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

Irene Cucina Elected as AAHPERD President-Elect

Irene M. Cucina

Professor, Department of Health and Human Performance
Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH

Irene M. Cucina was elected to the position of president-elect at the Alliance Assembly meeting at the AAHPERD National Convention and Exposition in San Diego, CA, April 2, 2011. Prior to her current position as a Professor in the Health and Human Performance Department at Plymouth State University, Irene spent 16 years as a health and physical education teacher and coach at Newton North High School in Newton, MA. Cucina's professional preparation includes a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University, a Master of Education from Cambridge College, and a Doctorate of Physical Education from Springfield College.   

A member of AAHPERD since the early 1980s, Cucina has willingly served the profession in a variety of elected and appointed positions at the state, district and national levels. Since 2009, she has served as the Eastern District representative to the Board of Governors. Cucina's term as president-elect begins now and she will move into the presidency at the Boston convention in March 2012.  

In her speech to the Alliance Assembly, Cucina spoke about the plans for organizational reorganization: "I believe it is important to embrace the concept of unification and authorize the study of consolidation into one unified national organization...To unify into one national association we must be willing to change."  She is dedicated to our Alliance and to our professions and she pledged to fulfill the responsibilities of this office with enthusiasm, energy, integrity and vision.