Certified Professional of the Year
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The ACSM Certified Professional of the Year is awarded to an outstanding ACSM Certified Professional to recognize their dedication and exceptional contributions towards enhancing the health and wellness of individuals in their community. 

2023 Winner

Louise Valentine headshot

Louise Valentine, MPH, CHES, ACSM-EP, EIM-II, ACSM-CPT, CSCS, BCTMB

Breaking Through Wellness, LLC

 

Louise Valentine, MPH, ACSM-EP, CPT, EIM II, CHES, CSCS, NCTMB is CEO of BreakingThroughWellness.com, offering holistic coaching, educational events, and a comprehensive learning academy for active women and runners 35+.  It’s her passion to translate cutting-edge science into efficient strategies so others can break through setbacks, thrive after 35, and maximize health, fitness and performance with more energy, less stress. 

Louise is a published researcher, best-selling author, runner, and impact-driven military spouse. She was named NCHEC’s Outstanding Leader in Health Education and by Meta as a Small Business Hometown Hero.  She began her career in the NFL but left it behind in 2011 to support her husband’s military service.  She has since held a fellowship with the U.S. Army studying how to best address root causes of soldier health, fitness, medical readiness, and resilience concerns.  In a commitment to empowering others to live a long, healthy life, Louise has worked throughout the U.S. in patient care, healthcare technology and community wellness intervention design.  When she acquired her own diagnoses, Louise turned her breakdowns into breakthroughs, reversing multiple diseases with exercise, lifestyle, and nutrition strategy.  Now, she empowers others to do the same with simplicity, science and ease.

Learn More About Louise

 

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Application Information

Qualifications*:

  • Active ACSM Health Fitness Certification and/or Clinical Certification: Certified Group Exercise Instructor (ACSM-GEI), Certified Personal Trainer (ACSM-CPT), Certified Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-EP), or Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP) 
  • Work at least 20 hours/week in exercise and well-being at time of application
  • At least five years of experience or two recertification cycles 

* Those with direct financial ties with ACSM or are active volunteers of the Summit Program Committee, ACSM Certification Board, ACSM CCRB Sub-Committees, or ACSM Board of Trustees are ineligible to apply. 

Awarded Benefits:

  • Up to $500 in travel assistance 

  • Complimentary 2023 ACSM International Health & Fitness Summit registration 

  • Acknowledgment on the ACSM website and in the ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal   

  • Complimentary 1-year ACSM Alliance Membership 

  • Beautiful glass award, award certificate and digital badge  

  • Press release sent to hundreds of media contacts 

  • Opportunity to serve as an ACSM media spokesperson and conference presenter 

  • And more… 

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Previous Award Winners:

Batrakoulis-Alexis

2022

Alexis Batrakoulis, Ph.D., ACSM-EP, ACSM-CPT, EIM-II

Involved in the health and fitness industry since 1995, Alexis is based in Larisa, Greece and currently works as an adjunct lecturer, personal trainer and fitness educator presenting in more than 40 countries across five continents. He is the founder of the International Obesity Exercise Training Institute, teaching internationally approved continuing education courses on exercise and health for fitness professionals around the globe. His primary research interest is the study of hybrid-type, multicomponent interval training in obesity. Read more here


kristin traskie

2021

Kristin A. Traskie, M.P.H., ACSM-CPT, EIM-I

Kristin is the fitness and wellness coordinator in the Health Promotion Department at Michigan State University (MSU). Traskie’s mission is clear: Create a culture of health and well-being on campus and in the surrounding community. In addition to ACSM certifications, she also holds certifications from several other organizations. She uses research-backed knowledge from those fitness certifications to create holistic wellness and movement opportunities. Her work through MSU’s Health Promotion Department, Exercise is Medicine® on Campus initiative, Well-Being Coalition and The SPARTANfit Fitness and Wellness Program is improving health outcomes and life satisfaction for students. Read more here.

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