Distance Learning Faculty

Dr. Marty K. Avant

Email: mkavant@ussa.edu

Dr. Avant earned both his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and his Masters of Education in Counseling from the University of South Carolina. In addition, he has completed post-graduate study in counseling from The Citadel and is certified in sports counseling by the National Institute of Sports. Dr. Avant received his Doctorate in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy and is a member of the National Faculty and Distance Learning Faculty. He is presently a high school Guidance Counselor and coaches both the varsity baseball and football teams. For the past eighteen years, Dr. Avant has been coaching at the recreational, middle school, and high school levels. He is also an adjunct professor at Williamsburg Technical College and is actively involved in water sports. In his free time he teaches water skiing and wakeboarding. He lives in Hemingway, SC, thirty five miles from Myrtle Beach, the golf course capital of the world.

Dr. Lawrence Bestmann

Email: bestmann@ussa.edu

Dr. Bestmann, world-renowned for his contributions to gymnastics, continues his long relationship with the United States Sports Academy as a distance learning and adjunct professor. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Florida State University while a member of the Seminoles' national championship gymnastics team. For years Dr. Bestmann coached high school gymnastics in Florida and California and later started a gymnastics team at the University of Puerto Rico, as well as a national gymnastics program for the Kingdom of Bahrain. He has taught in Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia and was elected to the World Acrobatics Society for his contributions to international gymnastics. Dr. Bestmann received his Ph. D in Health and Physical Education from the University of Utah.

Dr. Anthony Borgese

Email: aborgese@ussa.edu

Dr. Borgese is an Associate Professor of Tourism and Hospitality with the City University of New York at Kingsborough Community College. His interest lies in teaching and research within the field of entrepreneurship, and he is involved in Work Force and Economic Development projects that serve the greater New York City area. .He has served as a consultant for various businesses in his native, Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Borgese has a BA in Philosophy from Brooklyn College, an MBA from Baruch College, and received his Doctorate in Sports Management from the United States Sports Academy.

Dr. Michael L. Culpepper

Email: mculpepp@ussa.edu

Dr. Culpepper has had a successful career of teaching, coaching, training, and research. He earned his Ed. D. in Health, Physical Education and Recreation at the University of Alabama in 1981. He has a master’s in physiology/biophysics from the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a bachelor’s degree in biology/chemistry from UAB. Dr. Culpepper also has a certificate of advanced study in education from UAB and a State of Alabama Certification in Educational Administration from the University of Montevallo. Dr. Culpepper has been associated with the United States Sports Academy since 1987 and has taught the Academy’s Sport Coaching Certification Program in Thailand and Malaysia. He has coached softball, basketball, football, tennis, and baseball and officiated in football and baseball. He has worked as a consultant and an assistant professor in the areas of health, physical therapy, and biomechanics and is a widely-published researcher in areas related to sports medicine.

Dr. Dexter J. Davis

Email: ddavis@ussa.edu

Dr. Davis is an assistant professor of sport management at Niagara University, where he has served for four years. A graduate of the United States Sports Academy’s Doctor of Education in Sport Management program, Dr. Davis previously was an assistant professor and curriculum coordinator for business technologies/sports management at Alfred (NY) State College. A former soccer coach, Dr. Davis is the Northeast Regional Chair of the NJCAA All-American Selection Committee for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. A former volunteer emergency medical technician, Davis also made presentations on sports marketing and leadership.

Dr. Stan Drawdy

Email: sedrawdy@ussa.edu

Dr. Drawdy has over 30 years experience as an administrator, teacher, and football coach in South Carolina where he served on many athletic committees and boards including the South Carolina Football Coaches Association, South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association, South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association, and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. He also had the honor of coaching in both the 1999 North-South All-Star game and the 2004 Shrine Bowl. Dr. Drawdy has a bachelor’s degree in psychology/education from Francis Marion University, a master’s degree in elementary education from Francis Marion University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Les Dutko

Email: ldutko@ussa.edu

Dr. Dutko has worked as a Nationally Certified and Licensed Athletic Trainer (ATC) (LAT) in the traditional setting as a high school, college, professional indoor football athletic trainer, and in the non-traditional setting as a co-founder of a free standing sports medicine clinic, and as a corporate/occupational athletic trainer. He has worked with athletes of all sports and the physically active of all ages and skill levels in preventing, evaluating, treating, and rehabilitating injuries of all types and severity.

Dr. Dutko currently is a corporate/occupational athletic trainer, Head Athletic Trainer for the highly competitive Saint James School, a private college prep school located 60 miles west of Washington DC, and is a partner with a physician as head of sports medicine and rehabilitative therapies. He has taught health/physical education for 25 years at the high school level and has coached and played several sports including, football, wrestling, baseball, track and field, and soccer.

