Board of Directors


Glen Grodem, Chairman of the Board, is a business consultant who spent 15 years as general manager with General Electric (GE) under the leadership of corporate icons Jack Welch and Stan Gault. After GE Grodem acquired a single store furniture, appliance and electronic store that grew into a 19 store chain in three states with 1400 employees and annual revenues in excess of 300 million. He was also the former president of the national buying group NATM Buying Corp. and founding board member for the children's literacy program SMART, short for "Start Making a Reader Today." Grodem earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Whitman College.

Says Grodem, "I think one of the biggest problems that the United States faces right now is rising healthcare costs. I believe the best way to address this problem is for people to assume responsibility for themselves in exercise and nutrition. I feel ACE can make a difference in this world."





Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D., Vice Chair, currently on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Science Board, is the head of the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has dedicated the past 15 years to studying how physical activity affects health and quality in the aging population.

He served on the World Health Organization, Scientific Advisory Committee, which issued guidelines for physical activity in older adults. He currently chairs the Active Aging Partnership, a national coalition in the area of healthy aging, which links the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Institute on Aging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Geriatrics Society, the National Council on Aging, the American Association for Retired Persons and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Chodzko-Zajko earned his doctorate in exercise physiology from Purdue University and a bachelor's degree in exercise physiology from the University of London.

"I am very excited about being a part of (the board of) directors at ACE," Chodzko-Zajko says. "I believe the mission of ACE in promoting exercise and physical activity broadly across the United States is extremely important, and that is very consistent with my own work in promoting physical activity in the 50-plus (age) population."





Janet Lee, Secretary, joined Shape magazine as deputy editor in December 2005. Before that, she was the fitness director at SELF magazine and worked at Women's Sports & Fitness magazine in Boulder, Colo. Lee earned her master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"I am very excited to work with ACE, because I'm eager to spread the word about health, mental and emotional benefits of exercise and ACE has created an excellent foundation for that with its certification and educational programs," she says.





Alan Dean Sanner, CPA, Treasurer, serves as vice president of finance at the American Heart Association, National Center in Dallas. In 2000, Sanner returned to the AHA, where he previously served as internal auditor for six years, after a four-year stint as chief financial officer at another non-profit group, Mothers Against Drunk Driving. He earned an undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Belton, Texas.

About his mission at ACE, Sanner says, "I see my role as being the financial caretaker of an organization that's really important in making sure that the public's interests are protected."





Patricia Buttenheim is a Managing Director at Wellness 360, a New York based provider of global on-sight corporate wellness programs. Prior to Wellness 360, Patty most recently served as Vice President and Co-Head of Wellness Americas and Global Head of Health Services for Goldman Sachs where she oversaw medical services, case management, employee assistance programs, and business continuity and disaster preparedness planning for Goldman Sachs’ medical teams. She also oversaw many of the firm’s global wellness programs and directly set policies and standards for patient care programs and facilities for Goldman Sachs’ population around the world.

As a registered nurse Patty’s entire professional career has been based in Manhattan. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs she worked in the emergency room at Bellevue Hospital, supervised the operating room at New York University Medical Center (NYUMC) and was a research coordinator for the cardiac surgeons at NYUMC. She is certified as an American Heart Association (AHA) Instructor for basic cardiac life support and holds active certifications in AHA’s advanced cardiac life support and National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians for prehospital trauma life support.

Patty has a bachelor’s degree in nursing, a masters degree in health and fitness management, and her doctoral studies focused on organizational leadership.

In 1999, Patty became the eighth American woman to complete a double iron triathlon and was ranked fifth female in the world for ultra distance triathlon.





Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, an author and orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine, runs his own private practice in Havertown, Penn. He is also currently a clinical assistant professor of the orthopedic surgery department at the University of Pennsylvania hospital and an orthopedic advisor to the Philadelphia 76er basketball team and the Pennsylvania Ballet.

"I've always had a passion for and commitment to exercise in my own life and once I became a physician that carried over to how I treat my patients," DiNubile says. "ACE is the pre-eminent organization in helping me influence people on a national level, whether it's those who want to exercise or teach exercise."





Asahel (Ash) E. Hayes, Ed.D., Board Emeritus, physical fitness and sports consultant in San Marcos, Calif., held appointments under former U.S. Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan to lead national physical fitness and sports programs. He served as executive director, director of sports administration and director of federal/state relations at the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in Washington, D.C., throughout the '70s and '80s.

