American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

Dana D. Brooks, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

President

Dana Brooks is professor and dean, College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. In addition to his administrative duties, he teaches a graduate class in Sport Sociology and an undergraduate course in African Americans in Sport. Dana served as past president of West Virginia AAHPERD, past president of Midwest AAHPERD, and Midwest District Representative to the Board of Governors. He served on numerous state, district, and national professional committees. His research targets the African American college athletes' experiences. Dana has presented about 100 scholarly papers at the state, district, national, and international levels.

David A. Birch, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
AAHE

David A. Birch is a professor of health education and chair of the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Previously, he was a faculty member at Indiana University and Penn State University. Birch is past president of the American Association for Health Education (AAHE) and has held leadership positions in several professional organizations. He is currently a member of the editorial boards of the American Journal of Health Behavior and the American Journal of Health Studies. Birch is a Charter Fellow of AAHE and a Fellow of the American School Health Association. He has authored numerous professional articles along with other publications. Birch served at the state level for the Maine Department of Education and has ten years of public school teaching experience in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Marilyn Buck, Ball State University, Muncie, IN
Midwest District

Marilyn Buck is associate provost and dean of University College and professor of physical education at Ball State University (BSU). Her areas of expertise are physical education curriculum and instruction and technology. She came to BSU as an assistant professor in 1989 after receiving her Ed.D. from Brigham Young University. Prior to working on the doctoral degree Buck spent 12 years teaching physical education and health at a junior high in Iowa as well as coaching at junior and senior high levels. Her undergraduate degree is from Iowa State University and her master's degree is from the University of Utah.

Irene Cucina, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH
Eastern District

Irene Cucina is an associate professor in the Health and Human Performance Department, the assistant chair of the department and the graduate health program coordinator at Plymouth State University. Cucina's teaching expertise is teacher certification and she works with both the health and physical education teacher candidates. Her primary area of research is curriculum and assessment. Cucina also spent 16 years teaching health and physical education in Newton, MA where she was also the aquatic director for the city and a successful coach. She received her undergraduate degree at Northeastern University, her M.Ed. from Cambridge College in curriculum and supervision, and her doctorate at Springfield College, MA.

Michael G. Davis, Reston, VA
Chief Executive Officer 

Mike Davis is the chief executive officer of AAHPERD and serves on the Board of Governors as a non-voting member. He received his P.E.D. from Indiana University and was at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Department of Neuroanatomy and Cellular Biology for post-doctoral work. His area of expertise is human anatomy. He taught at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls from 1966-1996 and was the director of Health and Human Performance, associate dean of Graduate School, and associate dean of Education. Davis was the AAHPERD President in 1993-94 and also served as the Midwest District President for 1986-87.

Lori Dunn, Seattle Public Schools
Northwest District

Lori S. Dunn is the K-12 Physical Education Program Manager for the Seattle Public Schools. Dunn received her bachelor's from Eastern Washington University and two master's degrees in Education (administration and counseling) from Azusa Pacific University. Previous to joining the Seattle Public Schools Dunn taught physical education for 23 years. In 2006 she was selected as the NASPE National High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. Dunn is a past president of Washington and the Northwest District AAHPERD, and has served on many other committees for AAHPERD. Her professional interests are in teaching, curriculum development and advocating for quality programs.

Cam Kerst-Davis, Johnson Elementary School, Franklin, TN
Southern District 

Cam Kerst-Davis teaches elementary physical education at Johnson Elementary School in Franklin, TN. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in Early and Middle Childhood Physical Education, a Career Ladder III in Tennessee and a mentor in her school system for non-tenured physical education teachers. Kerst-Davis has taught in Washington, Georgia, and Tennessee for a combined total of 36 years. She received her undergraduate from Washington State University, her Masters of Education from Pacific Lutheran University, and her Doctor of Arts at Middle Tennessee State University.

Jerry Landwer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Southwest District 

Jerry Landwer, a professor in the Department of Sports Education Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), provides program leadership in the biophysical foundations of effective physical education. His research and development interests focus on ergogenic aids, body composition, and aerobic/anaerobic training. Landwer, an AAHPERD life member and North American Society Fellow, received his B.S. and M.P.E. degrees from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and his Ed.D. from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He has been a visible national leader in physical education professional organizations for more than 45 years and has received numerous awards throughout his career. He has compiled an extensive record of leadership including serving as AAHPERD President (2005-06), Southwest District President (1999-2000), and Nevada AHPERD President.

