Bonnie G. Berger, EdD, is renowned as an exercise and sport psychologist and an educator, who initially earned a Bachelor of Science from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, in 1962. She subsequently obtained a Master of Arts and an Doctor of Education from Columbia University in 1965 and 1972, respectively. Beginning her athletic endeavors as a swimmer at the YWCA at the age of 8, Dr. Berger has participated in the college varsity sports of basketball and volleyball, and on the synchronized swimming team at Wittenberg University.
Recognized as a professor emerita of Bowling Green State University in 2019, Dr. Berger previously served as a professor and the director of the School of Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies between 1999 and 2019. She also was active at the University of Wyoming as a professor, and the associate dean of the College of Health Sciences from 1996 to 1999, as well as the associate dean of the School of Physical and Health Education from 1993 to 1996. In addition, Dr. Berger has served as a visiting professor/fellow at the University of Western Australia in Perth and at Edith Cowan University in Joondalup, WA, Australia.
Dr. Berger was a faculty member at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York from 1971 to 1993. She began in 1971 as an assistant professor and rose through the ranks to a professor in 1983. Dr. Berger also was the director of the Sport Psychology Laboratory and the deputy chair of the Department of Physical Education at Brooklyn College between 1989 to 1993. She further flourished as an assistant professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1969 to 1971, and at the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1965 and 1966. Prior to this appointment, she served as a supervisor of physical education at Agnes Russell Elementary School in New York from 1964 to 1965. Dr. Berger began her career in education as a teacher at George Rogers Clark Junior High School in Springfield, Ohio from 1962 to 1964.
Noted as both a scholar and a consultant in the field of exercise psychology, Dr. Berger is a highly sought keynote speaker for an array of professional organizations. Some of which include the International Society of Sport Psychology, the American College of Sports Medicine, the Asian-South Pacific Association of Sport Psychology and the British Psychological Society. She is also the author of more than 80 research study journal publications, as well as “Free Weights for Women” in 1984 and multiple editions of “Foundations of Exercise Psychology,” which are textbooks utilized around the world. Moreover, Dr. Berger has thrived as an editorial board member for the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, the Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, Quest and the Sport Psychologist.
The Association of Applied Sport Psychology elected Dr. Berger as president-elect, president and past-president from 2009 to 2012. She is also a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology, the American Psychological Association, the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), and the National Academy of Kinesiology. In addition, Dr. Berger is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Psychological Association, the International Society for Sport Psychology, the National Academy of Kinesiology, the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; Shape America and Zonta International.
Dr. Berger’s favorite activities include swimming, skiing, jogging and working out at the gym, as well as traveling to national parks, and international destinations. Her son (Stephen Casher), his wife (Mandie Casher) and Dr. Berger’s two grandchildren (Nakita and Nikoli Casher) have contributed tremendously to her life.
