristen held multiple roles at Benedict College, where her journey in student development truly began. She served as a sports information assistant, football operations coordinator, athletic office coordinator, adjunct professor, and advisor. Through these diverse roles, Kristen discovered her passion for guiding students toward achieving their goals.

Kristen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Benedict College (2011) and a Master’s degree in Entertainment Business with a focus on Sports Management from Full Sail University (2014). She is committed to fostering inclusive and supportive environments, as demonstrated by her certifications and licenses in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in higher education, Safe Space (LGBTQIA Ally), Mental Health First Aid, Culture Champion-Inclusive Leaders, and Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Gatekeeping.

In her free time, Kristen enjoys traveling, crafting, watching college women’s basketball, and spending quality time with her family and friends—especially her beloved nephew and niece, Kaeden and Layloni.