ACSM 2025 Election | Meet the Candidates

Why are you interested in taking on a leadership role at ACSM?  
I am interested in serving in a leadership role at ACSM for a couple of key reasons. ACSM has been a part of my sports medicine journey since I was a student. Along the way it has provided me access to the best science and research to help guide me along my clinical path as I grew in my career. It has also given me the forum to meet many professional colleagues who I have had the opportunity to learn, collaborate with, and become lifelong friends with. Therefore, I would be honored to have the opportunity to give back to the organization and help other young sports med professionals be positively impacted by the work of ACSM as I have been. Additionally, I feel that through my experience in sports medicine leadership, I have the vision and hard work to help develop strategic priorities and then make them a reality. I have such a passion for sports medicine both as a career, but also as a way to impact the world as the conduit to keeping our population healthy, through targeted initiatives, so they can perform well wherever on that spectrum of sport they may sit. 

Are there any issues or priorities that you hope to address in this role?  
I align with the previous priorities of ACSM, including a focus on mental health and safeguarding to ensure both the athletes we serve and those who serve them are supported in the challenging world of sports. This has been a passion and focus of my role at the USOPC and one that is so needed in the larger ecosystem. Increasing the diversity of those involved in ACSM is also important to ensure that our membership reflects the diversity of the athletes we serve. This should focus on finding those who may have never considered a career in sports medicine and moving the barriers to access. I also would continue to support the growth of clinician membership both domestically and internationally and continue to build ACSM as the premier global sports medicine organization. Additionally, I have a passion for women’s health in sports and feel that this is a watershed moment to make a significant impact on research and clinical service for our female athletes. Lastly, the sedentary epidemic in our communities is critical and I would love to support ACSM in moving that needle through targeted initiatives and campaigns.

What unique characteristics, capabilities, experiences, or skills might differentiate you from other candidates?  
I have been blessed with incredible opportunities over my career to work as a leader in several elite sports settings which I believe has afforded me characteristics and experience that may be different than other candidates. I have worked on many interdisciplinary teams, coming together to elevate the care of the athletes we serve. I have led large teams of sports medicine professionals in major games which has required high levels of self-awareness, allyship, and key skills of negotiation and communication. I have managed large budgets and written many policies, procedures, and strategic priorities. I am a big thinker and have been instrumental in building and implementing new programs from the inception to highly successful and impactful initiatives while remaining fiscally responsible. Lastly, I am a good listener which I think can be a rare quality that is so important when working on a team and representing a large membership. The ability to listen, let others know they are seen and heard, and then turn that into action is one of my strengths. These experiences and knowledge are qualities I feel would be beneficial to this role with ACSM and would allow me to be successful in this role.

Why are you interested in taking on a leadership role at ACSM?
I have been a dedicated ACSM member for more than 30 years, serving in numerous roles and on a variety of committees. In all of my professional work, serving ACSM has always been a highlight. I believe in the mission of the College and I am passionate about spreading the mission and vision to new members and reinforcing it with standing members. In addition, I have on many occasions been asked to lead different ACSM efforts, and serving on the Board would be a culmination of my past roles, but also an important step in helping the College evolve into its next iteration. Having strong leadership is integral for any Board, including individuals willing to thoughtfully advance the mission. I have done this consistently in my professional career at increasingly complex levels, and feel my experience in this area will be an asset to the ACSM Board. Like most entities today, sitting still is not an option, ACSM included, and therefore I want to give back to the College at the highest level, and hopefully look back knowing I made a difference.

Are there any issues or priorities that you hope to address in this role?
Most organizations have overlapping critical issues, making it difficult to isolate just a few. However, for ACSM, I feel strongly about the need to address membership, diversity of people and thought, and brand awareness/market standing. In addition, scientific rigor crosses each of these areas and can’t be ignored. In all my time with ACSM, the members have always been at the core of what we do. Having a large, diverse, membership pool has brought many strengths, including hundreds, maybe thousands, of great volunteers over time. Today, however, the market is changing and young professionals now more than ever need to know there is a tangible value for the membership dollars. They won't join just because faculty members suggest they do. Instead, ACSM needs to take great care to understand the needs, desires, and interests of the people who will be the next generation of leaders, as they may not think or act the same as in the past. Focusing on the future, while honoring the legacy, is necessary and pressing, and my experience doing this in different organizational structures will allow me to play a key role on the Board to accomplish this for the College.

What unique characteristics, capabilities, experiences, or skills might differentiate you from other candidates?
I possess a number of attributes that distinguish me from others and have been gleaned across different organizational structures, all at increasingly higher levels of complexity. I have played a direct or lead role in strategic planning, significant organizational restructuring, and developing robust onboarding processes, as just some examples. I have engaged in numerous change leadership workshops, panels, and writing groups. I have direct, successful, and substantial fundraising experience, along with developing and leading a Board. And I have served on the Board of other national and global organizations, including as Chair. These are all tangible experiences that create a strong personal portfolio. However, my true strength is with the intangibles, such as being able to get along with a broad constituency, regardless of real or perceived differences. Being able to work as part of a team, or take the lead, as the situation dictates. Valuing diversity, and taking actions to support such. Being a good listener, acting with transparency, and being an adept communicator. These are just some of the values and attributes I can bring to the ACSM Board to help lead us into the next phase or our organizational history.