Dr. Dutko earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, master’s degree from West Virginia University, and his Doctor of Education in Sports Management degree from the United States Sports Academy. He holds his ATC from the National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification and an LAT from the Board of Medicine of Virginia and the Board of Physicians of Maryland.

Dr. Stephen Juaire

Email: sjuaire@ussa.edu

Dr. Juarie received a Ph. D in Motor Behavior at Florida State University, after several years of working as a head coach, certified athletic trainer, instructor in first aid, and water safety instructor. In 1975 he was hired to coach women's gymnastics and softball at his alma matter, Winona State University in Minnesota, where he led the softball team to the NAIA College World Series and the gymnastics team to two national championships. After retiring from coaching, he worked as an athletic director, helping WSU change from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. Dr. Juaire received his Bachelor’s of Science and Master of Science degree from WSU.

Dr. Roch King

Email: rking@ussa.edu

Dr. King received his Ph.D. in psycho-socio interactions in sport. Since earning his doctorate from Temple University, he has served as a faculty member at Bloomsburg, University of Pennsylvania, Ball State University, and the University of Indianapolis. At Ball State, he coordinated the graduate coaching program. At Bloomsburg, he taught courses and served as head coach fro men’s swimmming, while also establishing men’s and women’s water polo clubs. In 2000 he was named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year by the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

Dr. King recenetly completed a three-year term on the executive board of the National Council for the Accreditation of Coaching Education, during which he served one year as president. He recently celebrated his 30th year of coaching. He competes in volleyball and masters swimming.

Dr. Richard Leonard

Email: rleonard@ussa.edu

Dr. Leonard spent several years as a collegiate volleyball coach, building successful programs at Georgia State, St. Louis University, and North Florida, while teaching business as an adjunct professor. He has taught classes in entrepreneurship, all levels of management, and a range of marketing classes. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Business Administration and Accounting at Flagler College in Tallahassee, FL.

Over the past 14 years, Dr. Leonard has written numerous articles in the field of sports administration. These articles (published by the American Volleyball Coaches Association - the governing body of the sport) encompass every aspect of sports management including (but not limited to) planning, organization, human resource management and strategic management. His main focus over the past four years has been publishing textbooks. His second textbook, The Administrative Side of Coaching: Applying Business Concepts to Athletic Program Administration and Coaching (2008), was published by International Center for Performance Excellence – Fitness Information Technology at West Virginia University.

Dr. Leonard has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Robert Morris University, an MBA in management from Florida Metropolitan University-Tampa College, and a Ph.D. in administration and management from Walden University. He has certifications in strategic management and leadership from the American Management Association, as well as certifications in professional learning, collaborative learning, and classroom management.

Dr. Lawrence E. Miller

Email: lemiller@ussa.edu

Dr. Miller is an assistant principal at Pacifica High School in Oxnard, Calif. He has been a head coach in football, track, basketball, water polo, and soccer. He was named Los Angeles Times Coach of the Year in 1998, and has coached in the Shrine All-Star Football Classic (California vs. Texas) and the Ventura County All-Star Game.

Dr. Miller obtained his Doctor of Sport Management degree at the United States Sports Academy in 2003 and has a master’s degree in teaching from Grand Canyon University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from California State University-Northridge and a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Fresno State.

Dr. Chad Moretz

Email: cmoretz@ussa.edu

Dr. Moretz has an extensive background in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level. He serves as program chair for Healthcare Administration at the University of Atlanta and has taught graduate courses at Walden University, Park University, and South University. He has also worked as a statistician and consultant for Rutherford Hospital. Dr. Moretz also works for the North Carolina Cardiac and Pulmonary Outcomes Research Committee as a biostatistician.

He earned his doctorate at Tulane University in 2004 and a master’s degree in sport facility management/exercise physiology at the United States Sports Academy. Dr. Moretz graduated from Appalachian State Universtiy in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.

Dr. Donna Nathlar

Email: dnathlar@ussa.edu

Dr. Nathlar, a professor of anatomy and physiology at Horry-Georgetown Technical College for 15 years, is a 1995 graduate of the United States Sports Academy’s doctoral program. She also earned a master’s degree in Sports Medicine at the Academy in 1991. Dr. Nathlar graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. She earned her graduate degrees and started teaching at the collegiate level while she was teaching physics, chemistry, and physical science at Conway (SC) High School, where she was also the cheerleader sponsor and worked with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Dr. Tim Newman

Email: tjnewman@ussa.edu

Dr. Tim Newman is currently an assistant professor of sport management at York College of Pennsylvania. He earned his Doctorate in Sport Management at the United States Sports Academy his master’s in education at the University of Virginia, and his bachelor’s degree from Towson University.

