Valana Wiltz joined the Georgia State Department of Athletics as a graduate assistant in June 2019. She transitioned into a full-time role as a learning specialist in September 2021 and later a learning specialist and academic advisor in January 2022. In her current role, she serves as the Assistant Director of Football Academics and Student-Athlete Development, working within the Office of Academic Support and Student-Athlete Development (P.A.S.S.).
In her current role, Wiltz oversees the daily operations of football academics by working directly with football student-athletes and coaches to ensure enrollment, retention, eligibility, progress towards degree, and the transition from college to career.
She also plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of all our student-athletes by assisting with the implementation of our 365 Panther Way Program. 365 Panther Way is a rebranded and reimagined career development program concentrated on supporting student-athletes’ academic endeavors, while also helping to navigate and optimize their college experience with the goal of empowering them to pursue their passions and launch into their careers.
Wiltz also serves as the learning specialist for the department, the secondary sport administrator for women’s golf and the advisor for both the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Black Student-Athlete Association (BSAA).
In Spring 2025, under Wiltz’s direction, the football academic advising staff guided the football student-athletes to achieve a record-setting 3.10 grade point average—the highest GPA in the program’s history.
Before she arrived at Georgia State, she served as a student-worker with the LSU Football Recruiting Staff. For nearly three years, she assisted in hosting some of the nation's top recruits and organizing details surrounding one of the country's top collegiate football programs.
Wiltz earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Louisiana State University with a minor in leadership and human resource development in May 2019 and a master's in clinical rehabilitation counseling from Georgia State in August 2021.
Originally from Alpharetta, Ga., Wiltz attended Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga., and graduated in May 2015. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A).
