Michele Stanten
Industry Advisory Panel Chair
Michele Stanten has been motivating people to be more active for the past 20 years. As the former Fitness Director of Prevention magazine, she created a marathon walking program and coached thousands of readers to walk full and half marathons across the country. Stanten is the author of Firm Up in 3 Weeks and Walk Off Weight and has produced and appeared in more than a dozen exercise DVDs. She is also an ACE-certified Group Fitness Instructor.
Stanten has bachelor's degrees in magazine journalism and English from Syracuse University.
"I am honored to be a board member of ACE, an organization that is a leader in promoting physical activity, and look forward to working with them to help even more people lead healthy, active lives."
Graham Melstrand
ACE Liason to the IAP, Vice President of Operations
Graham Melstrand, ACE liaison to the IAP, vice president of operations, is responsible for daily operations of the organization including directing the educational services, resource center and commercial accounts departments. He 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). Additionally, 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 athletic training 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.
Shannon Fable
Shannon Fable, Top 3 Finalist for 2009 IDEA Instructor of the Year and 2006 ACE Group Fitness Instructor of the Year, is the founder and CEO of Sunshine Fitness Resources, a fitness consulting firm experienced in providing services for instructors, aspiring presenters, fitness manufacturers and managers, as well as the owner of Balletone & GroupEx Pro. Shannon, a Power Bar sponsored athlete, is an international presenter for several well known companies including Schwinn, BOSU, Power Systems and ACE. As a program developer, educator and freelance writer for the past 15 years, she lectures and conducts continuing education events worldwide.
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 coach.
John F. Graham, MS, CHFS, CSCS*D, FNSCA
John Graham is the Director of Community & Corporate Fitness at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown & Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. John is an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey in the Department of Health & Exercise Science. John is a member of the Industry Advisory Panel for the American Council On Exercise (ACE). He presently serves as an associate editor and column editor for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength & Conditioning Journal. John currently serves on the National Strength and Conditioning Association Certification Committee. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Fellow of the National Strength & Conditioning Association & American College of Sports Medicine Certified Health/Fitness Instructor. John has authored or contributed to local, regional and national peer reviewed and lay publications on health, fitness and sports conditioning. He has given local, regional, national and international presentations on health, fitness and sports conditioning. He coordinates; designs and implements exercise prescriptions for athletes, fitness, and chronic diseased and disabled populations. He served as a member of National Strength & Conditioning Association Board of Directors from 2001 – 2003 and served as Vice President in 2002 and Secretary/Treasurer in 2003. John was awarded the National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength & Conditioning Journal Editorial Excellence Award in 2000. John has been recognized by the Medical Fitness Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, National Strength and Conditioning Association, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, Pennsylvania State Senate, Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Hamot Health Systems for his contributions to fitness and sports performance. John is married to Lisa Graham and has two daughters, Lindsey & Alexas.
Cher Harris
Cher Harris, Assistant General Manager of The Houstonian Club, a luxurious 125,000 square foot health and fitness facility which serves approximately 14,000 private members and guests in the heart of downtown Houston. Prior to working in the for-profit industry she held a variety of management and teaching positions at the University of Florida, Indiana University and Florida State University.
Cher Harris earned her master’s degree in kinesiology from Indiana University and has over 15 years of experience in the fitness industry including commercial fitness, corporate fitness and university recreation. She has authored and co-authored three books currently in publication on exercise testing and prescription.
In her personal time she loves to spend time with her husband and daughter doing anything outdoors and she has been known to participate in an adventure race or two.
Donna Hutchinson
Throughout her career Donna has worked in all facets of the industry, parks and recreation, corporate health & wellness, privately owned facilities and finally culminating in the successful operation of her own personal training and fitness education business.
Over the span of her career Donna has had the pleasure of training and educating thousands of emerging and veteran fitness leaders. She has authored over a dozen fitness resource manuals and is a contributing author to many industry publications. Donna is the author of the How to Guide to Starting Your Own Personal Training Business and the How To Guide to Growing Your Own Personal Training Business.
Donna is a strong advocate for the development of fitness leaders into community leaders who can then inspire people to add movement into their every day life.
Donna travels extensively, consulting and speaking about business growth and development. She shows how individuals and organizations can improve their business by creating innovative and creative work environments for employees to take charge and reach their full potential.
Born in Montreal, Donna now resides in Vancouver in the beautiful Province of British Columbia where she shares her passion for life with her husband Brian and dog Bailey.
Steven Trotter
Steven Trotter is the Fitness Coordinator for Virginia Tech, a large land-grant university located in Blacksburg, Virginia that serves over 30,000 full-time students and approximately 7,000 faculty and staff. In his role at Virginia Tech, Steven directly manages the group exercise program, personal training program, special wellness-related events, and additional departmental programs. The fitness program includes a comprehensive system of a dual revenue-generating group fitness program with over 65 instructors, a successful personal training program with over 30 personal trainers, and a leadership team that consists of three student supervisors and a Graduate Assistant for Fitness.
Steven has extensive experience in group exercise, personal training, and special events. He teaches three academic classes a semester two of which are activity courses and one each semester through the ACE University Partnership. Since coming onto staff at Virginia Tech in June of 2008, he has taught over 130 students the theory and practice of becoming a group fitness instructor and taught over 220 students the theory, practice, and execution of becoming a successful personal trainer. He is an active member of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) where he serves as a member on the Fitness Committee, the Committee Chair for the 2014 National Fitness/Wellness Institute, and has taught fitness classes and given lectures at the state, regional, and national level. His passion for education and student development is evident through his involvement and expectations for his students. Steven is heavily involved with the Southeast Collegiate Fitness Expo and takes on average 30-40 students a year to the conference. Virginia Tech is the host for the 2012 Southeast Collegiate Fitness Expo where he is the Host Chair.
Steven earned his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his Master of Science in Education – Health and Physical Education from Virginia Tech. He has worked previously with Recreational Services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Campus Recreation at Wingate University. Steven maintains certifications and trainings in ACSM, ACE, IFTA, Zumba, LesMills, AFAA, Concept 2 Rowing, and Powder Blue Productions.