After serving in the Army and attending college, Dr. Newman spent many years working as a certified athletic trainer and still maintains the NATA certification. He has worked with athletes in nearly every age group, ranging from youth recreational participants, high school students, collegiate athletes and professional players. His professional work covers the gamut as well with a mix of experiences within educational settings of various levels, private businesses and non-profit organizations.

As a member of the United States Sports Academy faculty, Dr. Newman has taught courses in Botswana and Thailand. He actively contributes his time to a variety of community projects and volunteer programs each year. His primary research areas supplement his experiences as they are most directly related to youth sports and issues related to leadership.

Dr. Ken Reed

Email: kreed@ussa.edu

Dr. Reed is a veteran sports management and sports studies instructor. He has taught at the University of Denver, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, and for the last three years has served on the United States Sports Academy’s Distance Learning Faculty.

As a long-time sports marketing and communications consultant, Reed has completed a wide variety of projects for sports industry executives, including the Philadelphia Eagles, Invesco Field at Mile High, National Pro Fastpitch, the NHL All-Star Game, PGA Golf Watch, Colorado Golf Association, Rick Smith Golf Institute, PE4life, the Colorado Rapids, and the Atlanta Hawks.

He has also served as Director of the Center for the Advancement of Physical Education (CAPE) for PE4life and was a founding partner of SportsHD Productions, a high-definition sports television production company. Throughout his career, Reed has played key roles for Denver’s Organizing Committee for the Men’s NCAA Final Four basketball tournament, the Denver Baseball Commission, and the Rocky Mountain Rookie League.

Reed holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing/finance from the University of Denver, a master’s degree in management (emphasis sports management) from Colorado State University, and a doctorate in sports administration (emphasis sports policy) from the University of Northern Colorado. He lettered in baseball and basketball at the University of Denver.

He is also a freelance writer, having published numerous articles and columns in newspapers and magazines around the country, including The New York Times. Presently, he is a regular columnist for Mile High Sports magazine. Reed has published a sports novel for young readers entitled Sara’s Big Challenge, and is currently working on a biography of Phil Lawler, the passionate leader of the fitness-based physical education movement.

Dr. Dale Reeves

Email: dreeves@ussa.edu

Dr. Reeves, who has coached football, basketball and softball at the scholastic level for 35 years, obtained his Doctor of Sport Management degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2002. He received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in education from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Reeves has been named region Coach of the Year in basketball four times, with a high school coaching record of 315-152, three Upper State championships and one Lower State championship. He also has two Lower State championships in softball and has served on the Executive Board of the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association for eight years. He was president of the board in 2001.

Dr. Donn C. Renwick

Email: drenwick@ussa.edu

Dr. Renwick, who now lives in Trophy Club, Texas, was Dean of the College at the United States Sports Academy in 1986 and served as Chair of Sports Management prior to that. A former football coach and athletic director in Porterville, Calif., he earned his Ph. D in education administration/supervision and curriculum at Florida State University. Dr. Renwick earned his master’s degree in education and bachelor’s in history at Stanford University.

Dr. Tim Rice

Email: trice@ussa.edu

Dr. Rice has been in higher education for over 15 years at colleges across the country. He has also been a head college sport coach for over 10 years. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from the University of Mobile, a Master of Sport Science degree in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy, and a Doctor of Sports Management degree in Sport Management/Human Resource Management from the United States Sports Academy.

Dr. Rice currently serves as full-time fundraiser for the American Heart Association in Colorado. In addition, he serves as the Special Assistant to the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the University of Denver in NCAA Division I.

Dr. Cynthia E. Ryder

Email: ceryder@ussa.edu

From 1993-2008, Dr. Ryder served a variety of roles at the Academy including Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Continuing Education, Vice President for Institutional Research and Student Services, Department Chair of Sport Management and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Ryder teaches several courses at the Academy, including Sport Law and Risk Management, Sport Agents, and Professional Writing and Applied Writing at the master’s degree level. She teaches Legal Aspects of Sport, Labor Relations in Sport, Leadership: Theory and Practice and Research II: Advanced Methods at the doctoral level. Dr. Ryder was named the 1999 Professor of the Year and the 2001 Outstanding Professional Employee of the Year while in residence at the Academy and continues to teach as a distance learning professor. She currently serves as Dean of Assessment / Chair of Organizational Leadership at Columbia Southern University.

Dr. Edward P. Sakiewicz

Email: esakiewicz@ussa.edu

Dr. Sakiewicz holds a Ph. D in Organization and Management with an emphasis in Sports Entrepreneurship from Capella University. His dissertation is titled, “A Comparative Study of Enterprise Risk Management and Decision Making Criteria Used for Developing Soccer-Specific Stadiums for Major League Soccer”.

