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The President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) Community Leadership Award celebrates leaders who are building more vibrant and thriving communities through sports, physical activity, fitness, and nutrition-related programs. This year’s award will honor up to 20 individuals or organizations working to uplift their communities, contributing to the community’s overall well-being, and supporting all community members’ potential to thrive. The word “community” may refer to an organization, sports league or team, business, city, or community-based group.
Selection Criteria
Factors considered in the selection process include:
- Alignment with the PCSFN mission to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability
- Lived or living experience with demonstrated knowledge and service to the community
- Demonstrated impact on the community including evidence of putting community learning into action through novel or innovative means to fill gaps within the community and reach those who aren’t being reached through other efforts
- Description of meaningful achievements and consistent success in improving community health and wellbeing
Submit a Nomination (The 2024 Council Awards nomination period has closed.)
OMB No. 0990-0379
Exp. Date 10/31/2026
To nominate yourself or someone else, please submit the nomination materials by 5:00pm ET on July 12, 2024, and include the following information:
- A description of the nominated program or individual. Format can be written (i.e., cover letter no longer than 2 pages) or audiovisual (e.g., video file no longer than 2 minutes) and must include key takeaways related to qualifications of the nominee based on the selection criteria.
- Nominee resume (no more than 10 pages) or “About Us” description for an organization
- Note including nominator contact information, nominee contact information, and signature of nominee acknowledging acceptance of nomination
Please title each file to include the nominee’s full name, the award name, and file type prior to submitting. See the example below:
John Smith_Community Leadership Award_Resume
If you encounter issues in submitting, please reach out to fitness@hhs.gov.
According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-0379. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average no more than 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions. . If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201, Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer
*Awards were not distributed in 2017 and 2018 based on the timing of Council Member appointment and swearing in.
2024 Community Leadership Awardees
- Amy Valasek
- Arden Pala
- Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS)
- Ceres Community Project
- Dare2tri
- David Waters
- DC Central Kitchen & Washington Nationals Philanthropies
- Dions Chicago Dream
- GENYOUth
- Inspirational Triathlon Racing International
- Kaboom
- Karma Edwards
- Michael Cottingham
- Rise Above & Jaci McCormack
- Sarah Albus
- Sonya Ottaway
- Stephen Schirra
- u-Power
- Volo Kids Foundation
- Youth Sports Alliance
2019 Community Leadership Awardees
- 410 Line Dancers, Coppell, TX
- Aaron Del Mar, Palatine, IL
- America SCORES, New York, NY
- Barb Lazarus, Northbrook, IL
- Blaine Lam, Kalamazoo, MI
- Brent Batcheller, Fenton, MO
- Bridgette King, Duncanville, TX
- Chris Rondeau, Hampton, NH
- Clayton Ellis, Aurora, CO
- Cory Gorczycki, Franklin Lakes, NJ
- Dan Gill, Dallas, TX
- Daniel Best, Dulles, VA
