The AIESEP Board recently recruited an AIESEP Advisory Group, whose purpose is to provide strategic advice and guidance to the AIESEP Board in order to help AIESEP to achieve its objectives through its policy, practice, and the identification of possible future priorities.
Here is a brief introduction to each of the members.
Dr. Brian Culp examines quality of life and infrastructure for health, physical activity, recreation, and sport as a Full Professor in the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University. His scholarship focuses on youth development, inclusive teaching, spatiality and intergenerational programming. A recipient of numerous honours, Dr. Culp is a Fellow of NAKHE, NAS and AIESEP, and has been a Fulbright Scholar in Montreal, Canada.
Catherine Carty is UNESCO Chair Manager at Munster Technological University and Director of ISAPA 2025. She leads global initiatives at the intersection of human rights, inclusive physical education, disability sport, and mental health. Catherine collaborates with UNESCO, WHO, the OECD, and the IPC, SOI, Virtus and others to advance equity and inclusion through sport. She has led major projects on disability inclusion, including policy development, international capacity building, and advocacy. Her work aligns with AIESEP’s mission by promoting evidence-based, values-driven practices in adapted physical activity and inclusive physical education that empower communities and foster sustainable social transformation.
Hans van der Mars (Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 1984) is Professor Emeritus at Arizona State University, where he led Physical Education Teacher Education/Sport Pedagogy programmes. He has authored over 170 publications including three textbooks and delivered 85+ professional development workshops internationally. Dr. van der Mars reviews for 18 journals and is a Research Fellow in five prestigious organizations including SHAPE America (2005), American Academy of Kinesiology & Physical Education (2006), and AIESEP (2019). His leadership roles include SHAPE America Board of Directors (2015-2017) and President’s Council on Fitness, Sport, and Nutrition Science Board (2011-2014). Since 2013, he serves on the Physical Activity Alliance’s Education Sector Committee. Recent honours include induction into the SHAPE America Hall of Fame (2018), NAKHE Distinguished Scholar Award (2020), Ohio State University Alumni Career Achievement Award (2021), Luther Halsey Gulick Award (2023), and White House Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award (2024).
Cheryl Walter is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Human Movement Science at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha, South Africa, where she has been a faculty member since 2003 with over 40 years of academic experience. She holds the UNESCO Co-Chair on Physical Activity and Health in Educational Settings, extended for five years (2023-2027). Her research focuses on promoting physical education in schools and physical activity for health, especially among schoolchildren. She is part of the KaziBantu project, a school-based programme consolidating physical education practice and ensuring physical literacy and healthy active living for school children and teachers—a collaboration between Nelson Mandela University and Basel University in Switzerland.
Sue Whatman (Associate Professor) is known internationally for her research in decolonising health and physical education curriculum and sport pedagogy, in initial teacher education and teacher and coach professional learning. Recognised as a Senior Fellow in Higher Education (SFHEA), Sue’s practitioner-focused research informs her award-winning teaching, characterized by sustained commitment to social justice, equity, decolonising and anti-racist praxis. Sue is the Higher Degree Research Coordinator for the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University and has served six years as President and Chair of the National Board of the Australian Council for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (ACHPER), Australia’s peak HPE body.
The AIESEP-AG will also comprise AIESEP Board members: Dr Kristy Howells, Dr Carla Luguetti and Professor Fiona Chambers.
