Since its beginning in 1983, the Lindahl Academic Center for Intercollegiate Athletics has expanded to provide individualized attention for student-athletes.
The Lindahl Academic Center's goal is to foster the development of student-athletes as they balance academics with athletics while pursuing a baccalaureate degree and to promote a partnership between the academic and athletic missions of the University of Minnesota.
Within an environment that values integrity and respect, the Lindahl Academic Center strives to:
- conduct the affairs of the academic center in a manner consistent with the highest of ethical standards.
- provide a comprehensive support program that fosters academic success and develops leadership within a diverse group of student-athletes.
- emphasize the primacy of student-athletes’ academic responsibilities.
- encourage participation in University programming to maximize student-athletes’ collegiate experiences.
- celebrate the academic achievements of University of Minnesota student-athletes.
Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Minnesota is an enterprise with many constituents in the university community, the Twin Cities area, and the entire state of Minnesota. We are committed to cooperation and communication with those vested in the overall success of the students participating in the University’s Intercollegiate Athletics program. Fulfillment of our mission and the integrity of our work depend upon strong, supportive relationships with university faculty and the athletic department.
The Lindahl Academic Center is committed to helping student-athletes become independent and self-reliant learners.
We want student-athletes to:
- develop and maintain a high level of motivation and self-discipline;
- set appropriate academic goals;
- plan and use time efficiently;
- improve learning skills; and
- earn a baccalaureate degree from the University of Minnesota in an area of interest.
We have developed a comprehensive academic support program and have outstanding facilities to provide student-athletes with many opportunities for personal growth.
Administrators
Director
J.T. Bruett
JT Bruett was named Director of the Lindahl Academic Center for Student-Athletes at the University of Minnesota (U of M) on July 2, 2015. Prior to that he served as Director of Athletic Compliance since 2007 and began his athletic administrative career in Compliance in November 2001. Prior to starting his career at the U of M, he served as an Assistant Baseball Coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He has his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and Master’s degree in Sports Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Phone: 612-626-5093
Email: [email protected]
Senior Associate Director/Director of Football Academic Advising
Jacki Lienesch
Prior to arriving at the U, Jacki was Assistant Director of Athletic Academic Support at Florida State University where she over saw academic support for the football and softball teams. She also spent seven years at the University of Cincinnati most recently as the Director of Academic Services, Academic Support Assistant at Marquette University, and Assistant Softball Coach at UW-Stevens Point.
Phone: 612-625-9860
Email: [email protected]
Associate Director
Men's Basketball
Soccer
Women's Golf
Tutoring Program Oversight
Kyle Quagliana
Kyle has been working in the Lindahl Academic Center since June of 2013. He has worked with a variety of sport programs, but currently works with Men's Basketball, Soccer, and Women's Golf. Additionally, he oversees the Lindahl Academic Center Tutor Program. Prior to Minnesota, Kyle worked at the University of Wisconsin as a Graduate Assistant in the Fetzer Academic Center.
Phone: 612-624-9355
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Director
Men's Hockey
Women's Basketball
Women's Gymnastics
Chris Cords
Chris has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth Campus. He also earned his M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Prior to Minnesota, he was an Academic Counselor at the University of Houston.
Phone: 612-625-3805
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Director
Football
Andrea Bretl
Andrea was promoted to Assistant Director of Football in April 2024. She most recently served as Senior Academic Advisor for Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving and Wrestling since January 2020. In 2019, she served as Football Academic Intern. Andrea joined us from Valparaiso University, where she began her tenure as a swimming student-athlete, transitioning to Graduate Assistant in Student-Athlete Academic Services in 2015. She then served as the Athletic Academic Support Coordinator and full-time Assistant Swim Coach for both men's and women's swimming at Valparaiso from 2017-2019.
Phone: 612-625-3805
Email: [email protected]
Assistant Director
Lauren Bennett
Lauren has been serving as a Learning Specialist in the Lindahl Academic Center since 2019. She began her career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before transitioning to North Carolina Central University where she spent two years as a Learning Specialist and Football Academic Coach before coming to the University of Minnesota.
Phone: 612-626-8333
Email: [email protected]
Academic Counselors
Senior Academic Counselor
Men's Golf
Rowing
Softball
Volleyball
Jacqueline Hoak
Jacqueline taught for 4 years before moving to Higher Education in 2011. She has worked as an Academic Advisor for student-athletes and eventually Director of Athletics while coaching volleyball at Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, IL before coming to University of Minnesota in 2016.
