Staff & Volunteers

 The NSFA operates from a virtual office and is staffed as-needed by our volunteer staff:

• Membership Services Coordinator, Zena Snider. She can be reached at zena@nsfitness.ca. 
  
• Volunteer Arabic Translator, Zane Hadad. He can be reached at zane@nsfitness.ca.

The organization and events are run by a volunteer Board of Directors. They are:

• Chair - Terri Roberts
  
• Vice Chair - Susan Skulech-Hardiman
• Secretary  - Margaret Lee
  
• Treasurer - vacant
  
• Communications Director - Brittany Smith
  
• Members at Large - Jessica Goreham-Penney and Debra Tanner
  

The NSFA also has six standing committees: Certifications & Professional Development, Resource Generation, Promotions & Communications, and Ethics as well as the newly created Awards and Events Committees.

We also have 3 ad-hoc committees running throughout 2017-2018.  They are:

• Yoga Exercise Certification Development Committee, chaired by Ocean Samuel
• Indoor Cycling Leader Certification Development Committee, chaired by Bill Norton
• First Nations Truth & Reconciliation Action Items Committee, chaired by Susan Skulech-Hardiman

The NSFA is divided into six provincial regions:

• Cape Breton
• Central
• Fundy
• Highland
  
• South Shore
• Valley

*We are currently seeking a regional representative for each of these areas and members for each of the standing committees from amongst our members.

Course Conductors

The NSFA's certification courses are taught by:

• Linda Donnelly
• Judi Harvey
• Margret Lee
  
• Patricia MacDonald
• Brigitte MacInnes
  
• Doreen MacLean
• Melissa Millar
  
• Debbie Murphy
• Bill Norton
  
• Sheila Rafferty
• Terri Roberts
• Ocean Samuel
  
• Susan Skulech-Hardiman
  

Linda Donnelly’s studies include a completed BSC in Physical Education and one year of a MSC Exercise Physiology program. She is a Registered Certified Kinesiologist and  completed NSFA Group Fitness, Resistance Trainer and Older Adult certifications. In addition she has taught Aqua Fit and worked as a personal trainer. She also has a provincial Teachers License in Physical Education and taught all school levels. She has a parallel interest in the Performing Arts and worked as a professional dancer and theatre performer.  Her years of training include gymnastics, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, folk dance and circus arts. Her employment history reflects 20 years of rich experience in recreation, education, self-employment, business, non-profit, and government type work.

Judi Harvey has been a Fitness Professional for almost 25 years. She teaches group, aqua, older adult, kickboxing and Zumba (Zumba, Gold, Aqua and kids).  She is also a Stott certified Pilates Instructor, and will be completing her Yoga Teacher Training spring 2017.  She has been the Fitness Leader Coordinator for the YMCA in Kingston ON and has lead other private clubs is ON. Her favourite job is working and teaching to older adults, and seeing how exercise changes their lives.

Margaret Lee is a relative newcomer to fitness, but not to health or teaching.  With an academic background in Nursing and Pharmacy, including several years of teaching university courses, she's a fountain of knowledge of anatomy and physiology.  She's especially passionate about teaching fitness to the elderly, and is the first person in Nova Scotia to become certified on the new Bellyfit Sage® fitness for senior women program.  Margaret is also OAL, GEL and RTL certified.

Patricia MacDonald B. Ed (Phys. Ed), M.Ed (Educ. Psych), Certified NSFA GFL, RTL, OAF, PFT, Certified Personal Trainer CPTN is currently the Fitness Officer at Mount Saint Vincent University. She has been affiliated with the Nova Scotia Fitness Association since its inception, September 1989. Pat has held various positions at the NSFA from Office Administrator to Chair, and for the last 10 years as part of the Professional Development Committee. Pat has been teaching fitness classes, training clients, and designing and conducting the NSFA certification programs since 1990.

Brigitte MacInnes has a passion for learning, teaching and fitness life few others making her a much loved and in-demand personal trainer in the Halifax area. Not content to rest on her academic credentials in Language and Education, she also became a certified Pilates instructor, Group Exercise Leader and Personal Trainer, and is now studying Yoga as well.  Brigitte teaches theory, group exercise and resistance training course work with the NSFA and is a past Chair of the Board of Directors.

Doreen MacLean is a Registered Dietitian with the NSDA, having taken her B.Sc. in Applied Human Nutrition at MSVU. She is a consulting dietitian at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, as well as a DANCEPL3Y™ instructor for which she was the first certified instructor on the East coast! Doreen has been a past member of the NSFA board.

Melissa Millar is a dynamic fitness professional involved in the industry for over 20 years. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Fitness Workshop Presenter, and Trainer Educator. With degrees in Kinesiology and Dance she went on to complete certifications from YMCA Canada, Can-Fit-Pro, the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), ZUMBA, and most recently, YogaFit. In 2009 she was awarded the Fitness Instructor of the Year- Freestyle, New Zealand. She is now the owner of a fitness training company called MOTIVA Wellbeing and Fitness, specializing in personal and small group training in home, fitness classes & workshops, and corporate wellness programs.

Debbie Murphy has worked in the fitness industry for 35 years. Debbie was the Athletic Coordinator at the Dartmouth Sportsplex for 30 years. Over that time, she has taught many different types of fitness classes for all age groups. Her current favorite is teaching Older Adult classes both water and land. She is also a course conductor for NSFA.

Bill Norton teaches indoor cycling and TRX® exercise classes in downtown Halifax.  Bill is the most recent to join our Course Conductor team, and is the Chair of the development committee for our forthcoming Indoor Cycling Leadership certificate.

Sheila Rafferty has been immersed in exercise programming for older adults for over twenty years and has trained older adult exercise leaders throughout the Atlantic provinces. A dedicated supporter of NSFA-and NFLA, Sheila is committed to training exercise leaders with the highest standard of certification available.

Terri Roberts is a fitness and dance instructor with Halifax Recreation and Mount St. Vincent University's Ath/Rec Department.  She is the first Nova Scotian to be Bellyfit® certified d to become a Master Trainer with Bellyfit® International. She is a course conductor and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Fitness Association which includes representing us to the NFLA board. She has bachelor's degrees in Arts and Education and is currently at MSVU working on a Master of Arts degree in Women & Gender Studies.  

Ocean Samuel lives for good teaching and good fitness! Even as one of our newest Course Conductors she's hardly a rookie.  She's been guiding and mentoring clients and new fitness instructors for years.  She teaches group exercise and yoga in downtown Halifax.  She is also the Chair of the development committee for our forthcoming Yoga exercise Leader certificate.

Susan Skulech-Hardiman is a Personal Trainer who specializes in working with children and teens.  She has taught fitness and first aid courses all over Canada.  Susan is also the Vice Chair of the NSFA Board of Directors.
Susan is also the chair of the First Nations Truth & Reconciliation Action Items Committee.