Four Industry Leaders Nominated to IHRSA Board of Directors

A slate of four industry leaders have been nominated to serve on the association’s board of directors and will stand for election during the IHRSA annual meeting on March 30 at 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT.

If elected, they will serve from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2025. IHRSA members are encouraged to register to attend the annual meeting where IHRSA Board Chair Carrie Kepple and IHRSA interim president and CEO Brent Darden will also provide updates on recent IHRSA activities.

The board is composed of 14 accomplished and highly regarded industry leaders, who hail from different countries, represent a variety of club types and possess diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise. They work with IHRSA to oversee its operation, provide it with strategic direction, and drive and shape the industry’s growth and development.

Each year, two to four IHRSA members are elected to its board of directors to replace outgoing members who’ve completed their terms.

This year’s nominees are: Loni Wang, Luke Carlson, Aaron Moore, and Jose Teixeira.

Loni Wang, CEO, Catic Wellness Group, Ltd.

Wang, the CEO of Catic Wellness Group, Ltd. based in Shenzhen, China, was recently honored as one of IHRSA’s “Women Who Inspire!” Wang founded Catic, the first club company to promote wellness in China, which also became the first health and fitness provider in the country to go public in 2010.

Today, the business operates 13 clubs under three brands, offering a mix of fitness, nutrition, wellness, anti-aging, and stress-management services.

Wang introduced Les Mills programming to the Chinese market and serves as the exclusive Asian licensee for CMS Club Marketing and Management Systems. She served as China’s only representative at the World Health Organization’s 3rd Sports Sector Dialogue for GAPPA (the Global Action Plan for Physical Activity).

Wang holds a master’s degree in engineering and economics and a Ph.D. in management engineering.

Luke Carlson, CEO, Discover Strength

Carlson is the CEO of Discover Strength in Minneapolis, MN. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and studied executive leadership, strategy, and innovation at Stanford University. He’s also an ACSM-certified exercise physiologist and cancer exercise trainer.

His seven Discover Strength studios in the Metro Minneapolis area offer personalized strength training and body composition testing for clients seeking to maximize their results in as little as 30 minutes, twice a week.

Carlson is the co-author of two books and many scientific journal articles on resistance exercise and has been a featured speaker at IHRSA’s annual convention, European Congress, Institute, and at ChinaFit and other industry meetings.

Aaron Moore, Director of Operations, VIDA Fitness & Aura Spa

Moore, the director of operations at VIDA Fitness & Aura Spa, in Washington, D.C., holds a B.A. in pre-law from Purdue University, a J.D. from Capital University Law School, and two master’s degrees—one in coaching, education, sports, and exercise, and another in business administration—from Ohio University.

He began his career as an assistant college football coach and joined VIDA in 2006. Since then, he’s helped expand the company from one to six locations; a sixth facility opened this year. Learning, experimenting, and innovating along the way, he’s attended many industry events, studied service-oriented companies outside the industry, and participated in the REX Roundtables for Executives.

Jose Teixeira, Head of Customer Experience, SC Fitness

Teixeira is the head of customer experience for SC Fitness in Lisbon, which owns and operates 35 clubs in Portugal. He embarked on his career as a professional beach volleyball player, earned a degree in sports and physical education, and in 2004 joined Sonae Capital, the owner of SC Fitness. He began as a sales consultant and moved up to club manager, area manager, and operations director before assuming his current position.

SC Fitness operates its facilities under three different brands: Solinca, a mid-market offering with pools and fitness that caters to all ages; Pump, a chain of 14 high-volume/low-price (HV/LP) clubs with group exercise classes popular with members in their 20s and 30s; and One, a premium property, acquired and rebranded by SC Fitness last year, that appeals to an older demographic.

The following board members will finish their terms of service on June 30, 2021: Ex-officio Jim Worthington, Newtown Athletic Club, Anastasia Yusina Strata Fitness Holdings and FITSPACE studios, and Steve Capezzone, Healthtrax International.