Pellizzon serves as Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Development at Western Kentucky University, where she leads initiatives in community engagement, career readiness, leadership development – including SAAC and the Leadership Academy - and supports name, image, and likeness (NIL) education and opportunities for all WKU student-athletes.
A former Division I volleyball student-athlete and team captain at the University of Tennessee, Giana competed from 2018–2021, helping lead the Lady Vols to two NCAA Tournament appearances during her career. She was named to the 2021 SEC Community Service Team and earned multiple Academic Honor Roll honors. Giana graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2022 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Electronic Media and a minor in Business Administration. She later completed her Master’s Degree in Sport Management in 2023 while serving as a graduate assistant in Tennessee’s student-athlete development department—an experience that ignited her passion for helping student-athletes discover their identity beyond sport and use their platform for long-term personal and professional growth.
Before joining WKU in October 2024, Giana worked in client relations at the NFL agency Athletes First, supporting elite athletes such as Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, Derwin James, Micah Parsons, Tua Tagovailoa, and others. A native of San Clemente, California, she is especially excited about launching “Tops Trending,” a student-athlete-led video and podcast series debuting in Fall 2025.
