Board of Directors
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board, 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 ACE Board of Directors," 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, Vice Chair, 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, CO. 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.
Dr. Lorna Friedman, Secretary, Dr. Lorna Friedman is a Senior Medical Executive with CIGNA International. Her primary focus is in emerging markets where she evaluates global health systems and related health improvement opportunities.
Dr. Friedman has spent over a decade with CIGNA serving in various roles including quality, medical management, sales and marketing; with an emphasis on working with diverse multi - national employer groups assisting them in their benefit strategies and programming to improve the health of their employees. She has developed various employee health programs geared toward women and children’s health and has served as a spokesperson for the company on wellness and preventive care issues.
A graduate of New York Medical College and the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University, Dr. Freidman received her pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Friedman has served on several boards dedicated to children and health including the New York City March of Dimes prematurity campaign , The Columbia University Health Alliance, and the Hear Me Project ; a creative writing campaign on HIV for at risk youth sponsored by MTV . She was inducted into the YWCA’s class of 2004 Academy of Women Leaders
Herb Flentye, Treasurer, serves as President and CEO at SPRI, the leading manufacturer and distributor of rubberized resistance exercise products in the professional market. He is an experienced operating executive officer with a track record of success as an entrepreneur and as the leader of SPRI over the last 10 years, a company known for its innovative products.
He is a graduate of DePaul University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Prior to joining SPRI, he worked for Tennis Corporation of America in finance and information systems. He later owned and operated an accounting and information solutions consulting firm.
“I am proud to be member of the ACE Board of Directors, an organization committed to enriching quality of life for all segments of society. At SPRI, it is our privilege to support the professionals that believe in and support that mission by inspiring and motivating the individuals they work with every day”
Alan Dean Sanner, CPA, Director Emeritus, 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."
Ashel (Ash) E. Hayes, Ed.D., Emeritus Historian, physical fitness and sports consultant in San Marcos, CA, 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, CA, 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.
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.
Glen Grodem 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."
John R. Martínez, P.T., M.P.T. is the sole Principle and President of Executive Operations Management which provides executive level business consulting to companies in and around New York City as well as Physical Therapy Experts, P.L.L.C. John received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 1988 from Swarthmore College, outside of Philadelphia, along with his certificate to teach Secondary Education. 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 as well as a physical therapy clinician in a variety of private practices in New York City. John also brings his knowledge and skills to the classroom teaching Neurology and Anatomy & Physiology to local undergraduate students.
Scott Murdoch, Ph.D., RD, is Co-Founder and Chief Nutritional Officer for NutriStyle, an online grocer-focused menu creation and wellness platform. He has 20 year of academic teaching, research, and clinical experiences, which have consistently focused on human nutrition and physical performance, with particular emphasis on both acute and chronic adaptations to various eating and activity patterns. As a physical activity enthusiast, he has competed in over 90 triathlons.
Manuel Rodriguez is Vice President of Marketing, Brand and Marketing Services for Reliant Energy an electricity provider in Houston, TX. He has served as Senior Director of Marketing, Benicar, a product for Hypertension, for Forest Laboratories in New York, N.Y where he led Benicar to become the 3rd largest and fastest growing Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) with annual sales of over $800 million and a market share of over 15%. Previously he worked as Director, Strategy and Business Planning, Plavix and Director, Consumer Marketing, Pargluva for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., where he was responsible for fortifying the Plavix and Pargluva value proposition by developing an overall strategic approach and messaging across payer, consumer and physician segments. In addition, he has worked on major consumer marketing efforts of healthcare products with Abbot Laboratories, Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson.
Elliot Turrini is CEO & Founder of CollaborativeHealth, an integrated media and services business dedicated to helping people live happier, healthier, longer, and stronger. He serves on ICG's advisory board. His past positions include assisting with strategy, finance, execution, and legal issues as EVP for API Systems, Inc. -- a 300 employee IT consulting and services firm. And, at his legal practice, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, he focused on intellectual property, information security, cyberlaw and privacy issues. He also served as Federal Prosecutor for the United States Attorneys Office, District of New Jersey.
Ted Vickey is President of FitWell LLC – an international 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 for the Bush, Clinton and Bush administrations. 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. He is a lifetime member of the Penn State Alumni Association and has served as a member of Penn State College of Health and Human Development Alumni Board of Directors and as a past president of the Kinesiology Alumni Association. He co-authored
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Partner Training in 2004, authored
101 Fitness Games for Kids at Camp in 2007, and
101 Fitness Tips for Golf in 2008. He has been an ACE-certified Personal Trainer since 1992, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sports Science from Penn State University and a Masters of Business in International Entrepreneurism from the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Kimberly Wells is a Senior International Trade Specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she specializes in helping the U.S. aerospace industry improve its competitiveness internationally. She has helped to develop numerous Presidential policies impacting the health of that industry, and works closely with the Departments of Defense and State as well as the White House and Congress to develop foreign economic policies that strengthen the aerospace industry. Ms. Wells is also the Chair of the Department of Commerce's Occupational Health Organization, which makes fitness facilities and programs available to over 3,000 Department employees in Washington, D.C.