SHAPE America Board of Directors

Cara Grant has been working in the field of education for more than 19 years, beginning in 2001 as a health and physical education teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools (MD). She has had the opportunity to work in higher education as well as preK-12 education. In higher education, she developed the coursework for the Physical Education Master’s Certification Program at the University of Maryland College Park. In preK-12 education she has worked collaboratively supervising and coordinating teams of teachers to revise the preK-12 framework in health and PE. She has experience as a curriculum writer on a local county level, state level, and nationally through developing content and curriculum for Discovery Education and the National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health.

Joe Deutsch began his career teaching elementary, middle school and high school physical education on the Standing Rock Reservation. He then returned to Fargo, ND, where he taught elementary physical education at the lowest socio-economic school in the city. After completing his master’s degree and making significant progress toward his Ph.D., he joined the ranks of higher education to help prepare future physical educational teachers and coaches. Deutsch has been an active member of NDSHAPE for more than 20 years, serving in several roles including treasurer, higher education representative, health. moves. minds.® committee member, and president. He has also served as president of SHAPE America Central District.

Sarah Sparrow Benes (she/her) is currently an Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator of the School Health Education program at Southern Connecticut State University. She transitioned from her role as an Associate Clinical Profession at Merrimack College in fall 2022. She has an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching, an Ed.M. in human movement, a master’s degree in public health, and a B.S. in athletic training. Sarah started her career at Boston University as an athletic trainer before transitioning to the role of Physical and Health Education Teacher Prep Program Director. Sarah works in schools locally and nationally, and writes and presents on various health education topics.

Stephanie A. Morris brings nearly 20 years of diverse experience in marketing, communications and association management to SHAPE America. In her most recent role as deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), she provided leadership and oversight for five major departments: marketing and membership; corporate strategic alliances; content strategy and development; conferences and meetings; and the customer care center. In addition to the NAEYC, Stephanie has held executive positions with the American Council on Education, Widmeyer Communications, Venture Communications and the National Women’s Business Council.

Andro L. Barnett is a career professional in athletics, recreation, administration and leadership, and education. Dr. Barnett ranks as a Professor at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He has also served as Department Chair for six years. He also serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and ensures student athletes’ best interests are maintained and assists with the hiring processes of the head coaching staff. Dr. Barnett is well known within SHAPE, especially SHAPEWV and Midwest; he has served in numerous leadership capacities as SHAPE West Virginia President, Midwest President, SHAPE Affiliate Advisor Council, and SHAPE Midwest EDI Chair.

Tari Garner taught physical education and adapted physical education for 40 years and has experience with elementary through college-age students. She taught at the high school level for 19 years and was a head coach for two sports for 20+ years. A National Board Certified Teacher, Tari was the 2013 SHAPE America Central District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. She is CAPE certified and has taught as an adapted specialist and an adapted consultant. Tari is currently the outdoor adventure coordinator for the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. She is a past president of MOSHAPE and SHAPE America Central District, chairperson for MOSHAPE Membership Services, and has been involved in a variety of leadership positions during her career. She promotes physical education and health for all students and works to encourage an inclusive environment in all that she does. Tari is an advocate for teachers across the nation.

Coaching and education has taken Andy Milne to four continents, teaching in six schools on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean since 1994. Originally from London, Andy has taught health and kinetic wellness for the past 11 years at New Trier High School in Illinois. He has been recognized for his innovative use of technology in the classroom and in 2017 was named SHAPE America National Health Education Teacher of the Year. A highly sought-after presenter and speaker, Andy served as the state-level health representative for IAHPERD and sat on the National Advisory Board for Answer. Andy created the #sendateacher initiative to raise funds to send teachers to the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo, and he also runs the #slowchathealth blog site that seeks to amplify the voice of health and physical education teachers across the globe.

Tonya Moore is a highly accomplished and dedicated professional with a longstanding commitment to the field of physical education and health. With a wealth of experience as an Adapted Physical Education teacher, a Coordinator in a statewide project: PRISM (Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support that Matter for LGTBQ+ Students), and as a Coordinator for Physical Education and Comprehensive Health throughout Los Angeles County, Tonya has made significant contributions to the profession. She has demonstrated unwavering dedication to promoting health and well-being among individuals of all abilities.

Will Potter has been teaching physical education since 2002 and has been at Serendipity School since 2005. In 2013, he served as director for the Elementary Physical Education Workshop at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In 2019, Will was named the California AHPERD (CAHPERD) Elementary Teacher of the Year and in 2020 was named the SHAPE America National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. In 2021-2022, he served as CAHPERD president, promoting professional development and advocacy programs for health and physical education.

Victor Ramsey joined SHAPE America (then AAHPERD) as an undergraduate at York College. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in physical education, he began teaching. In his professional career of more than 32 years, Victor has been a physical education teacher, dean of students, assistant principal, and regional director for fitness and physical education. Along the way he also earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction. In his current role as educational administrator, he trains and supports health and physical educators. He recently served as a member of SHAPE America’s EDI Committee and Recruitment and Retention Task Force.

Robin Richardson is extremely active in promoting wellness in her school and her school district. She serves as team lead for her department and leads the staff wellness program. Robin’s passion and dedication to the field of health and education are evident in her willingness to serve in any capacity that will improve the quality and quantity of life of all those around her. During her tenure as president of KYSHAPE (2020-2021), she led the board to hosting the first in-person convention since the beginning of the pandemic. Robin recently served as a member of the SHAPE America Physical Education Council.

Joe Velardi is the Connecticut Coordinator for Health and Physical Education. He became an Assistant Director of the Connecticut Association of Schools – Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS-CIAC) in January of 2019 after a successful and extensive career in public education. Joe taught physical education for 14 years in the New Haven, CT Public School system. He then became the Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics in Regional School District 15 (Southbury, Middlebury CT), a position he held for 24 years. Joe is honored to serve the health and physical education profession in Connecticut by working in conjunction with the Connecticut State Department of Education.