Scott Goudeseune
President and Chief Executive Officer
With more than 25 years of experience in extensive operations, sales and marketing for fitness- and consumer-based companies, Scott Goudeseune oversees all aspects of operations for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and provides extensive leadership and direction for all of the organization’s business activities. Goudeseune continuously updates methods and procedures developed specifically for ACE and its wide network of professionals in order to leverage the latest technologies, health and fitness training as well as educational offerings to promote positive organizational growth. In addition, he has spearheaded ACE’s effort to firmly establish and enhance an influential, powerful and unified political voice for the fitness industry as a whole.
Focused on increasing the number of ACE-certified fitness professionals who actively participate in grassroots advocacy, Goudeseune is committed to helping pass laws that will affect societal changes toward a more fit America. He was instrumental in establishing and building ACE’s relationship with AARP, which provides AARP members access to ACE-certified professional trainers at discounted rates. Goudeseune also sits on the board of directors of the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA) as president-elect, where he additionally serves on the Membership, Public Policy and Strategic Planning Committees. Goudeseune is a co-chair of the Business/Industry Sector in executing the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) – one of ACE’s many public outreach partnerships focused on improving public health.
Goudeseune previously served as ACE’s vice president of sales & business development. In 2003, he was assigned the vice president of operations position and then served as chief operating officer. During his tenure with the company, ACE has earned accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and expanded key business relationships with leaders inside and outside the fitness industry.
Prior to joining ACE, Goudeseune was the vice president of U.S. sales for Reebok/CCS Fitness in Aurora, Colo., where he was responsible for commercial and specialty retail sales of Reebok’s fitness equipment line totaling $18 million annually. Before joining Reebok, he worked as the manager of learning and development of U.S. sales for Coors Brewing Co. in Golden, Colo.
In his free time, Goudeseune pursues his favorite passion – gourmet cooking. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Barbara.
Alex Mirnezam, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Alex Mirnezam brings more than 16 years of experience in finance and accounting in both public and private organizations to ACE. As a key member of the senior executive team at ACE, he handles all financial and administrative functions and plays a critical role in strategic development.
Before joining ACE in April 1999, Mirnezam spent nearly 10 years in a variety of senior finance positions with Coverall North America, Inc., an international franchise company with more than 4,500 franchisees and a Fortune 500 company based in San Diego. Mirnezam led the accounting and finances for the company, which regularly exceed over $150 million in annual sales. He also played a key role in acquiring several related companies for Coverall, resulting in a sales increase of 40 percent.
Prior to his role at Coverall North America, Mirnezam served as the chief financial officer and corporate controller for private and public companies in the franchise and service industries, including Jenny Craig International and Thrifty Oil Co. He holds a master’s degree in business from National University in San Diego, CA.
Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D.
Chief Science Officer
As Chief Science Officer, Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D., FACSM, represents ACE as a national and international lecturer, writer and expert source. Bryant has written more than 200 articles or columns in fitness trade magazines, as well sports medicine and exercise science journals, and authored, co-authored or edited 30 books. He can often be found as an authoritative resource for fitness and nutrition articles in a variety of respected national outlets including USA Today, Washington Post, The New York Times, Parade, Wall Street Journal, Time, Newsweek, Reader’s Digest, Consumer Reports, Fox News, and CNN Headline News. Bryant also shares his expertise within the fitness industry as a scientific advisory board member for numerous organizations and publications including the Center for the Study of Sport at Seattle University and Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, ClubLife and Oxygen magazines.
Thanks to Bryant’s academic background and his experience with the research, development and design of commercial and consumer exercise equipment, he has extensive knowledge on the practical application of exercise science and how to protect users against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. Bryant has held a position on exercise science faculties at several prestigious institutions including the United States Military Academy at West Point, Pennsylvania State University and Arizona State University. Bryant earned both his doctorate in physiology and master’s degree in exercise science from Pennsylvania State University. In 2006, Dr. Bryant received the Penn State Alumni Fellow Award which is given to select alumni who are considered leaders in their professional fields.
As a community leader, Bryant shares his knowledge of exercise physiology and athletics as a youth sports coach in baseball, basketball and soccer. He and his wife, Ginger, reside in Redmond, WA with their four sons.
Janet Frenkel
Chief Operating Officer
As Chief Operating Officer, Janet Frenkel is responsible for implementation and execution of ACE’s overall strategic objectives as well as providing operational leadership for ACE’s core and consumer business. For more than 20 years, her career focused on behavioral economics as it relates to management and leadership in a variety of business settings. As an entrepreneur, a managing director for Leadership Forward, Inc., and a managing partner with The Gallup Organization, Frenkel led high level management consulting teams working in the non-profit healthcare sector, as well as with many Fortune 500 companies. Prior to joining ACE, she served as chief executive officer and founder of The Frenkel Group, Inc., a management consulting firm focused on healthcare, where she specialized in leadership development, member satisfaction, operational efficiency, succession planning and employee engagement.
Frenkel also served as vice president of Sterling Research Group with a specific focus on non-profits, healthcare, lodging and financial services workforce performance improvement. Her career also includes consulting for numerous not-for-profit start-ups and larger for profit organizations including American Airlines, Wachovia Bank, The University of California, Hilton Hotels, All Children's Hospital, the American College of Physician Executives and Southwest Airlines.
With a background in fitness including fitness center sales and management, group fitness instruction and business coaching to personal trainers, Frenkel received her Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and is a graduate of numerous leadership and management development programs including The University of Florida School of Business, The Gallup School of Management and Dale Carnegie.
Graham Melstrand
Vice President, Business Development
With over twenty years of fitness industry experience, Graham Melstrand joined ACE in 2000 and is now responsible for daily operations of the organization including educational services, resource center and commercial accounts departments. Melstrand is also an advisory board member to the Medical Fitness Association and a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) where he serves on the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (COAES) and on the Joint Committee on Health Fitness Facility Standards for the NSF International.
At ACE, Melstrand previously served as director of educational services, managing ACE’s continuing education and certification programs. Prior to joining ACE, he worked for equipment manufacturer Reebok/CCS Fitness as director of new business development. There, he was responsible for development and execution of the North American sales plan including key federal government, military and university accounts, trade association partnerships and specialty retail. He also held the position of territory manager for Star Trac.
Melstrand’s strong background in fitness includes work as an athletic trainer for the Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine Institute in Costa Mesa, Calif., and at University High School in Irvine, Calif. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education/athletic training from California State University, Long Beach. His athletic achievements include participating in the U.S. Olympic Trials (1984, 1988), as a member of the U.S. National Team Development Program (1983 – 1990) and competing as a nationally ranked cyclist between 1981 and 1991.