Dr. Sakiewicz is CEO & Managing Partner of SA Pro Soccer LLC, a sports management and investor group vying to expand professional soccer in two major US markets. He brought San Antonio its first-ever MLS exhibition match to the city and recently served as the Director of the South Texas Area Regional soccer complex (STAR), one of Texas’s most expansive and state-of-the-art soccer facilities. He is an executive founder and former President of the San Antonio Metropolitan Youth Soccer Institute (SAMYS), a nonprofit organization that built San Antonio’s first 42-acre premier youth soccer complex.

Dr. Sakiewicz played collegiate soccer at Loyola University Maryland, and went on to play as a developmental professional in Europe. He is happily married 18 years to Jennyfer. They have three children.

Dr. Bret Simmermacher

Email: bsimmer@ussa.edu

Dr. Simmermacher is an instructor/head baseball coach at New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico, where he also teaches sports management, theory leadership and coaching. He originally came to the Mobile, AL area in 1981 on a baseball scholarship to the University of South Alabama and played for the legendary Eddie Stanky. Upon Coach Stanky’s retirement in 1983, he transferred to the University of West Florida, where he graduated with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health, leisure, and sports/physical education in 1986. He received his Doctor of Sport Management degree from the United States Sports Academy in 2003.

Dr. Simmermacher taught and coached golf, girls’ basketball and baseball for 15 years in Crestline, Ohio. During his time in Ohio he taught and coached a variety of sports at three different schools. From 2000-2005 he was the head golf coach, head girl’s basketball coach, and the head baseball coach for Crestline High School. From 1995-1997, Dr. Simmermacher coached baseball at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio in a part-time capacity. His 1995 team made the school’s first trip to the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Dr. Glenn C. Snyder

Email: gsnyder@ussa.edu

Dr. Snyder served as athletic director and professor of health science at two universities, including 21 years at Bluffton (Ohio) College, where he chaired the PE department, and 10 years at Hope International University in Fullerton, Calif. The former Dean of Student Services at the United States Sports Academy has also served as director of admissions for the International School of Theology in San Bernardino Arrowhead Springs, Calif. where he recruited graduate students. He has also coached basketball at both the high school and collegiate level. Dr. Snyder received his Ed. D. from the University of Northern Colorado, his master’s degree from Kent State, and his bachelor’s degree from Bluffton College.

Mr. Michael Spino

Email: mspino@ussa.edu

Mr. Spino is a long-time faculty member specializing in undergraduate studies. He has also taught two international certification courses in Thailand. A cross country and track coach at Georgia Tech, Life University, and the Academy of Art University, his teams have won 12 national championships in cross country and track and field. Spino is the author of six books on the mental and physical aspects of sport, and has written extensively for the United Nations Sport for Development and Peace. He is presently writing a book on sport chiropractic and peak performance and has founded and is master teacher of the company “Run Into Spirit.”

Mr. Terry D. Waldrop

Email: twaldrop@ussa.edu

Coach Waldrop, the head men’s basketball coach at Texas Wesleyan University, was National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NAIA Coach of the Year in 2006 and United Sports Academy Alumnus of the Year that same year after his team won the NAIA national championship. Waldrop has compiled the second most wins in the state of Texas in the last five years and has established Texas Wesleyan University as a perennial top 10 program. Waldrop has a wealth of experience including stints as a high school, junior college, and NCAA Division I coach. In addition he has served as a director of intercollegiate athletics and NCAA compliance director.

Waldrop earned his master’s degree in sports management from the Academy in 1993 and holds a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from The University of Louisiana-Monroe. He has earned significant hours toward his Doctorate at Capella University.

Dr. Brian Wallace

Email: bwallace@ussa.edu

Dr. Brian Wallace earned his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from Florida State University. He also holds a Master of Science in Exercise Science and a Bachelor’s of Science in Physical Education from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Wallace is currently the chief operations officer at Champions4Fitness in Dallas – a cutting edge personal training and testing franchise operation. He served five years at the United States Sports Academy as the Chair of Sport Fitness.

Dr. Wallace is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine with numerous publications in scientific, medical and fitness journals including Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and Physician and Sports Medicine. At Bosse Sports and Health Club in Boston, he was Executive Director of the Lifestyle and Performance Center and Senior Vice President of Applied Physiology and Nutrition for the Human Performance Institute in Orlando. Dr. Wallace also directed the Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Fitness and Testing at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center.

With over 20 years in health, fitness and athletics as a researcher, professor, and coach/trainer, Dr. Wallace represents the highest standard in both research and application. His training, certifications, peer reviewed research and experience with everyone from Olympic and professional athletes to cardiac and diabetic patients over the past 20 years has allowed Dr. Wallace to create a testing and training system which is just now available to the health/fitness industry.