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Faculty
Matthew Rhea, PhD, HM Program Director, Assistant Professor
Jeffrey L. Alexander, PhD, Assistant Professor
Mark Peterson, PhD-ABD, Mesa Community College, Adjunct Faculty
Meredith Hale-Griffin, MS, AT Still University, Adjunct Adjunct
Kregg Lunt, MPT, Southern Utah Physical Therapy, Adjunct Faculty
Pedro Marin, PhD-ABD, AT Still University, Adjunct Faculty
Ken Miller, M.S., University of California-Berkeley, Adjunct Faculty
Alan Russell, MS, National Academy of Sports Medicine, Adjunct Faculty
Tamara Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., AT Still University, Adjunct Faculty
Sue Falsone, M.S., Athletes' Performance, Adjunct Faculty
Amanda Carlson, M.S., Athletes' Performance, Adjunct Faculty
Ben Potenziano, M.Ed., San Francisco Giants, Adjunct Faculty
Aaron Nelson, M.S., Phoenix Suns, Adjunct Faculty
Matthew Rhea, PhD, HM Program Director, Assistant Professor
Dr. Rhea earned a PhD at Arizona State University (2004) and has received international recognition for his research in enhancement of sport and occupational performance. He was invited to present at the International Olympic Committee’s World Congress on Sports Science in Athens, Greece just prior to the 2004 summer Olympics and at the International Conference on Strength Training in Odense, Denmark (2006). Dr. Rhea has been active in presenting his research at the National Strength and Conditioning Association conferences and serves as an associate editor for the NSCA’s Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. He has published research in the leading journals in the field of exercise science and sports conditioning and works closely with our top organizations to further knowledge, understanding, and applications of exercise related benefits. His current research interests involve examining methods for enhancing performance and preventing sports- and occupational-related injuries.
Dr. Rhea has an impressive professional background, working as a coach, strength and conditioning coach, and personal trainer for 10 years. He started Elite Sports Conditioning, a program for high school and college athletes in Southern Utah focusing on speed, agility, quickness, and injury prevention. He has worked with college strength and conditioning programs for the golf, football, basketball, and baseball teams and has consulted Arizona State University, the Seattle Supersonics, Athletes’ Performance, Little League Baseball, the San Francisco Giants, and the National Academy of Sports Medicine regarding evidence based program design.
Jeffrey L. Alexander, PhD, ACSM-ES®, Assistant Professor
Dr. Jeffrey L. Alexander earned his Bachelor’s degree in health promotion and Master of Science in exercise physiology from Brigham Young University. He completed his doctor of philosophy degree at Arizona State University (2003) in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in exercise and wellness. Dr. Alexander is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as an Exercise Specialist® and has been personal training for a number of years working closely with the older adult population. While serving as an assistant professor at Indiana State University, he consulted with independent and assisted living elder care centers conducting group fitness for residents as well as developing strength training programs to increase residents’ health and functional fitness. Dr. Alexander is actively involved in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. He is currently a member of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) and serves on the Arizona state outcomes committee, which is in the process of developing statewide outcomes collection to improve the delivery of rehab services.
Dr. Alexander is actively engaged in research and is currently conducting clinical studies within Banner Health Systems heart hospital in Mesa, Arizona. He has presented his research at both the national and regional meetings of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) for the past several years as well as regional ACSM conferences. Recently, Dr. Alexander was nominated for the New Investigator of the Year Award at the national AACVPR conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has also published research in leading journals in the fields of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation and rehabilitation nursing. His current research interests include strength training and functional fitness among older adults and innovative therapies to improve the quality of life among pulmonary rehab participants.
Mark Peterson, PhD-ABD , Adjunct Faculty
Mark is currently a faculty member at Mesa Community College in exercise science. He is considered one of the leading authorities in sports conditioning having worked with collegiate, professional, and elite competitive athletes. Mark has conducted, presented, and published research at leading conferences and in high ranking journals in the exercise sciences.
Meredith Hale-Griffin, MS, Adjunct Faculty
Meredith completed at Master of Science degree at Arizona State University in Exercise and Wellness in 2007 after completing a Bachelor's degree at ASU in biochemistry. She is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA and has worked extensively in sports nutrition and conditioning.
Kregg Lunt, MPT, Adjunct Faculty
Kregg is currently a physical therapist at Southern Utah Physical Therapy in Cedar City, Utah where he has been for almost 6 years. He graduated from the Arizona School of Health Sciences physical therapy program in 1998 and earned a B.S. degree in Biology from Southern Utah University. He directs Elite Sports Conditioning, a sport performance enhancement and injury prevention/rehabilitation program, where he is conducting research with high school athletes.
Pedro Marin, PhD-ABD, Adjunct Faculty
Pedro is currently completing a PhD at the European University of Madrid in Exercise Science. He is completing research at AT Still University in the area of sports performance enhancement, injury prevention, and overall fitness development. In Spain, Pedro works in physical therapy and rehabilitiation as well as consulting major occupational and fitness companies.
Ken Miller, M.S., Adjunct Faculty
Ken is currently as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Califormia Berkeley. He works with football, gymnastics, golf, and softball. Ken has worked closely with the NASM in preparing and developing curriculum for the Performance Enhancement Specialist. He holds certifications with the NASM, NSCA, and USA weightlifting.
