Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board
As ACE’s Chairman of the Board, Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko, Ph.D., is dedicated to endorsing the value of exercise across the U.S. and has devoted his career to furthering physical activity and a healthy lifestyle to the nation’s aging population. Chodzko-Zajko currently serves as the head of the department of kinesiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a member on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Science Board.
In addition, Chodzko-Zajko is chairman of the Active Aging Partnership, a national coalition for the promoting physical activity in adults over 50 years of age, consisting of members from leading organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AARP, the National Council on Aging, the National Institute on Aging, the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Geriatrics Society and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 1996, he was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Committee for the World Health Organization.
Chodzko-Zajko has a 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. 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
Janet Lee, Shape magazine’s deputy editor, was first elected to the board in July 2005 and formerly served as secretary. Prior to joining Shape, Lee was the fitness director at SELF magazine and worked in the editorial department of 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 and mental and emotional benefits of exercise, and ACE has created an excellent foundation for that with its certification and educational programs.”
Dr. Lorna Friedman
Secretary
A senior medical executive at CIGNA International, where her primary role is evaluating global health systems and related health improvement opportunities with emerging markets, Dr. Lorna Friedman has been an ACE board member since July 2007.
Friedman has spent over a decade with CIGNA serving in various roles including quality, medical management, sales and marketing – with an emphasis on assisting diverse, multinational employer groups with 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.
Freidman 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.
A graduate of New York Medical College and the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University, Freidman received her pediatric training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Herb Flentye
Treasurer
For more than 10 years, Herb Flentye has been the president and chief executive officer of SPRI, a subsidiary of Gaiam, the leading manufacturer and distributor of rubberized resistance exercise products in the professional market. Flentye brings tremendous innovation and experience as an operating executive officer as an entrepreneur. Prior to joining SPRI, he worked for Tennis Corporation of America in finance and information systems and owned and operated an accounting and information solutions consulting firm.
Flentye has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from DePaul University.
“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
Since 2000, Alan Dean Sanner has served as the vice president of finance for the American Heart Association (AHA) in Dallas, where he held the position of internal auditor from 1990-1996. Prior to returning to the AHA, Sanner spent four years as the chief financial officer at Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Sanner earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor in Belton, TX.
“I see my role as being a 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
A physical fitness and sports consultant in San Marcos, Calif., Ashel (Ash) E. Hayes held appointments under former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan during which he led national physical fitness and sports programs. He served as executive director, director of sports administration and director of federal/state relations on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in Washington, D.C., throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. Hayes also had a distinguished career within the San Diego Unified School District 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.”
Chris Freytag
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 mindset in incorporating healthy eating habits and exercise into everyday life. Her workouts are featured in Prevention Fitness Systems’ latest DVD’s, as well as in many others over the past 19 years. Freytag is an ACE-certified personal trainer, ACE-certified Group Fitness Instructor and an ACE-certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant.
Glen Grodem
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 leaving GE, he acquired a single furniture, appliance and electronic store that grew into a 19-store chain in three states with 1,400 employees and annual revenues in excess of $300 million. Grodem was also the former president of the national buying group NATM Buying Corp. and founding board member for the children’s literacy program SMART, Start Making a Reader Today.
Grodem earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Whitman College.
“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.
John R. Martínez, P.T., M.P.T., is the principle and president of Executive Operations Management, a company that provides executive level business consulting to companies in and around New York City, and Physical Therapy Experts, PLLC, a comprehensive physical therapy clinic. Prior to his current positions, he was chief operator of Plus One Physical Therapy in New York City and established eight new clinical practices throughout the U.S. in three years.
Martínez created “Complete Care: The Complementary Medicine Program” at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia and simultaneously directed the Evening and Weekend Outpatient Physical Therapy program at Lankenau Hospital in Ardmore, Pa., one of the premier cardiac hospitals in the United States. At the end of 2001, he 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.
Martínez received his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Swarthmore College and later earned bachelor of science and master of physical therapy degrees from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.
Scott Murdoch, Ph.D., RD
Scott Murdoch, Ph.D., R.D., is the co-founder and chief nutrition officer of NutriStyle, Inc., a web-based Nutrition and fitness program. He has 20 years 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.
Murdoch received his bachelor of science degree in health fitness/wellness programming from Springfield College, MA, his master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of South Carolina at Columbia, and his Ph.D. in nutrition and human performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Manuel Rodriguez
Manuel Rodriguez is vice president of marketing, brand and marketing services, for Reliant Energy, an electricity provider in Houston, Tx. Before joining Reliant, Rodriguez served as senior director of marketing for Benicar, a product for hypertension, at Forest Laboratories in New York City. There, he led Benicar to become the third largest and fastest growing Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker (ARB) with annual sales of over $800 million and a market share of over 15 percent. Previously, he worked as director, strategy and business planning, for Plavix and director, consumer marketing, for Pargluva at Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Rodriguez was responsible for fortifying the Plavix and Pargluva value proposition by developing an overall strategic approach and messaging across payer, consumer and physician segments. He has also worked on major consumer marketing efforts for healthcare products with Abbot Laboratories, Schering-Plough and Johnson & Johnson.
Elliot Turrini
Elliot Turrini is chief executive officer and founder of CollaborativeHealth, an integrated media and services business dedicated to helping people live happier, healthier, longer and stronger. He is also an active member on ICG’s advisory board. Turrini’s past positions include assisting with strategy, finance, execution and legal issues as executive vice president for API Systems, Inc., a 300 employee IT consulting and services firm. At McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP, he focused on intellectual property, information security, cyberlaw and privacy issues. Turrini also served as Federal Prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey.
Ted Vickey
Ted Vickey is president of FitWell LLC, an international fitness management and design company serving the fitness and golf industries and corporate America. In addition to this consulting practice he founded in 1994, Vickey served 11 years as executive director of the White House Athletic Center from 1994 to 2005 for the George H.W. Bush, Clinton and George W. 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.
Vickey 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. Vickey co-authored The Complete Idiot's Guide to Partner Training in 2004, and authored 101 Fitness Games for Kids at Camp in 2007 and 101 Fitness Tips for Golf in 2008. An ACE-certified personal trainer since 1992, he holds a bachelor’s of science degree in exercise and sports science from Penn State University and a master’s of business in international entrepreneurism from the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Kimberly Wells
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 international competitiveness. She has helped to develop numerous presidential policies impacting the health of that industry, and works closely with the Departments of Defense and State, the White House and Congress to develop foreign economic policies that strengthen the aerospace industry. 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.