Dr. Pete Paciorek believes the greatest purpose of youth sports is not simply to develop better athletes, but better people. After more than 30 years as a coach, educator, and mentor, he has dedicated his career to helping parents and coaches intentionally use sports to build character that lasts a lifetime.

A former professional baseball player in the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres organizations and a member of a family that produced 11 professional athletes, Pete now serves as the Director of Character & Leadership in Student Life at IMG Academy, the world's leading sports education brand. His research and experience working with thousands of student-athletes and families have consistently shown that parents value character development above winning, scholarships, and future athletic success, yet few have been taught how to intentionally cultivate it.

Dr. Paciorek holds a doctorate in Character Education and Servant Leadership and has presented throughout the United States and internationally on leadership, coaching, parenting, and character development. He is the recipient of Character.org's Champion for Character in Sports Award and serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Florida, teaching Sport Ethics and Coaching for Character.

Pete is the author of PRIMED to Compete: Coaching for Character and Keeping Your Kids in the Game: Parenting for Character in Sports. His mission is to help student-athletes flourish through the vehicle of sports.