Why are you interested in taking on a leadership role at ACSM?
I have been a dedicated member of ACSM since first enrolling as a student in 2004, and it would be an honor to serve on the Board of Trustees to contribute to ACSM’s impactful work in advancing global health and fitness. My journey with ACSM has been both enriching and inspiring.

Currently, I serve as an active member of the Exercise is Medicine® on Campus Committee, where I support initiatives that promote health and wellness in academic settings. Additionally, I contributed to the development of the Online Learning Design EIM credential course and served as an evidence analyst for ACSM position stands. As president of the Greater New York ACSM regional Chapter, I focused on fostering student engagement, supporting research, and organizing two conferences centered on emerging trends in exercise science.

These experiences have honed my ability to build consensus, expand outreach, and ensure inclusivity, which are critical for driving engagement and participation in ACSM initiatives.

I am deeply motivated to bring this energy and vision to the Board of Trustees, where I will work to advance ACSM's mission by fostering collaboration, embracing innovation, and engaging a diverse network of members to empower health and fitness professionals worldwide.

Are there any issues or priorities that you hope to address in this role?  
If selected for this role, I would prioritize expanding ACSM’s international reach by fostering collaborations with global partners to share research, best practices, and resources. Strengthening our international presence will solidify ACSM’s position as a global leader in exercise science and medicine.

Additionally, I would advocate for the integration of clinical exercise physiologists into the continuum of care for chronic disease treatment. This initiative would elevate the profession, expand access to care, and underscore the vital role of exercise in disease prevention and management.

Promoting accreditation for exercise science programs is another key priority, with a focus on experiential learning to ensure academic rigor and prepare graduates to meet the evolving demands of the field.

Lastly, I am committed to advancing diversity and outreach within ACSM. By creating more inclusive opportunities and engaging underrepresented communities, we can broaden our impact and reinforce the organization’s leadership in promoting equity in health and fitness.

By addressing these priorities, ACSM can enhance its global and local influence while fostering innovation, inclusion, and growth across the exercise science profession.

What unique characteristics, capabilities, experiences, or skills might differentiate you from other candidates?  
I bring a distinctive combination of international experience, broad research expertise emphasizing collaborations with medical providers, and a deep commitment to student mentorship. My life and career have instilled in me a profound appreciation for cultural diversity and a demonstrated ability to collaborate with individuals from varied backgrounds. My international work, including research in the Dominican Republic, has enriched my global perspective and adaptability.

My research spans diverse populations, from adolescents and athletes to individuals with chronic diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Type II diabetes, and endometrial cancer. This versatility enables me to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and address complex health challenges through innovative, team-centered approaches.

In addition, I take pride in mentoring students and fostering their success. For instance, my student advisees have won the Presidents’ Cups at the past two Greater New York ACSM regional conferences, reflecting my dedication to developing the next generation of exercise science leaders.

These experiences and skills equip me to bring fresh perspectives, collaborative energy, and a global outlook to the ACSM Board of Trustees, advancing the organization’s mission on an international scale.

Why are you interested in taking on a leadership role at ACSM?  
I have been fortunate to grow as a student, young professional, and now in my mid-career, significantly, simply by first becoming a member of ACSM, presenting at the ACSM Annual Meeting, becoming a professional member of a regional chapter, to then taking on leadership positions regionally, and then getting involved to a greater extent with ACSM as I continued to develop as a professional.  ACSM has always been my guiding light, my true north if you will, regarding my development as a professional. As a result, I would like to give back to this organization in any way that I can so that it can continue to do the great things that it does, as well as expose this organization to as many individuals that I can, typically students, so that they may also see the great things that ACSM can do, for the field, and for themselves. 

Are there any issues or priorities that you hope to address in this role?  
My priority in becoming a member of the Board of Trustees would be to bring all my education, experiences, and relationships that I have built throughout the years as I would hope to further ACSM’s mission and vision. ACSM has recently developed a thorough and comprehensive strategic plan for 2024-2027.  It would be my hope that I would be able to use my role as a member of the Board of Trustees to help ACSM continue to educate and empower its members to advance the science and practice of health and human performance. 

What unique characteristics, capabilities, experiences, or skills might differentiate you from other candidates?  
I enjoy the history of our organization tremendously. It is my hope that having a strong understanding of who we were as an organization, to who we are now as an organization, to who we want to be as an organization, that I would be able to leverage my knowledge and understanding of ACSM in positive ways to help us continually grow as an organization. ACSM has accomplished so much in the seventy years that we have been an organization, yet there is still so much more to accomplish in the coming years.  I would gladly like to help to take on this responsibility that ACSM has, to help continue the success of this organization.

Additionally, I have previously had the great responsibility of leading one of ACSM’s regional chapters as president of the New England ACSM Regional Chapter. As a result, I was fortunate to gain leadership and organizational skills that I feel would be valued in this position.  I have been the beneficiary, at so many different levels of ACSM, that I would now like to give back to both the organization, and to its members as best I can.