Press Room

HHS Secretary Becerra Appoints New National Fitness Foundation’s Board of Directors

Posted: Sep 02, 2022 in ACE Press Releases

(This press release originally appeared on HHS.gov.)

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra has appointed new members to the Board of Directors of the National Fitness Foundation (Foundation). The Foundation was established by Congress in 2010 to collaborate with the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (President’s Council) and to identify strategic priorities to further the purposes and functions of President’s Council. The Foundation supports and strengthens the President’s Council’s mission by facilitating investments and partnerships that engage, educate, and empower all Americans to lead healthy, active lives.

“This experienced group of advisors will enable the National Fitness Foundation to take the next step in advancing the health of our nation through fitness and nutrition,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These leaders will help shape the direction of the Foundation as it strives to further the important mission of the President’s Council in supporting sports, health, and fitness initiatives for young people.”

The Board is charged with providing the overall strategic direction related to the Foundation’s vision, mission, program scope, resource allocation, and investment philosophy. It also provides guidance to the Foundation’s Executive Director to operate the agenda to deliver upon the Board’s expectations.

 

Judith Brown Clarke, Ph.D., OLY - Vice President for Equity & Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer, Stony Brook University

Scott Goudeseune - Chief Executive Officer, American Council on Exercise (ACE)

Elizabeth Kunz - Chief Executive Officer, Girls on the Run International

Boris Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H. - Professor and Dean, School of Public Health at the University of Maryland and Former Acting Surgeon General

Michael McConnell, M.D., M.S.E.E. - Chief Medical Officer and Head of Cardiovascular and Digital Health, Tesseract Health and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Stanford University

Suzanne McCormick - President & Chief Executive Officer, YMCA of the USA

Damon Phillips - Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives at NBC Sports Group and Head of Diversity & Inclusion

James Siegal - Senior Fellow, KABOOM!

In addition to the eight individuals appointed to the Board of Directors, there are five ex officio, nonvoting members of the Board. These members include Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS Admiral Rachel Levine, MD; the Acting Executive Director of the President’s Council Rachel Fisher; the Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Rochelle Walensky; the Director of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Dr. Karen Hacker; and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Dr. Gary H. Gibbons.

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About the American Council on Exercise

Since 1985, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) has been the leading non-profit education and certification provider for health coaches and exercise professionals in the United States and around the world.

With more than 90,000 highly respected certified health coaches and exercise professionals, ACE Certified Professionals are on the ground daily helping people move, stay active and make lasting lifestyle behavior changes to build healthier communities.

Headquartered in San Diego, ACE collaborates with public health partners to educate people of all backgrounds about the importance of physical activity and other healthy lifestyle behaviors; advocates for public policies to increase physical activity opportunities; and supports scientific research that investigates the efficacy of behavior-change interventions and the effectiveness of exercise practices and trends.

For more information visit www.acefitness.org/about-ace/. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.