NSCA Announces 2023 Election Results

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) announces the results of its 2023 Board of Directors elections, as voted on by NSCA Members, including our next President-Elect. These chosen individuals, nominated for their dedication and contributions to the Association and greater strength and conditioning community, will shape the future of the NSCA.

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Ian Jeffreys, PhD, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA

BOARD MEMBER
Duncan French, PhD, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E

SPORTS MEDICINE PROFESSIONAL
Jaynie Bjornaraa, PhD, PT, CSCS,*D, CSPS,*D

EDUCATIONAL/INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROFESSIONAL
Antonio Squillante, MS, CSCS,*D, NSCA-CPT,*D, RSCC

NOMINATION COMMITTEE MEMBER
Rick Howard, DSc, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA

Ian Jeffreys is an internationally renowned and award-winning coach, educator, and author. A former professional rugby player and international coach, he is regarded as a world authority in the development of speed and agility for team sports where his Gamespeed system and RAMP warm-ups have significantly impacted practice around the world. He is an Emeritus Professor in strength and conditioning and a visiting professor at a number of international institutions and, through his company, All-Pro Performance, delivers education programs in a number of countries. In 2021, he was awarded a career achievement award by the Strength and Conditioning Society. Jeffreys has authored/edited 11 books, over 25 book chapters, and over 90 peer-reviewed strength and conditioning articles. He is the Editor of Professional Strength and Conditioning and is on the Editorial Board for the NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Journal and the Journal of Australian Strength and Conditioning. He is a much sought-after conference presenter, having delivered talks and workshops in over 20 countries. A Fellow of the NSCA, Jeffreys has been a member of the organization since 1989. He was on the Board of Directors of the NSCA between 2016 and 2019, was the organization’s Vice President between 2018 and 2019, and was the NSCA High School Professional of the Year in 2006. He is a Founding Member and Fellow of the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association and was a member of the Board of Directors from the organization’s inception in 2004 through 2013.

Globally recognized as a leading expert in high performance sport, Duncan French has 25 years of experience working with athletes from over 40 different professional and Olympic sports. Presently, French is the Vice President of Performance for the UFC Performance Institute. He is responsible for directing high performance services to 650 UFC fighters globally, as well as managing three state-of-the-art high performance facilities in Las Vegas and Shanghai, with Mexico City opening in 2023. Prior to joining the UFC, French was the Director of Performance Sciences and the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Notre Dame. Before residing in the USA, he was a Technical Lead for Strength and Conditioning at the English Institute of Sport. He has supported three Olympic cycles and has been the national lead for strength and conditioning to both the Great Britain Basketball Team and Great Britain Taekwondo. French is the former Head of Strength and Conditioning at Newcastle United FC in the English Premier League. As a strength and conditioning coach, he has coached Olympic, World Championship, and Commonwealth Games medalists, as well as world-record holders. As a researcher, he has authored or co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts, nine book chapters, and is the co-editor for the NSCA’s Essentials of Sport Science textbook. He was the chairman of the UK Strength and Conditioning Association from 2011 – 2013 and received an Honorary Fellowship in 2014 for his services to the strength and conditioning industry.

Jaynie Bjornaraa has been physical therapist since 1984, specializing in sports and orthopedic injuries (APTA Board certified in Sports). She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Special Populations Specialist (CSPS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She served on the NSCA Certification Committee (chair and member), NSCA-CPT and CSPS item writing committees, NSCA Nominating Committee, and on the NSCA Board of Directors. She is also certified as an athletic trainer (ATC) and has worked extensively with various sports teams, traveling nationally and internationally. Bjornaraa served as the Chair of the Nominating Committee for the Sports PT Academy (AASPT) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the MNAPTA Nominating Committee, and AASPT item writing and cut score committees as a content expert. After 15 years of teaching at St. Catherine University in Minneapolis/St. Paul Minnesota in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, she recently shifted from core faculty (full professor) to adjunct professor. Her teaching responsibilities included anatomy (including dissection) and various orthopedic injury management and intervention topics. She also added advanced strength and conditioning to the DPT curriculum where students learn and experience Olympic and Power Lifting exercises. Her area of research predominantly included ACL injury and biomechanical analysis of high-risk movement patterns. She is currently the Vice President of Rehab Services and Digital Fitness Solutions at American Specialty Health where she manages the medical necessity review team of PT/OTs and oversees digital fitness programming for health plan members.

Antonio Squillante is a Registered Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (RSCC) with more than 10 years of experience coaching high school, collegiate, and professional athletes competing at the national and international level. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the Universita’ San Raffaele in Rome, Italy. Antonio earned a Master of Science degree in Sports Performance and Orthopedic Rehabilitation from A.T. Still University and a Master of Science degree in Biokinesiology from the University of Southern California. As a PhD student, Squillante is currently conducting research at the Clinical Exercise Research Center, Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy (University of Southern California, Los Angeles). His main interest in research lies in muscle physiology, looking at the effect of periodized resistance training on muscle function and performance in sport. Squillante is a faculty member at Setanta College. He has authored several books and textbooks on strength training for sport and periodization and translated some classic readings in exercise physiology and sports science, including the work of Professor Carmelo Bosco and Dr.Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky. Squillante is a Registered Sport and Exercise Nutritionist (SENr).

Rick Howard earned his Doctorate in Health Promotion and Wellness from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. He is an Assistant Professor of Applied Sports Science, Sports Performance Coordinator, and Coaching Minor Advisor at West Chester University (PA); Visiting Professor at Reykjavik University, Iceland; and Teacher at Keilir Health Academy in Ásbrú, Iceland. Howard has taught K-8 Health and Physical Education, coached middle school sports, and strength and conditioning for middle school, high school, and college. He has volunteered extensively for the NSCA, having served as founder and Chair of the long-term athletic development (LTAD) special interest group (SIG), Chair of the State and Provincial Director Committee, co-author of the NSCA Position Statement on LTAD, chapter co-author of the NSCA High School Manual, and Lead Instructor for CSCS Exam Prep. He continues to be active on SIG Executive Councils of the Strongman SIG, Special Populations SIG, and the newly formed Educator’s SIG. Howard contributes peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and books, as well as blogs and podcasts. He presents nationally and internationally on a variety of topics, most notably LTAD and the application of concepts of pediatric exercise science and foundational coaching principles for coaches, personal trainers, physical education teachers, and those who wish to improve the lives of young people of all ages. Howard is the co-founder of LTAD Playground and works on several collaborative projects to create a physically literate culture. He is a Master’s Strongman competitor and presents on all things strongman.

The election results will be formally announced at the Awards Banquet of the 2023 NSCA National Conference in Las Vegas, NV, this July 12-15.

Media Note: To schedule an interview with award winners, please contact marketing@nsca.com.

About the National Strength & Conditioning Association

Founded in 1978, The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is a nonprofit association dedicated to advancing the strength and conditioning and related sport science professions around the world.

The NSCA exists to empower a community of professionals to maximize their impact through disseminating evidence-based knowledge and its practical application by offering industry-leading certifications, research journals, career development services, networking opportunities, and continuing education. The NSCA community is composed of more than 60,000 members and certified professionals throughout the world who further industry standards as researchers, educators, strength and conditioning coaches, performance and sport scientists, personal trainers, tactical professionals, and other related roles.