Jiro Shikakura, MS, ATC, is a visiting professor at Juntendo University in Tokyo, Japan. Shikakura became the first president of the Japan Athletic Trainers’ Organization (JATO) in 1996 and served through 2007. He was an athletic trainer for the Waseda University American football team from 1977 to 2017 and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Football team from 1990 to 2019. Shikakura was vice president of the World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy from 2005 to 2013 and vice-chair of the athletic trainer board of the Japan Sport Association from 2009 to 2016. Shikakura was the board director of the Japanese Society of Athletic Training from 2012 to 2017. He was inducted into the JATO Hall of Fame in 2017. Shikakura earned his Bachelor of Arts from Waseda University, Bachelor of Science from University of Michigan and Master of Science from Juntendo University.
NATA Hall of Fame
Kimberly S. Peer, EdD, ATC, FNATA, is a full professor at Kent State University in the Master of Athletic Training and Doctor of Education Interprofessional Leadership programs. She has served as editor-in-chief of the Athletic Training Education Journal and in leadership roles with NATA, the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer, Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, NATA Research & Education Foundation and Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association. Peer has been lauded with national, regional and state level awards for her contributions to the profession and athletic training education, including, but not limited to, NATA Fellow, Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer, Sayers “Bud” Miller Distinguished Educator Award, OATA Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Athletic Trainers’ Association Outstanding Educator and, most recently, the Gail Weldon Award of Excellence and National Academies of Practice Distinguished Fellow Distinction. Peer has presented on the international and national levels on ethics education and pedagogy. She has published extensively and has co-authored textbooks on professional ethics in athletic training and athletic training pedagogy.
Ray Castle, PhD, LAT, NREMT, is a St. Joseph, Louisiana native and earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1990, master’s degree in 1993 and doctoral degree in 2000 from the University of Southern Mississippi. From 2002-22, he served as athletic training program director and professor at Louisiana State University, which included the development of Louisiana’s first Master of Science in Athletic Training program. Highlights of Castle’s extensive clinical experience include volunteering at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials and the Boston Marathon from 2013 to present and as part the USOC sports medicine staff for the 2003 Pan American Games. He is the owner/CEO of Action Medicine Consultants LLC, providing large-scale sports medicine event coordination and emergency care training solutions. He is a subject matter expert in sports-related emergency medicine and is widely known for his contributions to advancing sports emergency care. Castle’s professional service is extensive, including leadership roles as Louisiana Athletic Trainers’ Association vice-president, 2013-16; Southeast Athletic Trainers’ Association Athletic Training Student Symposium co-chair, 2001-14; NATA Executive Council for Education member, 2004-08; NATA Research & Education Foundation director, 2010-12; and Commission on Accreditation for Athletic Training Education board commissioner, 2011-17.
Lorin A. Cartwright, MS, ATC, CA A, has been an advocate for AT education at the secondary school and college/university level. She has written numerous textbooks about the certification process, foundations of athletic training and cultural competency. All were the first of their kind in athletic training, with a few translated into simple Chinese. She was the first woman to be president of GLATA. Cartwright has advanced the profession by serving in various roles on national, regional and state committees. She has served on the NATA Secretary Committee, Ethics Committee, Membership Committee, LGBTO+ Advisory Committee and the Honors and Award Committee. While on the LGBTO+ Advisory Committee, she co-authored, "Considerations for Stressors of Sexual Minority Identity and How it Affects Mental Health for Those Who Identify as LGBTO+." At the district level, she was a consultant to the Diversity Committee, an active member of the Women in Athletic Training Committee and served as secretary-treasurer. The Michigan governor appointed her to the Women in Sports Leadership Committee and Michigan Board of Athletic Training. At the state level, she co-chaired the DEi Committee, Secondary Schools Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee; and chaired the Education Committee and Public Relations Committee. Her honors include the Ann Arbor Pioneer Athletic Hall of Fame, Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Fame, GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition, NATA Athletic Training Service Award and Gail Weldon Award of Excellence.
Mark Coberley, MS, LAT, ATC, a graduate of Iowa State University, currently serves as the associate athletic director of sports medicine at his alma mater, a position he earned in 1999 after serving for six years as the university's assistant athletic trainer. His volunteer service began as a member of the Iowa Athletic Trainers' Society Governmental Affairs Committee. He later served as IATS president. Among his roles with NATA, he served as a member of the NATA College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee, now the Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine, and the NATA Public Relations Committee. He served on the NATA Board of Directors from 2015-20 as the District Five director and chaired the NATA Political Action Committee. He serves on the Big 12 Conference Medical Aspects of Sport Committee and was chair 2008-11. Coberley was awarded the NCAA's Division I Head Athletic Trainer of the Vear in 2011 and the NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition in 2013. He was inducted into the MAATA Hall of Fame in 2019, and the IATS Hall of Honor in 2014.
