Amber Mateer currently serves as the Associate Director of Campus Recreation at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Their start in collegiate recreation began at UC Santa Cruz, Amber's undergraduate institution. While pursuing Sociology and Art degrees, Amber worked for the Athletics and Recreation department for all four years, among a host of other student life focused offices. After landing a Graduate Assistantship at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California Amber continued to fall in love with the field of collegiate recreation. Although the COVID-19 pandemic made the two years of graduate work very different than expected, collaborating virtually with colleagues both at University of the Pacific and within the NIRSA Assembly became second nature. Amber is currently finishing up their master's thesis which specifically looks at the impact virtual learning has had on the identity formation and process of queer & trans college students.  

Becky’s 27-year career in campus recreation started in the fitness arena as an undergraduate at Central Michigan University and then a GA at Miami-Ohio.  In 2010 Becky made the transition to Oakland University from Northern Illinois University.  At OU Becky is responsible for the oversight of programming and administrative tasks for University Recreation and Well-Being.  Since her arrival to OU, she has been actively engaged in, and directly responsible for creating and rolling out a healthy campus initiative that the OU administration can support.

Becky’s involvement in campus life also includes participation in the summer family orientation program, working closely with the Dean of Students office on various student conduct committees, chairing a subcommittee for the Grizzlies Healthy Planet Initiative, serving as the current President of the Administrative Professionals employee group and she is a member of the School of Health Sciences Board.

Over the years, Becky’s teaching and primary work have been important to her because of the lives she has been able to influence and the numerous people who have crossed her path. She has a passion for the development of people, whether students or employees, and providing opportunities for individuals to be successful in their personal lives, careers, health and well-being.

Kevin leads a comprehensive campus recreation department that supports the health and well-being of the Rowan community. The department supports students through informal recreation, intramural sports, sport clubs, group fitness, personal training, and aquatics programs. Kevin’s energetic team of professional staff, graduate coordinators, and over 200 student and part-time staff supports campus well-being through multiple indoor and outdoor facilities, various and diverse programs and services, and initiatives that provide opportunities for student learning and growth. Through collaborations with a variety of divisions and departments, Kevin leads the integration of a well-being culture across the campus by helping students and employees who are navigating the dimensions of well-being: physical, emotional, community, social, financial, and purpose.

He attended Robert Morris University and obtained a B.S. in Business Administration with a specialization in Sport Management and has a M.E.S. in Sport Management from the University of Florida. While at UF, Kevin served as a graduate assistant of intramural sports at the Recreational Sports Department and served as a Summer Sports & Fitness Intern with the Navy MWR in La Maddalena, Italy. His Rowan University career began at the Rec Center in 2004. An active member of NIRSA – Leaders of Collegiate Recreation, Kevin has been recognized by the association with the Horace Moody Award for Student Development in 2006 and the Region I Award of Merit in 2019.

Kevin resides with his wife and 3 daughters in Haddonfield, NJ and enjoys spending his spare time officiating women’s collegiate basketball and playing in the Rowan Summer Employee Softball League.

Dr. Kirby is a Colorado native that enjoys staying active with her husband and two daughters. She received her Master's degree in Health Promotion from UCCS, and her PhD in Sport and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Social Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity from the University of Northern Colorado. As an assistant professor at UCCS, Dr. Kirby teaches the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of sport, health, and wellness to include Sport Psychology and Health Behavior Theory for undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Kirby's research focuses on exploring the sport and physical activity experiences of individuals across the lifespan, as well as the impact of social connection and peer relationships on psychological well-being in sport and physical activity settings. Dr. Kirby currently serves as Assistant Director for the Center for Critical Sport Studies, and the faculty advisor for the UCCS Fitness Buddies program.

Caitlyn serves as the Employee Wellness Coordinator at Oakland University. She develops, delivers, and evaluates employee wellness programming as well as fosters collaborations with departments on and off campus. She earned her bachelor's and master's from the University of Delaware. She has received a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Health Coaching and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

With a PhD in Health and Kinesiology, numerous notable honors, and 70+ peer-reviewed publications and research presentations, Russ is passionate about the subject of health and wellness and possesses a vast knowledge on the importance of fitness throughout our lives to share with his audiences. 

Jon Walker is a product manager with GameTime specializing in outdoor fitness equipment and Universal Design. For more than a decade, Jon has worked with parks professionals, health club owners, and colleges and universities to design outdoor gyms based on best-practice design principles. Guided by research from Utah State University Center for Persons With Disabilities, Jon advocates for inclusive outdoor fitness and recreation projects across North America. He speaks at industry events on the benefits of Universal Design and Inclusive Recreation and is a PlayCore-certified instructor for continuing education workshops on the topics of adult outdoor fitness and inclusive recreation.