He also had a distinguished career at the San Diego Unified School District, San Diego, Calif., working as a teacher, coach, department head, athletic director and district administrator of health, physical education and athletics. Hayes earned his doctorate in education and a master's degree in physical education/exercise science from the University of California, Los Angeles. "It is an honor and privilege to be a part of the commitment of the American Council on Exercise in providing accurate information about exercise and physical fitness for the public and training programs for exercise leaders," Hayes says.





John R. Martínez, P.T., M.P.T. is Owner and President of Executive Operations Management which provides executive level business consulting to companies in and around New York City. John received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1988 from Swarthmore College, a small liberal arts school outside of Philadelphia, PA. After 10 years of involvement as a teacher of elementary education, a professional tennis instructor, and an exercise specialist, John completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Physical Therapy degrees from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science in 1997. Almost immediately, John was appointed Manager of "Complete Care: The Complementary Medicine Program" of Fox Chase Cancer Center which he created from its conception. Simultaneously, he directed the Evening and Weekend Outpatient Physical Therapy program at Lankenau Hospital, one of the premier Cardiac Hospitals in the United States. At the end of 2001, John was Fox Chase's Director of Cancer Prevention Screening Programs for Philadelphia Corporations and Co-Chairman of Philadelphia's "Wholistic Health Committee" as appointed by Mayor John Street's administration. In early 2002, John became the Chief Operator of Plus One Physical Therapy in New York City and established 8 new clinical practices throughout the United States within 3 years. Today he is an active consultant and entrepreneur helping all types of businesses with their management and operations.





Ian Smith, M.D. is currently a medical contributor to ABC's nationally syndicated daytime show "The View," a medical columnist for Men's Health magazine and the medical expert on VH1's television show "Celebrity Fit Club." Smith has authored four books and is currently working on a novel.

He graduated from Columbia University with a master's in science education and earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

"ACE is an organization that is absolutely essential to improving the fitness of our country," Smith says. "I'm proud and humbled to be part of a dedicated group of trailblazers who find it important to make America a healthier country."





Richard (Rick) E. White, President and Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Headwear, a diversified hat company serving the golf, tennis and outdoor markets located in Denver, Colorado, has been working in the sports industry for three decades.

He spent 20 years at New York City-based Major League Baseball Properties, including seven years as president and chief executive. Prior to moving to Denver, White was president and chief executive at Phoenix Footwear Group, based in Carlsbad, California.

He has a master's degree in industrial relations from Purdue University and a bachelor's degree in psychology from Chapman University.

"For me, (the mission at ACE) revolves around the ability to translate our collective work into guidance and benefits that ultimately inure positively for people who strive for good health," says White. "I think the work of ACE has an end-product and that is better health for more people."





Chris Freytag, is well-known on a national level as a fitness expert and contributing editor for Prevention Magazine. Her most recent book, Move to Lose™, offers practical tips, information and guidance for keeping a positive mind-set in incorporating healthy eating habits and exercise into everyday life. Her workouts are featured in Prevention Fitness Systems' latest DVDs, as well as many others over the past 19 years. She is an ACE-certified Personal Trainer, ACE-certified Group Fitness Instructor and an ACE-certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant.





Ted Vickey, is President of FitWell LLC - a fitness management and design company serving the fitness and golf industries and Corporate America he founded in 1994. In addition to his consulting practice, he served eleven-years as Executive Director of the White House Athletic Center from 1994-2005. Other clients have included the Department of Commerce, Fruit of the Loom, Osram Sylvania and the Securities and Exchange Commission. From 2001 to 2007, he was Vice President of Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. His responsibilities included operations, sales, consultation and client account management for the fitness management and wellness screenings division of the company. Since 1999 he has been a member of Penn State College of Health and Human Development Alumni Board of Directors as president of the Kinesiology Alumni Association. He co-authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Partner Training in 2004 and 101 Fitness Games for Kids at Camp in 2007, is an ACE-certified Personal Trainer, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Penn State University.





no photo available Dr. Lorna Friedman, Since July of 1999, Dr. Friedman has served as Sr. Medical Executive at CIGNA International Health Benefits, a company committed to delivering access to the best quality health care and related financial protection programs available to businesses, affinity groups and individuals around the globe. Currently, she also functions as Chairman of the New York State Prematurity Campaign at March of Dimes and is a Member at Columbia University HealthCare Alliance. She holds an MD from New York Medical College and her MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University.