Whitney grew up in Tennessee. She attended Volunteer High School where she lettered in basketball, cross country, and track.  Beginning in her freshman year, she was selected to the All-District team in basketball.  She was also All- District and All-Region in track on the two-mile relay team.  Whitney attended The University of Tennessee where she was active in FCA.  She was a Diamond Girl for the University of Tennessee baseball team and a Timette for the University of Tennessee swim team.  She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. degree in psychology and went on to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where she studied for her masters of divinity and also met her husband Mark.

            In 1997 Mark and Whitney, with their three sons Caleb, Seth, and Paul, were appointed as Southern Baptist Missionaries to Botswana, Africa.  There, Whitney was the women’s basketball coach for the University of Botswana and assistant coach for the under 19 Botswana national women’s basketball team.  In 2001, the Mathis’s transferred to Namibia where they served as sports evangelists.  They ministered to athletes in many different sports and were privileged to lead several to saving faith in Christ.  It was through these athletes that a new church start grew from 30 in attendance to over 100 in a matter of two months.  Whitney and her family have since returned from Africa, but she has the privilege of continuing her ministry to athletes as part of FCA staff which she joined in January 2006.

            Sports have always been a love for Whitney and she has seen worldwide the influence that athletes have on others.  It is her belief that athletes and coaches have one of the greatest platforms to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is Whitney’s passion to evangelize and disciple coaches and athletes to grow in their relationship with Christ so that they may use their influence as athletes to advance the kingdom of God.