AIA Academy Staff & Associates 

AIA ACADEMY STAFF

Darren C. Treasure, Ph.D.- A former Associate Professor at Arizona State University, Dr. Darren Treasure serves as the Director of the AIA Academy. A recognized expert in the motivation in sport and physical activity, he has published over 50 scientific articles and book chapters and made over 100 presentations worldwide on these topics. As a sport psychology consultant, his past and present clients include MLB, Olympians, NCAA National Champions, All-American athletes at a number of different universities, and elite adolescent performers in a wide range of sports. He is a past Associate Editor of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, is a member of the Editorial Board of The Sport Psychologist, and is a member of the United States Soccer Federation Sport Medicine Committee.

Kendy Kuczka Vierling, Ph.D. – Dr. Vierling serves as the Educational Programs Coordinator of the AIA Academy. She earned her doctoral degree in sport psychology at Arizona State University in 2005 and graduated with a Masters degree in sport psychology from the same institution in 2001.  As a sport psychology consultant, Dr. Vierling has worked with amateur and professional athletes in a wide range of sports. The recipient of a full athletic scholarship at Southern Methodist University, she was a two-time NCAA Division I Academic All-American in golf and is currently a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.  A member of several sport psychology professional organizations, she continues to conduct research concerning the psychosocial factors associated with sport and physical activity.

Scott Brown, B.S. - Scott Brown joined the AIA Academy as the Coach Education Specialist and Lead Trainer. For the past 25 years, he has taught Physical Education and coached a variety of sports at all levels from kindergarten to college.  For the first 20 years of his coaching career, he conducted his own basketball camps during the summers.  For the past 3 years, he has been coaching youth sport basketball in Glendale.  As the current District Athletic Director for the Paradise Valley Unified School District, Brown also serves on the AIA Girls’ Equality in Sports Committee, the Sportsmanship Committee, and the 5A Executive Committee. Brown was recognized as the AIA Pursuing Victory with Honor Administrator of the Year in 2004, 4A Basketball Coach of the Year in 1995, Region Basketball Coach of the Year twice, and the 2007 Northwest Region Athletic Director of the Year.  

Michelle Byers, B.S. -  Michelle Byers serves as the Prevention Specialist and Project Manager at the AIA Academy.  She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from Arizona State University in 2004 and received her Post-Baccalaureate ITC in Secondary Education with an emphasis in teaching Physical Education from the same institution in 2005. Both within the United States and overseas, Byers has supervised and taught children of diverse backgrounds in a variety of environments involving physical activity and promoting healthy lifestyle habits.

Brian Bolitho, M.B.A. – Brian Bolitho joined the AIA and AIA Academy in 2005 as the Sports Information and Special Projects Coordinator.  Prior to his position with the AIA Academy, Bolitho gathered experience in journalism, public relations, and sports information.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Northern Arizona University in 2001.  Bolitho was a public relations intern for the AIA and served as a graduate assistant for both the NAU and Valparaiso University Sports Information Departments.  In August 2003, he graduated from Valparaiso University with a Masters of Business Administration degree. Bolitho currently assists the AIA and AIA Academy with website content and program coordination, including the Pursuing Victory with Honor program.

AIA ACADEMY ASSOCIATES

Robert P. Pangrazi, Ph.D.- A Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, Dr. Robert Pangrazi is an Honor Fellow of the AAHPERD and a Fellow in the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education and the North American Society. In addition to 85 scholarly research articles focused on aspects of children's physical activity behavior, Pangrazi's Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children book, now in its 14th edition, has sold over a half-million copies and is used for teacher preparation courses in college and universities worldwide. A recognized expert in how to teach physical skills to children, Dr. Pangrazi provides leadership and guidance to the AIA Academy's sports educational programming and is a consultant on the Academy's community outreach school based programming.

James Stray-Gundersen, M.D., FACSM- Dr. Stray-Gundersen is in private practice in Park City, Utah.  He has served as head of sports medicine for the US Ski Team Nordic combined event.  In the five years before the Salt Lake Winter Olympics in 2002, Dr. Stray-Gundersen served as head of sports medicine for the Norwegian Olympic Nordic Ski Team.  Dr. Stray-Gundersen is a world-renowned expert in the area of drugs in sport, altitude training, and the physiology of peak performance.  A Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, Dr. Stray-Gundersen is the author of the AIA’s position statement on supplements, drugs, and performance enhancing substances.

Martyn Standage, Ph.D.- Dr. Standage is a Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Bath (UK).  Employing both laboratory and field methods, his research examines various issues pertaining to motivation, isolating key processes and testing their application to sport, exercise, and physical education settings.  Dr. Standage has published his work widely in leading educational, sport and exercise, and social psychology journals.  He has also presented over 30 international conference papers and co-authored several book chapters.  Dr. Standage is a member of several sport and exercise psychology professional organizations.

Joe Dunbar, M.Phil- Joe Dunbar has competed, coached, and worked as an applied sport science consultant at the international level of athletic competition. In his athletic days, he represented England and Great Britain and ran a sub four-minute mile. Dunbar currently works as an applied sport scientist with various Olympic and World champions in several different sports. In the past, Dunbar has consulted with various sports governing bodies in the United Kingdom including the Football Association, the Amateur Rowing Association, the British Bobsleigh Association, and GB Athletics. In addition to his work with National Governing Bodies, Dunbar has worked with a number of Premier League Soccer Clubs, Tyrell and McClaren Formula One Motor Racing Teams, and was the sport physiologist for former heavyweight world boxing champion Lennox Lewis.