Congratulations to Kathy Malone, director of health and wellness and facility manager at Mathews Athletic Center (MAC), for being appointed to the National Exercise Trainers Association-Certification Board (NETA-CB). The purpose of the board is to advance the field of health, wellness, and fitness by developing and maintaining criteria and procedures for conducting valid and reliable national certification programs. Malone has been part of NETA since 1998, maintaining certifications in group exercise instructor, wellness coach, pilates, yoga and barre. She has served on NETA's group exercise instructor exam development committee (2017) and on the Subject Matter Expert Standard Setting panel (2022).

Malone came to Wesleyan in 2002 and later earned a certificate in exercise physiology from Stanford Center for Health Education. She is certified as a personal trainer in nutrition, wellness, and senior fitness by the American Fitness Professionals Associates and is an American Heart Association CPR Instructor. At the MAC she teaches the SilverSneakers program and serves as the HPE coordinator and health instructor.

Each year, Malone spearheads several health initiatives on campus including health fairs and fitness expos. She leads the student athlete wellness initiative (NCAA Freshman Experience, myPlaybook) and  Virtual Care Group telehealth, serves as an investigator on Wesleyan’s Title IX committee, and leads the Automatic defibrillator (AED) committee. As liaison for the Drug Free Schools and Communities Actbiennial she writes and distributes policies, implements effective drug and alcohol programs, collects data, and conducts evaluations to insure legal compliance.

Malone said, “It is an exciting opportunity to be appointed to a position on the NETA Certification Board. I look forward to advancing my health, wellness, and fitness career with the knowledge and experience I gain from serving on the board.”

Working with NETA’s Director of Certification, the NETA-CB oversees all essential certification activities and has final decision-making authority over the complete examination development cycle for NETA’s NCCA-accredited Group Exercise Instructor and Personal Trainer certification programs. Members of the NETA-CB are committed to the integrity and advancement of credentialing in the fitness industry.

NETA has been educating fitness professionals for 45 years and has certified more than 160,000 fitness professionals.