Phone: 612-624-1435
Email: [email protected]
Academic Counselor
Men's Swimming and Diving
Women's Swimming and Diving
Wrestling
Britannia Gillanders
While Britannia was earning her Master’s degree at the University of Minnesota, she served as a Graduate Assistant at the Lindahl Academic Center, where she found her passion for higher education and working with student-athletes. Britannia’s career in higher education began at Menlo College, where she was an academic advisor and helped the institution transition from the NAIA to the NCAA. She then moved into the career development sector at Santa Clara University, where she was the liaison to the athletic department and created partnerships with the San Francisco 49ers and San Jose Sharks organizations.
Phone: 612-625-1374
Email: [email protected]
Academic Counselor
Men's Track and Cross Country
Women's Hockey
Women's Tennis
Jackie Macbeth
Jackie's career in intercollegiate athletics started at the University of North Dakota, where she was an assistant coach for the women's basketball team. After three years there she made her way back to the Twin Cities, and spent 7 years at Augsburg University as the assistant women's basketball coach, along with other duties including intramural director, academic advisor, and assistant compliance director.
Phone: 612-625-7803
Email: [email protected]
Academic Counselor
Baseball
Women's Track and Cross Country
TBD
Phone: 612-625-3302
Email: TBD
Learning Center
Senior Tutor Coordinator
Adam Demchak
Adam's career in athletics began as an intern with the Ohio State University Women's Gymnastics Team beginning in 2011. He then transitioned to a more academic based role upon graduation serving the Ohio State student-athlete population as a professional tutor and mentor through the Ohio State Student Athlete Support Services Office prior to arriving to the LAC in December 2016.
Phone: 612-625-3510
Email: [email protected]
Senior Learning Specialist
Laura Claydon
Laura started her career in academic support at the University of Wyoming where she served in various roles before being hired on as a full-time Learning Specialist working with Football, Men's Basketball, Wrestling, and Women's Soccer. She went on to work at the University of Florida as an Assistant Learning Specialist for two years working with a variety of sports including Men's Golf, Women's Soccer, Baseball, Track, Football, and Men's Basketball.
Phone: 612-624-8809
Email: [email protected]
Learning Specialist
Victoria Smith
Victoria attended Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA from 2018-2022. She earned a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Allied Health. Victoria is currently attending Clemson University where she is working to earn a dual master's degree in Human Resources Development and Athletic Leadership. She will complete the first of the pair in August of 2023.
Email: [email protected]
Academic Support Specialist
Gracia Larsen-Schmidt
Prior to joining the Lindahl Academic Center staff, Gracia worked for three years as a writing tutor within St. Olaf’s Academic Success Center. During her time at St. Olaf, she also partnered with admissions to tutor prospective students on their college applications and spent two years working with an anthropology professor on campus to conduct research on team culture among female endurance athletes.
Email: [email protected]
Support Staff
Executive Office & Administrative Specialist
Andrea Stakston
Andrea worked at a non-profit for five years prior to returning to the University of Minnesota as a staff member in 2013. She served at the Lindahl Academic Center (formerly the McNamara Academic Center for Student-Athletes) from 2013-2016. She served as Executive Assistant for Gopher Men's Hockey from 2016-2019 before returning to the Lindahl Academic Center in 2019.
Phone: 612-625-6888
Email: [email protected]
Interns
Assistant Learning Specialist
TBD
Email: TBD
Football Academic Intern
Jessica Trad
Jessica joined the Lindahl Academic Center as a Graduate Mentor in 2025. She brings extensive experience as a university instructor, having taught first-year writing, professional communication, and business writing courses at both the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University. Across these roles, she has supported hundreds of students in developing strong writing, critical thinking, and academic skills. In addition to teaching, Jessica has a background in research focused on higher-education policy, institutional communication, and student success. She has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and presented at national conferences. Her combined experience in mentoring, teaching, and research informs her student-centered approach to academic support.
Email: [email protected]
Football Academic Intern
Breeley Ruble
Prior to starting at the U, Breeley worked for Gustavus Adolphus College's athletics department as a photographer and content creator. She also has experience in administration, working in both the Dean of Student and Title IX offices as a member of their support staff. She knows a bit about being a student-athlete herself, competing in both cross country and track and field at Gustavus.
Email: [email protected]
Football Academic Intern
Mikaela Garvin
Mikaela Garvin is a communications professional with a strong background in public relations, strategic communications, and broadcast journalism. A decorated college volleyball player, she completed her bachelor's degree with an emphasis in public relations and broadcast journalism at Eastern New Mexico University. She later completed a master's of arts in strategic communications from The University of Central Oklahoma, where she won conference and regional titles along with making a national championship tournament appearance.
Email: [email protected]
Men's Basketball Academic Support Intern
KR Bolander
KR has spent the last two years at the Lindahl Academic Center first as a learning assistant and then as a graduate mentor. Before moving to Minnesota, she worked as an academic mentor for Purdue Athletics.
Email: [email protected]