Jackie Lund, Georgia State University
NASPE

Jackie Lund is an associate professor with the Department of Kinesiology and Health at Georgia State University. Lund draws on her 16 years of public school teaching experience while working as a teacher educator. She has been involved with NASPE throughout her career in higher education, beginning with the committee that developed the National Content Standards for Physical Education (1995). Most recently she served as NASPE president.  Lund has published several books about assessment, curriculum development, and instructional strategies as well as numerous articles in journals. She has made over 100 presentations throughout the United States as well as internationally. Lund received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.

Ron E. McBride, Texas A&M University, College Station
Research Consortium 

Ron McBride is a professor of (sport) pedagogy with the Department of Health & Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. He past president of the AAHPERD Research Consortium, the Southwest Educational Research Association (SERA), past chair of the Research on Learning and Instruction in Physical Education Special Interest Group (SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and present co-editor of the Journal of Teaching in Physical Education. McBride has presented at state, regional and national/international conferences and published in a variety of scholarly journals. His research line focuses on thoughtful decision making in physical education. McBride received his bachelor degree at the University of British Columbia, his masters at the University of Cincinnati, and his doctorate from Stanford University.

Fran Anthony Meyer, Educational Consultant, Fredericksburg, VA
NDA

Fran Meyer currently serves as an educational consultant for organizations focusing on policy and program development in dance, arts, health, and physical education for all students, pre-K through grade 12. Her professional work in dance education has spanned over 35 years as a teacher, performer, administrator, artistic director, conference planner, festival director, standards and curriculum writer, journal and other publications editor, staff development specialist, research project director, and board member at the state, district, and national levels, including NDA president. Meyer is an AAHPERD life member, a former Southern District president, and a North American Society Fellow. She received her BS degree from Longwood College and her MS and PhD degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Monica Mize, Weber State University, Ogden, UT
Past President

Monica Mize is the program director for the Physical Education Major and professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Human Performance at Weber State University (WSU). Her areas of expertise are physical education curriculum and instructional strategies. She came to WSU as an associate professor in 1994. She received her undergraduate degree is from Indiana State University, her master from Eastern Illinois University, and her doctorate from Southern Illinois University. Mize started her teaching career in 1972 and has since been actively involved in the profession with the state, district, and national HPERD organizations.

Thomas H. Sawyer, Indiana State University , Terre Haute
AAPAR

Thomas H. Sawyer, professor of physical education and recreation and sport management at Indiana State University, is a 38-year veteran of higher education. He began as an instructor of health and physical education, has been a director of recreational sports, department chair, athletic director, director of the college prison education programs, and is ending his career, by choice, as a full professor teaching sport management theory to undergraduate and graduate students. He has written over 175 peer-reviewed articles for notable professional journals, made over 250 presentations, and written 10 professional books and numerous chapters. Sawyer has served as Indiana AHPERD president, Midwest District vice president, AAALF president, and has been a member of AAHPERD since 1966.

Sharon Shields, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
NAGWS

Sharon Shields is currently a Professor of Human and Organizational Development in the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt University. Shield's main focus in teaching and research is in the area of service-learning pedagogy, health and human services, and issues of equity and social justice. She has been a member of AAHPERD since 1967, and served as president of NAGWS. Shields began her teaching career in the public schools of Louisville, Kentucky. Her undergraduate and master's degree is from the University of Louisville and her Ph.D. is from Peabody College. She has directed numerous grants, given presentations, and is published in a variety of academic journals and publications.

Vicki J. Worrell, Emporia State University, KS
President-Elect

Vicki J. Worrell is an associate professor in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation department at Emporia State University.  Her areas of expertise are physical education curriculum, instruction and assessment.  Vicki teaches undergraduate majors and students in the ESU HPER online graduate program. Prior to working in higher education, Worrell taught elementary physical education for 19 years.  Vicki served as president of both Central District AAHPERD and Kansas AHPERD, and currently serves as executive director of the Kansas AHPERD.  She has served on numerous state, district and national committees and enjoys presenting on topics related to health and physical education.

John Zody, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS.
Central District

John Zody is a professor with the Department of Health and Human Performances at Fort Hays State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate classes for both teaching and non-teaching majors. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Fort Hays State University, and an Ed.D. from the University of Arkansas. Zody's professional interests are in the exercise sciences, research, and adventure education. He is a past president of Kansas and the Central District AAHPERD, and has been treasurer for both while serving on many committees for AAHPERD. He also has an impressive record of presentations and publications at the state, national, and international levels.