- David Murguia, Milwaukee, WI
- Delco Runners Club, Media, PA
- Huntsman World Senior Games, St. George, UT
- Jacqueline Berning, Colorado Springs, CO
- Jason Karp, San Diego, CA
- Jason Menoutis, Pembroke Pines, FL
- Jeff Long, Thornton, PA
- Joseph Vassallo, Las Vegas, NV
- Kalliope Barlis, Sunnyside, NY
- Kat Howland, Dover, NH
- Lifestyle Medicine Education Collaborative (LMEd), Greenville, SC
- Lisa Dorfman, Miami, FL
- Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Martinsburg, WV
- Mary Ann Wilson, Spokane, WA
- Nick Bollettieri, Bradenton, FL
- Nicole Higginbotham, Molalla, OR
- Recovery on Water (ROW), Chicago, IL
- Richard D. Rando II, Frostburg, MD
- Sean Hinkle, Washington, DC
2016 Community Leadership Awardees
- A's & Aces, New Orleans, LA
- Cheryl A. Allcock, LCSW, San Diego, CA
- Jason Belinkie, Bethesda, MD
- Glen Bennett, Lansing, MI
- Montana Butsch, Chicago, IL
- Mike Cardinale, Lee’s Summit, MO
- Chris Carneal, Alpharetta, GA
- Reggie Currie, San Jose, CA
- Nancy Eklund, Green River, WY
- Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, Providence, RI
- Angela Fals, MD, FAAP, Orlando, FL
- Fayette County Public Schools, Lexington, KY
- Anthony Fleg, MD, MPH, Albuquerque, NM
- Sharon Foster, Dallas, TX
- Mona Fouad, MD, MPH, Birmingham, AL
- Stacy Fowler, Golden, CO
- Brett Fuller, Milwaukee, WI
- Simba Gandari, Milwaukee, WI
- Alicia Gonzalez, Chicago, IL
- Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, Lake Forest, IL
- Kumudini Gupta, Quincy, MA
- Jane Hansmeyer, Firth, NE
- Mellany Hanson, San Diego, CA
- Gary Holl, Palo Alto, CA
- Gillian Hotz, PhD, Miami, FL
- Joseph Jelinski, Bridgeville, PA
- Jane B. Kaiser, St. Louis, MO
- Tracy Keibler, Eden Prairie, MN
- Bridgette King, Duncanville, TX
- Karla Landis, Seattle, WA
- Live Healthy Gwinnett, Lawrenceville, GA
- Bernard Lyles, Chicago, IL
- Srecko Mavrek, Bronx, NY
- Alexander McBrairty, Ann Arbor, MI
- Austin McInerny, Berkeley, CA
- Peter Moore, North Syracuse, NY
- New Mexico Senior Olympics, Roswell, NM
- Brandon Okpalobi, Miami, FL
- Amy Pernus, Mentor, OH
- Chaucey Perreault & Yoga4Change, Meriden, CT
- Gita Rampersad, Chicago, IL
- Amy Rauworth, Birmingham, AL
- Jennifer Reeves, Tucson, AZ & Keri Schoeff, Peoria, AZ
- Jae Rockwell, University Park, IL
- Ed Runge, Brentwood, CA
- Benjamin Schaffer, Livingston, NJ
- Gustavo Silva, Woodstock, IL
- Angela Smith, North Chicago, IL
- Laura Spradlin, La Quinta, CA
- John Taylor, Jersey City, NJ
- Joe Troubetaris, Huntington, WV
- Pamela Truxal, Gaithersburg, MD
- Cara Via, New Market, MD
- Magie Wade, Richland, WA
- Dominique Wakefield, Berrien Springs, MI
- Yolanda L. Wallace, Helena, AR
- Washington Metropolitan OASIS
CATCH Healthy Habits, Bethesda, MD - Peter Westbrook, New York, NY
- Krista Winn, Port Angeles, WA
- Milton B. Yates, Washington, DC
2015 Community Leadership Awardees
- American Sokol, Brookfield, IL
- Analaura Amezquita, Whittier, CA
- Kim Anehall, Chicago, IL
- Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention, Little Rock, AR
- Cassie Brooks, Brownsburg, IN
- Kathy Chichester, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ
- City of El Paso Department of Public Health, El Paso, TX
- Becky Clark, PhD, New York, NY
- Alan Coleman, Beaumont, TX
- Jane Dawkins, Arlington, VA
- Blair Dean, Jonesboro, AR
- Joshua Dickerson, Atlanta, GA
- Joe Ehrmann, Hunt Valley, MD
- Ron Files, Arlington, VA
- Ellen Goodman, Palm Springs, CA
- Dennis Harrigan, Chicago, IL
- Health MPowers, Norcross, GA
- Hispanic Association of Pharmacists, Austin, TX
