National Strength and Conditioning Association Announces the 2020 NSCA Election Results

SOURCE: National Strength and Conditioning Association

Colorado Springs, CO – The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) announces the results of the 2020 elections, as voted on by NSCA Members, which includes a new President-Elect. Brent Alvar, PhD, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F, FNSCA will begin his three-year term in 2021 after serving as president-elect under current President N. Travis Triplett, PhD, CSCS,*D, FNSCA.

In addition, newly elected members to the Board of Directors include Paul Comfort, PhD, CSCS,*D, Robert Alejo, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E, and Sally Paulson, PhD, ATC, CSCS,*D. 

Joining the Nomination Committee is Scott Caulfield, MA, CSCS,*D, RSCC*D. 

The members also voted to approve proposed Bylaw changes 1, 2, and 3 listed below.

Filling the President-Elect position is Dr. Brent Alvar. 

Dr. Alvar is a Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Kinesiology at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He has been a member of the NSCA since 1996 and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction, Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator, and recognized as an NSCA Fellow. 

He began his career as a Personal Trainer/Strength Coach working with the general population, various clinical populations, as well developing collegiate Sports Performance and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Programs. In addition, he has been instrumental in developing many college and university academic programs in the area of Sports and Tactical Strength and Conditioning, including programs from the Associate’s level to the PhD. 

His research focus is in the area of Dose-Response of Resistance Training as well as the various components of Exercise Testing and Prescription related to Human Performance and Occupational Preparedness. Dr. Alvar has over 50 published papers and book chapters as well as over 75 invited research and professional presentations both nationally and internationally. He is also extremely involved in the tactical area of the NSCA, helping to develop the NSCA’s Essentials of Tactical Strength and Conditioning as well as the TSAC Strength and Conditioning Course.

His teaching is centered on Evidence-Based Practice, Research Methods, Clinical Exercise Prescription, as well as Sport and Tactical Strength and Conditioning. He spends the majority of his time guiding young scholars in their professional and research pursuits and feels this is the most important aspect of his career. 

The Board Member position is filled by Dr. Paul Comfort. 

Dr. Comfort is a Reader in Strength and Conditioning and program leader for the MSc Strength and Conditioning at the University of Salford. He is also an adjunct professor at Edith Cowan University. Dr. Comfort has applied experience across a range of sports and consults with numerous professional and semi-professional sports teams, which he has undertaken throughout his approximately 20-year academic career. He is a founder member and accredited member with the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association, has been a member of the NSCA for nearly 20 years, and is a CSCS,*D. He is a senior associate editor for the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research and associate editor for the European Journal of Sport Science and Sports Biomechanics. Dr. Comfort has co-authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with numerous book chapters, and is co-editor of the textbooks Advanced Strength and Conditioning: An Evidence Based Approach and Performance Assessment for Strength and Conditioning. 

Robert Alejo joins the Board as the Educational/Institutional Strength and Conditioning Professional Board Member.

Mr. Alejo is the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Performance and Student-Athlete Welfare at CSU Northridge. He was previously the Director of Sports Science for Power Lift. 2011-2017: Assistant AD/Director of Strength and Conditioning, NC State, overseeing the strength and conditioning for the entire athletic department, while coordinating the day-to-day efforts of the men's basketball team. During that time, the Wolfpack men’s basketball team earned two trips to the Sweet Sixteen in four NCAA Tournament appearances. 1993-2001 and 2009-2011: Director of Strength and Conditioning, Oakland Athletics, which included the “Moneyball” period. During those 12 years, he was responsible for all aspects of the organization's year-round physical preparation at both the MLB and minor league levels. 2010 Season: Strength and Conditioning Consultant, San Jose, Earthquakes. 2005-2008: Director of Strength and Conditioning, UC Santa Barbara. 2017-present and 2001-2005: Alejo Athletic Performance Consulting.1984-1993: Assistant, Associate Head, Head Administrator/Strength and Conditioning, UCLA, working with 23 men's and women's teams. During that time, the Bruins racked up 25 national championships and produced more than 100 All Americans. 1982-1984: Program Coordinator/ Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, Sports Medicine and Training Center, Chico, CA. Also, the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for CSU Chico Football, 1983- 84. U.S. Olympic Team: 2008 Beijing and 2012 London as strength and conditioning coach for men’s beach volleyball team Todd Rogers/Phil Dalhausser. 2007 World Champions, 2008 Olympic Gold. In addition to CSCS,*D and RSCC*E, he is ASCA Level 2 certified (Australian Strength and Conditioning Association). 

Filling the Sports Medicine Professional Board Member is Dr. Sally Paulson. 

Dr. Paulson earned her PhD from the University of Arkansas in Kinesiology. She has been a certified athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist for over 20 years. As an active professional member of the NSCA, she has attended the National Conference and presented research via a poster or podium presentation annually since 2006. Dr. Paulson is also an engaged member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and Gerontological Society of America. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, OH. 

While her expertise lies in the areas of biomechanics and athletic training, Dr. Paulson also teaches courses in health and wellness, research design, and stress management. Her research interests include gait analysis, functional fitness of aging adults, impact of wellness programs on health and fitness measures of employees, and acute biomechanical responses to exercise training and footwear. Her research has been published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, BMC Geriatrics, Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy, and the International Journal of Sports Medicine.

Dr. Paulson also has extensive experience mentoring undergraduate student research in areas such as biomechanics, functional fitness, and physical activity intervention programs. Additionally, she has served as a reviewer for numerous journals, such as Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and is currently a member of the NSCA’s Women’s Committee. 

The members elect Scott Caulfieldto the Nomination Committee. 

Mr. Caulfield is the Director of Strength and Conditioning at Colorado College (CC). Named to the position in September 2019, Caulfield directs the oversight, development and management of strength and conditioning programs for all student-athletes participating in the College's two Division I programs (Men's Ice Hockey & Women's Soccer) and 15 Division III programs. 

Prior to joining CC, Caulfield spent close to a decade at the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), where he served as Coaching Education Manager and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach. In this role, Caulfield relied on his more than 20 years’ “under the bar” experience in coaching and lifting to support the NSCA’s mission of supporting and disseminating research-based knowledge and its practical application to improve athletic performance and fitness.

Prior to joining the NSCA, Caulfield served as an assistant strength & conditioning coach at Dartmouth College from 2008 to 2011, where he worked primarily with the football, men's & women's swimming, and rugby teams. From 2006 to 2008, he was the head strength and conditioning coach and director of camps for the back-to-back American Basketball Association champions, Vermont Frost Heaves. 

Caulfield holds the Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with Distinction (CSCS*D) certification and Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach with Distinction (RSCC*D) designation from the NSCA. He earned a master's in sports coaching from the University of Denver in 2017 and holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from Castleton University. 

The members vote of the Bylaw changes are:

• Change 1 has been approved: Change to allow an individual who has served two previous Board terms to serve as president
• Change 2 has been approved: Updates to Board of Directors qualifications
• Change 3 has been approved: Minor changes in wording, grammar, arrangement and correction of typographical errors 

About the National Strength and Conditioning Association 

Founded in 1978, the National Strength and Conditioning Association 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.