Paul A. Ullucci Jr., PhD, DPT, ATC, is the founding program director and associate professor in Johnson & Wales University's physical therapy program. Ullucci has taught at Bryant University; Sacred Heart University, where he was the director of the Human Anatomy Lab; and Fresno State, where he was the director of the musculoskeletal clinic. Prior to earning his PhD, Ullucci owned Ullucci Sports Medicine & Physical Therapy and was the operations supervisor for Rebound Sports Medicine. He has served as District One director for two terms and was appointed NATA secretary/treasurer in 2012. He served previously as District One treasurer and EATA president. His honors include induction into the "49's Club," EATA Cramer Award, NATA Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer and NATA Athletic Trainer Service Award. He has been inducted into the Rhode Island Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Northeastern University's physical therapy program. He earned his athletic training certification in 1993 and his certified strength and conditioning specialists designation in 2000. He became Rhode Island's first sports clinical specialist in 1997.
Rick Burkholder, MS, ATC, a second-generation AT, is currently the vice president of sports medicine and performance for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is starting his 11th season in Kansas City after spending 14 years as the head athletic trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles in 1999, Burkholder served as an assistant AT at the Pittsburgh Steelers, University of Pittsburgh and University of Arizona. In 2014, he was elected president of Professional Football Athletic Trainers' Society, where he focused on gender equity within PFATS as well as emphasizing the importance of ATs in the secondary school setting. The Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers' Society Hall of Fame inductee joins his father, Richard Burkholder, as the only father-son duo to have achieved this honor. Burkholder also received the NATA President's Award, the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer recognition and Athletic Training Service Award. With PATS, he served on various committees as well as the executive board. He has also served on various committees in NATA, the NFL and PFATS, and speaks locally and nationally on a regular basis. The two-time Super Bowl champion was awarded the Cain/Fain NFL Athletic Trainer of the Vear Award in 2022, which is voted on by the NFL team physicians.
Tony Fitzpatrick, MA, LAT, ATC, has been employed by the Boise School District for 35 years as an athletic trainer as well as a biology and sports medicine teacher. Fitzpatrick taught biology and sports medicine as well as serving as the head athletic trainer for Boise High School from 1988-98. In the fall of 1998, he helped to open Timberline High School, where he has been ever since, serving as the head athletic trainer and sports medicine instructor. Fitzpatrick has served in many leadership roles in the Idaho Athletic Trainers' Association, including president from 1995-2001. Within the NWATA, Fitzpatrick served from 2009-13 as treasurer and from 2017-22 as president, as well as NATA DistrictTen director, including as NATA vice-president from 2021-22. Fitzpatrick was inducted into the NWATA Hall of Fame in 2014 and the IATA Hall of Fame in 2021. He was recognized by Boise State University as a Distinguished Alumni from the College of Health Sciences in 2022. At the end of the 2023 school year, Fitzpatrick will retire from the Boise School District.
Tory Lindley, MA, ATC, serves as the deputy athletics director at Youngstown State University. Lindley became NATA's 14th president in 2018 and served through 2021. In 2020, Lindley completed an 18-year stint as Northwestern University's director of athletic training services. Prior to NU, Lindley served as the director of sports medicine at Eastern Michigan University and head AT at Hamline University. Lindley has degrees from Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota. He served in state leadership roles for the Minnesota Athletic Trainers' Association and the Michigan Athletic Trainers' Society before providing six years of service to the Illinois Athletic Trainers' Association, including serving as president from 2006-08. From 2012-18, Lindley was the NATA District Four director, serving as NATA vice president for two years. A 2011 inductee into the IATA Hall of Fame, Lindley was a 2016 recipient of the GLATA Golden Pinnacle Award and named the 2012 NCAA's Division I Athletic Trainer of the Year.
Bart C. Peterson, MSS, LAT, ATC, earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 1989 and his master’s degree from the U.S. Sports Academy in 1998. Peterson has worked his entire career in the secondary schools, including positions at Campbell County High School (1990-2000) in Gillette, Wyoming, and Palo Verde High Magnet School (2000-present) in Tucson, Arizona. He began serving the athletic training profession early in his career, becoming president of the Wyoming Athletic Trainers’ Association (1992-98). Among his roles at the state, district and national levels, he served as secretary of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association (2004-10), NATA District Seven director (2010-14) and NATA Research & Education Foundation District Seven director (2014-20). He served on the NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee (1998-2004) and returned to the committee to serve as chair (2016-20). Peterson is a 2015 inductee of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.