- David Howell, MD, Brockton, MA
- David Jost, Hellertown, PA
- Darin Kawazoe, Honolulu, HI
- William Kwok, New York, NY
- Grace Lamboni, Salisbury, MD
- John Lehmann, Depew, NY
- Greg Liestman, Fisher, IL
- Cheryl Lockett-Oliver, Mechanicsville, VA
- John Lorek, Hutto, TX
- Gustavo Luquin, Los Angeles, CA
- Carrie Marriott, Silver Spring, MD
- Erica Motley, Greensboro, NC
- Tom Nielsen, Somonauk, IL
- JC and Trudy Quintana, Miami, FL
- Stacy Reuille-Dupont, Durango, CO
- Rio Grande Commissioned Officers Association, Canoncito, NM
- Skiku/NANA Nordic, Anchorage, AK
- Sheri Snow, Birmingham, AL
- Cori Strathmeyer, York, PA
- Chelsea Swiggum, Prior Lake, MN
- Nikolas Toocheck, West Chester, PA
- Town of Brookline-Brookline on the Move, Brookline, MA
- Chris Valdez, Tucson, AZ
- Cynthia Vengley, Redding, CA
- Jill Vialet, Oakland, CA
- Cathi Watson, Schaumburg, IL
- Hank Webb, Clearwater, FL
- Vedia White, Hartsville, SC
- Youth Empowered Solutions, Raleigh, NC
2014 Community Leadership Awardees
- Harold Abraham, Hoboken, NJ
- Alisha Adam, Palo Alto, CA
- Munir Bahar, Baltimore, MD
- Steven Becker, New York, NY
- David Bieter, Boise, ID
- William Brown, Greenville, SC
- Catawba County Public Health, Hickory, NC
- Cathi Cornell, Los Angeles, CA
- Leroy Fisher, Philadelphia, PA
- Ben Forman, Washington, DC
- Dwight Freeney, San Diego, CA
- JoAnn Harrell, Warner Robins, GA
- Rudolph Harris, Rochester, NY
- Dana Hill, Horse Cave, KY
- IHS Diabetes Prevention Program, Warm Springs, OR
- Patty Jorgenson, Brookings, SD
- Jason Karp, San Diego, CA
- Susan Kennedy, Gulf Breeze, FL
- Robin Kesselman, Pompano Beach, FL
- Apryl Krakovsky, Los Angeles, CA
- Kara Lubin, Norco, CA
- Frank Marquez, South Florida, FL
- Therese McGuire, Atlanta, GA
- Melissa Merson, Arlington, VA
- CC Minton, West Orange, NJ
- Timothy Moore, Windsor, CT
- Fatima Perkins, Parma, OH
- Laura Ringo, Spartenburg, SC
- William Saltarelli, Mount Pleasant, MI
- Dario Senftleben, Agua Dulce, CA
- Janet Seto, La Quinta, CA
- Hiba Shubak, Fullerton, CA
- The SPARK Programs, San Diego, CA
- Billy Starr, Needham, MA
- Kelley Thompson, La Jolla, CA
- Jeff Thummel, Tenino, WA
- Jennifer Trilk, Greenville, SC
- Gail Tylec, North Tonawanda, NY
- Sandy Unger, St. Paul, MN
- Cynthia Villarreal, Austin, TX
- Astril Webb, Forestville, MD
- Cyrus Weinberger, Erie, CO
- Mary Ellen Whitney, Rensselaer, NY
- Randall Zarnke, Fairbanks, AK
2013 Community Leadership Awardees
- Toni Able, Greenwood, SC
- Theresa Lou Bowick, Rochester, NY
- Heather Carson, Starkville, MS
- Kevin Chaves, Northport, NY
- Karen Cohn, Greenwich, CT
- Charles DeLucca, Miami, FL
- Andria Fletcher, Sacramento, CA
- Anthony Gomez, APO, AE, AL
- Diane Hart, Albany, NY
- Seth Hazen, Foster City, CA
- HealthCorps, New York, NY
- Julianne Idlet, Cambridge, MA
- Missy Kane, Knoxville, TN
- Gina Keatley, New York, NY
- Kids Enjoy Exercise Now (KEEN)- Greater D.C., Bethesda, MD
- Fitz Koehler, Morning Mile, Gainesville, FL
- Brian Laban, Flagstaff, AZ
- Edmund Leopold, Chagrin Falls, OH
- Kathy Lewis, Sacramento, CA
- Judy LoBianco, Maplewood, NJ
- Jon Lugbill, Richmond, VA
- Memphis Grizzlies- Healthy Home Court, Memphis, TN
- Native American Fitness Council, Flagstaff, AZ
- Cyndi Nguyen, New Orleans, LA
- Cindy Norquest, Anchorage, AK
- Barb Parnell, Steamboat Springs, CO
- Craig Pinto, Oyster Bay, NY
- Martin Quigley Jr., Coloma, MI
- Elizabeth Reynolds Lupo, Lincoln, MA
- Sierra Club- Inner City Outings (ICO) Volunteer Leaders, San Francisco, CA
- Special Olympics Inc.- Healthy Athletes, Washington, D.C.
