FITNESSGRAM Staff

Marilu D. Meredith, Ed.D.

During her 23 years at the Institute, Dr. Meredith served in numerous capacities including Director of Operations and Director of Information Technology. Her primary responsibility has always been the direction of the national FITNESSGRAM project.

Prior to joining the staff at he Institute, Dr. Meredith was employed as a physical educator. She was in the Richardson I. S.D., Richardson, Texas for a ten-year period serving in various capacities including Director of Health and Physical Education. She also taught at the Austin State School for the Mentally Retarded and the Lockhart I.S.D.

She is a member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and Texas Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD), having served TAHPERD as vice-president of the Physical Education Division, chairperson of various sections and chairperson of the TAHPERD Board of Trustees.

Dr. Meredith has been an integral member of the FITNESSGRAM staff since the program began in 1982. She has been involved in every aspect of the FITNESSGRAM program including designing software, authoring manuals, developing awards systems and publishing materials. She has presented FITNESSGRAM to groups at national, district and state conferences and worked with thousands of teachers conducting teacher in-service meetings. Dr. Meredith has been a member of the FITNESSGRAM Scientific Advisory Board since its inception in 1987.

During leisure time, she enjoys cycling, walking, sewing, needlework, and working two of her four Labrador Retrievers in Animal Assisted Therapy.

Gregory J Welk, Ph.D.

Dr. Gregory J. Welk is an Assistant Professor with the Department of Health and Human Performance at Iowa State University where he teaches health promotion related courses and conducts research on the assessment and promotion of physical activity. A major emphasis in this research is targeted at testing and improving the application of FITNESSGRAM and ACTIVITYGRAM assessments.

He completed his masters work (MA) at the University of Iowa and his doctoral work (Ph.D.) at Arizona State University. Prior to his current position at Iowa State University, he was employed at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas where he served as the Director of Childhood and Adolescent Health. A major responsibility with this position was to serve as the Scientific Director of the FITNESSGRAM youth fitness program. He is a fellow in the AAHPERD Research Consortium and an active member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). He has published approximately 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has made over 50 presentations at national and regional conferences.

He is also coauthor of a widely used college-level, fitness and wellness textbook (Concepts of Fitness and Wellness – McGraw Hill Higher Education. Dr. Welk has been with the FITNESSGRAM Advisory Board since 1996 and serves as the Scientific Director of the FITNESSGRAM Program.