Whitney Pitalo

Assistant Athletic Director & Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Umpqua Community College

Education: Bachelors of Arts & Science, University of Southern California ‘16

Masters of Business Administration, Willamette University ‘18

Years experience (career, coaching etc): 5 years (Willamette University, High school, ODP, club, RTC and youth soccer) 

Career Role/Title: Assistant Athletic Director & Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Umpqua Community College

Sports Background and impact on life now?

I grew up in Salem, OR and loved soccer from the moment I saw my first game. My club growing up was my second home and my teammates were my family. I captained the Oregon ODP ‘94 squad and was a member of the Region IV team. I was recruited to play at the University of Southern California and played all over the pitch in my 4 years. I was named PAC-12 Defensive Player of the Week in 2014, made it to the Sweet 16 in 2015. I majored in NGO’s and Social Change, was active in the community, and was a member of the Trauma-Informed Taskforce of LA. I received the PAC-12 Post-graduate Scholarship in 2016 and earned my MBA at Willamette University where I assisted the women’s soccer program for 4 years. In 2019, I was the Head Coach of West Salem High School and we broke the record for most goals & shutouts in a season, Mountain Valley Conference Champs and I earned 6A Coach of the Year. Soccer for me has always been about building resiliency, community and teaching life lessons through sports.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love playing & watching sports, especially soccer, basketball and tennis. I enjoy hiking, running and yoga. On my days off you can often find me exploring a national forest, beach or lake.