- Kathleen Tullie, Canton, MA
- Kimberley Stewart, Cincinnati, OH
- John Young, Midland, NC
2012 Community Leadership Awardees
- Erin Been, Minden, NV
- Joetta Marie Black, Dallas, TX
- Brenda Brosnihan, McHenry, MD
- Patrick Carson, Bryant Pond, ME
- Lauren Carter, Dover, NH
- Alison Cefalu, Milwaukee, WI
- Denny Chipollini, Fairview Village, PA
- Sharon Cohen, New York, NY
- Eileen D'Andrea, Aiea, HI
- Dr.Wali Gauvin, Woodbridge, VA
- Healthy Lives Healthy Futures Program, Kannapolis, NC
- Nancy Heydinger, Vernon, VT
- Tyler Hoffman, Farmington, CT
- Bruce Hooks, Los Angeles, CA
- Billy Joel, Aventura, FL
- JUST RUN, Carmel, CA
- Just Walk! Walk with a Doc Program, Westerville, OH
- Amanda Kraus, Long Island City, NY
- Marisa Langford, Tampa, FL
- James Lewis, Ph.D., Kalamazoo, MI
- Steven Lorick, Honolulu, HI
- Karey McDowell, M.S., CTRS, Louisville, KY
- Emily Natalie, Erie, PA
- Mandy Nice, Winter Park, FL
- Scott Oliveri, Greenlawn, NY
- Norma Olvera Ph.D., Houston, TX
- Kenny Owens, Washington, D.C.
- Carmen Plemmons, Columbia, SC
- Shell Ramirez, Decatur, GA
- Sharon Rashidi, Newton, NC
- Caroline Roffidal-Blanco, MS, RD, LD, San Antonio, TX
- TakomaPlays, Takoma Park, MD
- Santiago Saenz, Arlington, TX
- Mark Salandra, Hillsborough, NJ
- Cesar Seda, Fort Wainwright, AK
- Kim Sherrill, Muscle Shoals, AL
- Traci Smet, Stevens Point, WI
- So Kids Can, Arlington, VA
- Liza Sullivan, Wilmette, IL
- Christine M. "Tina" Tharp, Menomonie, WI
- United for D.C., Washington, D.C.
