DALLAS, July 15, 2004 – The board of directors of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), a not-for-profit organization representing 30,000 members of the athletic training profession, has selected Kenneth Knight, PhD, ATC, FACSM, as the next chair of its Education Council, ending a six-month-long search.

“Ken is prepared to address the next phase of our educational program,” says Chuck Kimmel, ATC, president of the NATA. “He recognizes the ongoing, important issues, such as the makeup of clinical experiences for students, and will address them during his term.”

Knight’s official duties begin in June 2005, when current chair Chad Starkey, PhD, ATC, completes his second and final term. Throughout the coming year, the two certified athletic trainers will work together to ensure a smooth transition. As the new chair, Knight will oversee the council, which is responsible for facilitating ongoing quality improvement in entry-level, graduate and continuing athletic training education. Knight brings to his new post decades of experience in the classroom and on the field. His impressive credentials include: a former editor of the quarterly scientific Journal of Athletic Training; a recipient of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Distinguished Educator Award; and the first recipient of the NATA Research and Education Foundation’s Clancy Medal for Research. In 2001, he was inducted into the NATA Hall of Fame and in 2004 into the Utah Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame.

“Our goal is to help educators prepare clinicians to make a difference in the health care of the physically active,” Knight says. “Together with the 100+ volunteers who serve on the various education council committees I want to improve our processes in a way that helps both students and their educators enjoy the educational experience. I think we also need to look into the future and see where we might be in five or 10 years, to make sure we’re preparing our students to meet that new world.”

A resident of Spanish Fork, Utah, Knight is currently a professor of Exercise Sciences and director of the Human Performance Research Center at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He had previously been the head (and first full time) athletic trainer at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah; associate athletic trainer/instructor at The State University of New York at Brockport; and athletic trainer/professor and department chair at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He received his associate’s degree from Dixie College in 1967; two bachelor’s degrees from Weber State (1969 and 1973); and a doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1977.

“I love being an athletic trainer (ATC) and truly believe health care across the board is better because of our work,” Knight says. “ATCs lead in aggressive rehabilitation, and that’s become the standard. We really make the world a better place.”

About the NATA:
Certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are unique health care providers who specialize in the prevention, assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and illnesses that occur to athletes and the physically active. The National Athletic Trainers' Association represents and supports 30,000 members of the athletic training profession through education and research. www.nata.org. NATA, 2952 Stemmons Freeway, Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75247, 214.637.6282; 214.637.2206 (fax).