In her office decorated with banners and snapshots from her time as a student-athlete, Therese Pitman works as the Director of Student Athlete Development to help current Pitt athletes find their future jobs. 

At 26 years old, Pitman already has an impressive resume that is rooted in her love for lacrosse and the Pitt community. Her colleague and “mentor” Katie Stumpp, an Associate Athletic Director at Pitt, owed Pitman’s success to having “tunnel vision” when it comes to her goals. 

Stumpp met Pitman during her time as a student-athlete through Pitt’s Panthers to Pros program where Stumpp was her mentor. Now that they work together in the athletic department, Stumpp said it was clear that Pitman’s success comes from her “tunnel vision” when it comes to her goals.

“[Pitman] is very, very determined,” Stumpp said. “She’s going to do great things. With her big heart, she wants the best for everyone. Doesn’t matter your sexuality, doesn’t matter your race, doesn’t matter your identity, she wants the best for you.”

Pitman’s path to success began in her childhood, where she was raised in upstate New York’s “middle of nowhere” with her four siblings. She was brought up playing sports like basketball and soccer, but once she tried out lacrosse in her sophomore year of high school, she found her true athletic passion. Despite being fairly new to the sport, Pitman still received an offer to play at Binghamton University. When she got there, though, she faced some challenges. 

“Halfway through my first ever division one lacrosse practice, it’s obvious I’m the absolute worst player on the team,” Pitman said. “I completely embarrassed myself when I got sick on the field that first day and for the next two years, I was a benchwarmer.”

Pitman felt Binghamton was not a good fit for her and was looking for a school that had smaller class sizes and an overall better community atmosphere. She ended up transferring to Siena College her junior year, where she joined the women’s lacrosse team as a walk-on. She was voted team captain after a year of playing with them. Pitman felt that this was when she truly came into herself as a person and understood what she stood for. 

“I identify as a queer woman. I’m also a person with an invisible disability, and I just owned all of those pieces of myself when I got to Siena,” Pitman said. “I think people around me loved that genuine authenticity, and they wanted to be themselves because I was being myself. And I think ultimately being selected as team captain was a result of letting people know that it’s okay to be who you are.”

Pitman graduated from Siena in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in English and was offered a role in founding and playing for the inaugural women’s lacrosse team at the University of Pittsburgh. She credits this as her proudest moment. 

“To be recognized as a hard-working and positive person, I think speaks volumes to my character,” Pitman said. “I got to come here to Pitt because of that character.”

Riley Patrick, a fifth-year GSWS senior on the lacrosse team, was a former teammate of Pitman’s. Patrick said their first connection was because they were both a part of the LGBTQ+ community and the two have stayed close ever since. 

“[Pitman] was our best team captain,” Patrick said. “She led by example and is very well spoken. You could go to her for anything, she was always there to help people out.”

Pitman finished out her lacrosse career at Pitt after two years, thankful that she was part of the “OG 14” women on the team. While playing lacrosse, she completed her master’s degree in public policy. 

After receiving her master’s and spearheading the inaugural lacrosse team, Pitman found a passion for development and found a position as a leadership development intern for the NCAA. 

Pitman saw this opportunity as a great way to strengthen her professional skills and learn how to work with student-athletes. She developed, executed and evaluated leadership programs for student-athletes, coaches and administrators across the country. 

When the internship was over, Pitman began looking for job openings in Pittsburgh.

“I decided that I was going to look at job opportunities that were open at Pitt because [out of] the three schools I went to, Pitt was the place I felt the most cared for,” Pitman said. “I wanted to give back to Pitt.”

Pitman’s first professional position at Pitt was in leadership development at the Student Affairs office. For her, this job was ideal because she wanted to work on a college campus and interact with students every day. 

“I think [Pitt students] are all so bright and always want to learn,” Pitman said. “I’ve never felt here that the students don’t care. You all care deeply about what you’re doing, it’s inspiring.”

After a year and a half of working in Student Affairs, Pitman’s dream job became available at Pitt — the Director of Student Athlete Development. Here, she still works with students daily on upper campus while also studying for her doctorate in higher education. 

Pitman collaborates with student-athletes to find their next career steps, setting up internships and interviews. She prides herself on meeting one-on-one with students and helping them pursue whatever career they choose. 

“I get to help student-athletes fulfill their dream, which is really satisfying,” Pitman said. 

Pitman experiences migraine with aura disorder, which can leave her feeling unwell for days. 

“I live with migraine with aura disorder which is actually my superpower because there are many days when I don’t feel my best. So the days, I do feel good, I make the absolute most of. I’m trying to do the most with the time that I have in my days,” Pitman said, “whether it’s studying, helping a student-athlete, mentoring students, interviewing. I’m willing to say yes to almost every opportunity.”

As someone who was a student-athlete and now works with student-athletes, Pitman believes in the importance of Title IX. She feels inspired by her late grandfather, Michael Joseph Jr., who was “always advocating for women.” He was one of the first advocates for Title IX and the educational equality of women during his time as a superintendent in New York. 

“I believe that I am carrying on his legacy,” Pitman said. “I feel his spirit running through my body, and I just feel very called to continue to live out that fight for equality for women.”

As the LGBTQIA+ affinity group leader in athletics, Pitman meets with a group of queer student-athletes every month. It is a safe space where they can discuss what needs to improve on campus or how they are feeling. 

“I was a queer student-athlete and I felt that the landscape could be way more inclusive,” Pitman said. “I needed a mentor or support from someone, which is why I am the [LGBTQIA+ Affinity] group leader now.” 

Pitman sees the importance of combating harmful stereotypes that surround gender and sexuality in sports. She wants to make sure that all student-athletes feel comfortable in their environment.

“There are still so many stereotypes around LGBTQIA students in sports that need to be challenged, addressed and fixed,” Pitman said. “For example, if you’re a woman and play certain sports, you must be a lesbian. If you present too feminine, then you shouldn’t be playing sports at all. Men playing sports can’t be gay. And it is certainly not helpful that the nature of athletics suggests you are either a man or a woman with no room for anything out of the binary.”

Pitman recalls getting asked if she has ever felt imposter syndrome in the field of athletics. But, she said that she has never gone through a time in her life where she has gotten something she didn’t think she deserved. 

“Women need to own their greatness,” Pitman said. “You deserve to be here. You deserve what you have. You’ve worked for it, and you’ve had to work twice as hard as a man for it. And being a queer woman and a woman with a disability, I’ve had to work even harder than that for it. So be proud of your effort!”