Alan Russell, MS, ATC, PES, CES, Adjunct Faculty
A noted athletic trainer specializing in professional baseball, Alan Russell heads NASM’s Health Science Institute – which provides scientifically valid and evidence-based solutions in health and fitness. His former work as a certified athletic trainer with the world champion Anaheim Angels baseball club has produced dramatic results in off-season training. He has also reconditioned hundreds of professional baseball and football players as well as elite track and field, college and high-school athletes. He received his Bachelor of Science from Boise State University (1992) and his Master of Science from California University of Pennsylvania (2004). He is currently NASM’s representative to the Committee on Accreditation for the Exercise Sciences (CoAES), and an active participant in American Specialty Health’s Provider Quality & Credentialing Committee.
Tamara Valovich McLeod, Ph.D., ATC, CSCS, Adjunct Faculty
Dr. Tamara Valovich McLeod, an assistant professor in the Athletic Training Program, is a NATABOC certified athletic trainer and NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist. She received her bachelor's degree in sports medicine from Mercyhurst College and her Master of Science in kinesiology from the University of Colorado. Dr. McLeod completed her doctor of philosophy degree in education with an emphasis in sports medicine from the University of Virginia. She is the director of the ASHS Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory, and her research has focused on the pediatric athlete with respect to mild head injury assessments and gender differences in ACL injury rates. She served as a certified athletic trainer at the high school, collegiate and professional levels and as an instructor in the kinesiology department at the University of Virginia prior to joining the faculty at ATSU. Currently, Dr. McLeod serves as the District 7 representative to the Women in Athletic Training Committee and the NATA Research and Education Foundation and is the association publisher for the Arizona Athletic Trainers’ Association.
Sue Falsone, M.S., Adjunct Faculty
Sue is currently the Director of Performance Physical Therapy at Athletes’ Performance- Tempe. Sue received her Physical Therapy degree from Daeman College in her hometown of Buffalo, New York. She continued her education by earning a Masters Degree in Human Movement Science with a concentration in Sports Medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at Chapel Hill, Sue provided injury prevention and rehabilitation for UNC Football, Women's Basketball and Women's Rowing. Sue's experience with treating and working with athletes expands to the classroom atmosphere. She has lectured on topics such as anatomy, biomechanics, pillar strength and performance therapy for elite athletes. Sue has presented at both state and national level conferences in areas focusing on Functional Performance Testing for the Upper Extremity, Pillar Strength, and Integration of Physical Therapy and Performance Training. Sue's research regarding Functional Performance Testing has been published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy. Sue is a certified Athletic Trainer and certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. She is certified in NeuroCoreKinetics Fundementals and Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization (ASTYM). Sue is also a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy.
Amanda Carlson, M.S., Adjunct Faculty
Amanda is currently the Director of Performance Nutrition at Athletes’ Performance-Tempe. Amanda is a registered dietitian who earned her bachelor's degree in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Arizona. She then went on to complete a Master's degree in both Sports Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Florida State University. Amanda has delivered both educational seminars and individual consulting to a variety of professional and elite sports organizations. Amanda speaks about the importance of improving nutrition for both sports performance and overall health to variety of populations at coaching seminars, military educational conferences, college symposiums, state, and national meetings. She also contributes to many sports and fitness based publications, has edited various sports nutrition books and educational texts, evaluates current research for the American Dietetic Association's Evidence Based Library and is an Advisory Board Memeber of the International Society of Sports Nutrition.
Ben Potenziano, M.Ed., San Francisco Giants, Adjunct Faculty
Ben Potenziano is presently in his 5th season with the Giants, 4th at the Major League Level. He returns for the 2007 season as the Assistant Athletic Trainer/Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. His duties with the Giants have also been the Rehab Coordinator for the Minor Leagues during the 2003 season. His minor league experience has previously been the head trainer at short-season Bellingham, WA (1995), single-A San Jose, CA (1996), double-A Shreveport, LA (1997-1998) and the club’s affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League (2003). His undergraduate degree is from the University Maine at Farmington with a BS in Community Health Education/Sports Medicine. Potenziano obtained a graduate degree in Exercise Science from the University of Maine at Orono where he worked with Men’s Football and Basketball.
Aaron Nelson, M.S., ATC, PES, CES
Aaron Nelson is the head athletic trainer for the Phoenix Suns. Included in his role is the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of players and assisting in the travel operation of the team. Under his direction new equipment has been added to assist the medical operation, including new modalities for treatment of injuries and a Swim-Ex hydrotherapy pool. Nelson served as the Suns’ assistant athletic trainer for seven-plus seasons since 1993, and was involved with all aspects of the team’s medical and travel needs.
Nelson is certified as an athletic trainer and a strength and conditioning specialist. He is a member of the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA), Arizona Athletic Trainers Association (AZATA), National Basketball Trainers Association (NBTA), National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Additional Instructors
Additional adjunct faculty and instructors are chosen based on program needs. Guest instructors are invited to participate in courses by posting video presentations in courses where their research and/or professional experience is related. By doing this, students are able to learn from true experts in various areas of exercise science and professional practice. If you are interested in being considered for such a position or role, please submit a current resume or CV to: Dr. Matt Rhea, HM Program Director, AT Still-Mesa, 5850 E. Still Circle, Mesa, AZ, 85206.