- Catherine Wallace, Jacksonville, FL
- Michelle Weinstein, San Diego, CA
- Sue Wicks, Brooklyn, NY
- Senator Valerie Wiener, Las Vegas, NV
- Mary Wilson, Gross Pointe Farms, MI
- William W. Wong, Ph.D., Houston, TX
2011 Community Leadership Awardees
- Raymond E. Barnes, Upper Darby, PA
- Bridget Behrmann, Fairfield, OH
- Lou Bonnanzio, Huntington Station, NY
- Kermit Cannon, Los Angeles, CA
- Sue Chen, Carson, CA
- Robert N. Cluck, M.D., Arlington, TX
- Jim Estes, Olney, MD
- Ed Foster-Simeon, Washington, DC
- Girls in the Game, Chicago, IL
- Hal Honeyman, St. Charles, IL
- Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Spaulding Rehabilitation and Harvard Medical School, Wellesley, MA
- Jung Kim, Laurel, MD
- Antonio King, Montgomery, AL
- Dr. Alison E. Kirby, Walla Walla, WA
- Robyn L. Kretschy, Chicago, IL
- Debra L. Lal, Coos Bay, OR
- Ginny Leake, Wappingers Falls, NY
- Christian Mayo, New York, NY
- Kellee McQuinn, Santa Monica, CA
- Dr. Ron Morrow, Raleigh, NC
- Normandie Nigh, Los Angeles, CA
- Nike N7, Beaverton, OR
- Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK
- Deb Pangrazi, Mesa, AZ
- Shaun Phillips, San Diego, CA
- Molly Quinn, Washington, DC
- Chip Ross, Leesburg, VA
- Debra Sanders Clark, Livingston, AL
- Ben Schaffer, Livingston, NJ
- Jyl Steinback, Scottsdale, AZ
- Jake Steinfeld, Los Angeles, CA
- Christopher Stevenson, York, SC
- Denice Stout, Aiken, SC
- Texercise, Austin, TX
- Jonathan B. Walker, Eastampton, NJ
- Jim White, Virginia Beach, VA
- Stacey White, M.S., Seattle, WA
- George Wilson, Paducah, KY
2010 Community Leadership Awardees
- Sara Bergsten, Appleton, WI
- Jeffrey Chu, Stony Brook, NY
- Ursula Cox, Potomac Falls, VA
- Connor Dantzler, Damascus, MD
- Roger Dodsworth, Toledo, OH
- Cari Draft, Spring Lake, MI
- Thomas V. Esparza, Las Cruces, NM
- Freiker, Boulder, CO
- Rodrigo Gamboa, Grand Island, NE
- Bev and Don Gardner, Lawrence, KS
- Michelle Glick, Chicago, IL
- Tom Kelleher, Yakima, WA
- Nancy Kevorkian, Port Charlotte, FL
- Learning Landscapes, Denver, CO
- John Lewis, Jr., Atlanta, GA
- Andrej Milic, Miami Beach, FL
- John Molina, Long Beach, CA
- Jessica Marie Morales, Bronx, NY
- Playworks, Oakland, CA
- Marilyn Price, Mill Valley, CA
- Nettie Reeves, Charlotte, NC
- Joseph Schmitz, Bethesda, MD
- Stephanie Hilton Sewell, Simpsonville, SC
- Sean Smith, Washington, DC
- Sarah Strickland, Minneapolis, MN
- James L. Toth, Sr., Avon Lake, OH
- Transportation Alternatives, New York, NY
- Chris Valdez, Tucson, AZ
2009 Community Leadership Awardees
- Lisa Atkins, Northport, AL
- Shamar Brown, Las Vegas, NV
- Karen Cloutier, Gorham, NH
- Tony Dean, Omaha, NE
- Helen Fry, Saginaw, MI
- Paul Greer, San Diego, CA
- Elizabeth Hutchinson, Lawrenceville, GA
- Judi Manfre, Vernon, CT
- Denise Moser, Fort Washington, MD
- Doris Oertner, Slatington, PA
- Pemberton High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Program, Pemberton, NJ
- Edward Phillips, Boston, MA
- Melanie Redington, Wasilla, AK
- Cyndy Reed, Schulenburg, TX
- Patrick Rexroat, Williamsburg, OH
- Mike Rohrbach, Edmonds, WA
2008 Community Leadership Awardees
- Charleton "Charlie" Anderson- Thomasville, AL - Retired
- Arlington County, VA – Mr. Walter Tejada, County Board Member
- Jan Braaten – Minneapolis, MN - Minneapolis Public School District
- Kriss Brooks – Oakland, CA - Options Wellness Resource Program
- Robert J. Coomber, Jr.- Livermore, CA – Wheelchair hiker
- Loretta Donnelly – Sussex, NJ - Internal Gardens School of Classical Taijiquan
- Allison Flatley – Falls Church, VA - L & T Health and Fitness
- Sally Gadola – Oak Ridge, TN - Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
- Paul Granda – Van Nuys, CA - StoneSoldiers
- Lollie Guiney – Hoffman Estates, IL – Hoffman Estates Park District Board of Commissioners
- Tom Harmon – Wayne, WV - Wayne High School
- Kathy Iorio – Erie, PA - WellFit, Inc.