Ali Cross serves as the director of recreational sports and a member of the student affairs leadership team at Virginia Tech.  In this capacity, she provides leadership to 38 full-time and 600+ part-time employees, two indoor recreational facilities, 20+ acres of outdoor recreation space and recreational programs.    

1. B.S. in Sports Medicine with the Human Performance and Recreation (HPR) at the University of Southern Mississippi  

2. M.S. in Clinical Exercise Physiology with the Human Nutrition Foods and Exercise (HNFE) Department at Virginia Tech  

3. Certified Chi Running Instructor and Coach / Les Mills Instructor / ACE GFI / CPO / ACSM-EP / Facilitator for Discovery Learning, INC CSI

4. National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Faculty from 2015-2018 

Dr. Kirby is a Colorado native that enjoys staying active with her husband and two daughters. She received her Master's degree in Health Promotion from UCCS, and her PhD in Sport and Exercise Science with an emphasis in Social Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity from the University of Northern Colorado. As an assistant professor at UCCS, Dr. Kirby teaches the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of sport, health, and wellness to include Sport Psychology and Health Behavior Theory for undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Kirby's research focuses on exploring the sport and physical activity experiences of individuals across the lifespan, as well as the impact of social connection and peer relationships on psychological well-being in sport and physical activity settings. Dr. Kirby currently serves as Assistant Director for the Center for Critical Sport Studies, and the faculty advisor for the UCCS Fitness Buddies program.

David is originally from Wisconsin and received a B.S. in Communication Studies with a specialization in Public Relations from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse.  He began his career path in collegiate recreation at La Crosse as an intramural sport official and supervisor.  David then served as the graduate assistant for intramural sports at Oregon State University, where he earned his M.S. in College Student Service Administration.  He continued at OSU for 17 years serving as a Coordinator of Sport Clubs, Assistant Director of Sport Clubs and Intramural Sports, and the Associate Director of Programs.  In 2017, David transitioned to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs to become the Associate Director and is currently the Director of Campus Recreation.   David leads a comprehensive campus recreation department that supports the health and well-being of the UCCS community. David resides in Colorado Springs with his family where they can often be seen participating in local recreational activities.

Katie Smith is a health and wellness professional with over ten years of experience in higher education and student affairs. She graduated with her Masters in Educational Leadership from Virginia Tech in 2014, where she got her start in campus recreation. For the past seven years, she served as the Wellness Promotion Manager at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Her professional interests include program design and implementation, strategic planning, mental health prevention, and body activism. Katie now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia with her family. 

Lindsey Visscher is a Health Promotion graduate student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. She enjoys staying active by hiking the beautiful Colorado trails and training in martial arts such as Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu. During her time at UCCS, Lindsey is focusing on studying the psychosocial cornerstones of wellness. She is interested in researching the cross-over between the mind and the body, especially regarding the importance of emotion regulation, social connection, and motivation in health behavior patterns. Lindsey currently serves as the UCCS Wellness Promotion graduate assistant, and works closely with the Wellness Center team to provide psychoeducation to students, faculty, and staff on campus. Lindsey also served as Dr. Kirby’s lead research assistant for the NIRSA grant-funded project “Mountain Lions on the Move”, which studied the impact of social connection and peer relationships on psychological well-being in sport and physical activity settings. After graduation, Lindsey hopes to use her Master’s degree in Health Promotion to assist in creating impactful health interventions, and optimizing the wellness of those in her community. 

Starting in mid-February, Greg began leading the Programs team for the University of Washington Recreation. He has the chance to serve the areas of Fitness, Personal Training, Mindfulness, Intramural Sports and Rec Clubs. He also leads the Staff Development program. Prior to the University of Washington, Greg worked for the University of Utah, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and Florida State University. He received his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Sport Management at Florida State University, where he began working as a student in their Campus Recreation Department. He also obtained his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership & Policy at the University of Utah. 

Greg has served in NIRSA on various committees and work groups since 2014. He also serves NIRSA through presenting at state, regional, and national conferences. He is a member of the NIRSA Health and Wellbeing Task Force 2.0 where he works with the Education and Resources sub-committee and the Promising Practices Work Group. He is also the 2022 recipient of the Horace Moody Award for Student Development for Region VI. 

Victoria Lopez-Herrera is a partner, mother, sorority woman, Xicanista, and lover of coffee. Victoria’s passion for the empowerment of women, social justice issues, and advocacy for underrepresented students has guided her work in Student Affairs for 20 years. 

Victoria currently serves as the Senior Associate Director for Campus Recreation at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In her role, she oversees the development and training for approximately 300 student staff, the management of a 185,00 square foot facility, the Aquatics Center, Members Services, and administrative staff. Victoria is a certified indoor cycling instructor and Strengths Coach. She has served in administrative capacities at Columbia University, The New School, Cornell University, and Texas State University-San Marcos where she earned her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees.

Victoria currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association for Outdoor Recreation and Education and is a volunteer leader for Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.