- Dean Karnazes – San Francisco, CA - KARNOKIDS
- Debbie Klingeisen – Reedsville, WI – Jazzercise Franchise Owner/Instructor
- Capt. Darryl Long – Patuxent River, MD - United States Navy
- Brenda Loube – Montgomery Village, MD- Corporate Fitness Works, Inc.
- Brenda Murray – Charleston, SC - Fitness For All
- Tony Novelli – Naperville, IL - Hyperfit, Inc.
- Kat Oot-Coffey – Syracuse, NY - b.i.k.e. Syracuse
- Dave Powell – Tucson, AZ - Tucson Metropolitan YMCA
- Mikki Prater – Oak Ridge, TN - Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
- Robert Sallis, MD – Rancho Cucamonga, CA - Kaiser Permanente
- Jim Sayih – Miami, FL - Fitness Commitment Institute
- Cheryl Ann Silich – Carmel, IN - Ozsome Enterprises, LLC
- Margaret Spearman – Stamford, CT - St. Cecilia School
- Hal Williams – Tenino, WA - City University
- Arthur & Jan Wittkamp – Hoffman Estates, IL – 50+ Senior Consortium Hoffman Estates Park District
2007 Community Leadership Awardees
- Donald A. Bergman, MD, FACE New York, NY
- Lee Blackwell, Moses Lake, WA
- Andrew Bohannon, Keene, NH
- Carlisle Academy Leadership Team, Carlisle, PA (Team members: Matthew Tuckey, Brenda Leibundgut, Sue Stake, Maggie Lattin, Debbie Thomas)
- Craig Cooper, Salmon, ID
- William Cooper, Oyster Bay Cove, NY
- Jeff DeRaps, Roseville, CA
- Thomas Farley, MD, MPH, New Orleans, LA
- Julie Gahimer, Greenwood, IN
- Gina Guddat, Covington, WA
- Wally Halas, White Plains, NY
- Constance Hengel, Kinston, NC
- Cate Hernandez, Cumming, GA
- Sheila Hommema, Galax, VA
- Thomas H. Hunkele, LaGrange, GA
- IBM Global Well-Being Services, Rochester, MN
- Robert C. Karch, Ed.D., Washington, DC
- Joann Kowlski, Hanson, MA
- Sherman L. Lyons, Advance, NC
- Doris Marks, Orland Park, IL
- David Lee McAllister, M.A., Bronx, NY
- Tim McCord, Titusville, PA
- Yvonne Melton-Gyesi, Bronx, NY
- Audra J. Meyer, College Park, GA
- Randy O'Neill, Williamsburg, VA
- Shellie Y. Pfohl, M.S., Durham, NC
- Georgi Roberts, Ft. Worth, TX
- Michael Y. Seril, Whittier, CA
- CPT Jarrod Shingleton, US Army HQ 5th Signal Command, Mannheim Germany
- Bill & Cindy Simon, Los Angeles, CA
- Dr. Philip G. Spencer, Federal Way, WA
- LT Jason Matteo Valadao, Camarillo, CA (stationed at VAW-117 in Point Mugu, CA)
- Ulrike Vernachio, West Palm Beach, FL
- Jasmine' Victoria Dawn' Monique Warren, Albany, GA
- Cathi Watson, Schaumburg, IL
- Art Woodward, Evansville, IN
- Leslie I. Wright, Salisbury, MD
