SHAPE America Board of Directors

Joe Deutsch began his career teaching elementary, middle school and high school physical education on the Standing Rock Reservation. He then returned to Fargo, ND, where he taught elementary physical education at the lowest socio-economic school in the city. After completing his master’s degree and making significant progress toward his Ph.D., he joined the ranks of higher education to help prepare future physical educational teachers and coaches. Deutsch has been an active member of NDSHAPE for more than 20 years, serving in several roles including treasurer, higher education representative, health. moves. minds.® committee member, and president. He has also served as president of SHAPE America Central District.

Robin Walker (formerly Richardson) is currently teaching elementary physical education in Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY. She has 27 years in the areas of health and physical education. Robin has taught grades K-12 and has been a curriculum specialist for the Kentucky Department of Education.

Robin is a past president of Kentucky SHAPE and is currently serving on the SHAPE America Board of Directors. She is extremely active in promoting wellness in her school and her school district. She leads her staff wellness program by being a “Living Well Champion,” which helps staff with the state’s employee health program. Robin strives to lead by example for both her students and colleagues, with the goal of inspiring everyone to value their health in order to improve their quality of life and longevity.

Cara Grant has been working in the field of education for more than 19 years, beginning in 2001 as a health and physical education teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools (MD). She has had the opportunity to work in higher education as well as preK-12 education. In higher education, she developed the coursework for the Physical Education Master’s Certification Program at the University of Maryland College Park. In preK-12 education she has worked collaboratively supervising and coordinating teams of teachers to revise the preK-12 framework in health and PE. She has experience as a curriculum writer on a local county level, state level, and nationally through developing content and curriculum for Discovery Education and the National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health.

Stephanie A. Morris brings nearly 20 years of diverse experience in marketing, communications and association management to SHAPE America. In her most recent role as deputy executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), she provided leadership and oversight for five major departments: marketing and membership; corporate strategic alliances; content strategy and development; conferences and meetings; and the customer care center. In addition to the NAEYC, Stephanie has held executive positions with the American Council on Education, Widmeyer Communications, Venture Communications and the National Women’s Business Council.

Andro L. Barnett is a career professional in athletics, recreation, administration and leadership, and education. Dr. Barnett ranks as a Professor at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. He has also served as Department Chair for six years. He also serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) and ensures student athletes’ best interests are maintained and assists with the hiring processes of the head coaching staff. Dr. Barnett is well known within SHAPE, especially SHAPEWV and Midwest; he has served in numerous leadership capacities as SHAPE West Virginia President, Midwest President, SHAPE Affiliate Advisor Council, and SHAPE Midwest EDI Chair.

Tari Garner taught physical education and adapted physical education for 40 years and has experience with elementary through college-age students. She taught at the high school level for 19 years and was a head coach for two sports for 20+ years. A National Board Certified Teacher, Tari was the 2013 SHAPE America Central District High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year. She is CAPE certified and has taught as an adapted specialist and an adapted consultant. Tari is currently the outdoor adventure coordinator for the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation. She is a past president of MOSHAPE and SHAPE America Central District, chairperson for MOSHAPE Membership Services, and has been involved in a variety of leadership positions during her career. She promotes physical education and health for all students and works to encourage an inclusive environment in all that she does. Tari is an advocate for teachers across the nation.

Dr. Knipe has over fifteen years of experience in the field with a strong background in PK-12 education, having been named Teacher of the Year at the University of Texas Elementary School in 2011. He earned his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction Education from The University of Texas. Currently, Knipe is an Assistant Professor in the Physical Education Teacher Education program at Southern Connecticut State University. As the founder of the PE Pep Talk project, he advocates for the support and recognition of Physical Education teachers. Knipe has served in several state level positions and has served as SHAPE America’s Nominations Committee as a member and chair, a member of the Physical Activity Council, led the Student Special Interest Group (SIG) and helped to establish the Undergraduate Student Leadership Network.

Dr. Brandy Lynch is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator for the Physical Education Program at the University of Central Missouri. With nearly two decades of experience spanning K-12 and higher education, her work focuses on preparing future educators and advancing teaching practices to create meaningful, engaging learning experiences.

As the current (2025) President of MOSHAPE, Dr. Lynch facilitates statewide efforts in advocacy, professional development, and convention management to support health and physical education professionals. She also serves as a National Trainer for OPEN Phys Ed, helping educators implement inclusive, standards-based curriculum strategies to meet diverse student needs.

Dr. Lynch is deeply committed to collaboration and advancing the profession. She strives to empower educators to make lasting impacts on their students and inspire excellence in health and physical education.

Coaching and education has taken Andy Milne to four continents, teaching in six schools on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean since 1994. Originally from London, Andy has taught health and kinetic wellness for the past 11 years at New Trier High School in Illinois. He has been recognized for his innovative use of technology in the classroom and in 2017 was named SHAPE America National Health Education Teacher of the Year. A highly sought-after presenter and speaker, Andy served as the state-level health representative for IAHPERD and sat on the National Advisory Board for Answer. Andy created the #sendateacher initiative to raise funds to send teachers to the SHAPE America National Convention & Expo, and he also runs the #slowchathealth blog site that seeks to amplify the voice of health and physical education teachers across the globe.

Tonya Moore is a highly accomplished and dedicated professional with a longstanding commitment to the field of physical education and health. With a wealth of experience as an Adapted Physical Education teacher, a Coordinator in a statewide project: PRISM (Providing Relevant, Inclusive Support that Matter for LGTBQ+ Students), and as a Coordinator for Physical Education and Comprehensive Health throughout Los Angeles County, Tonya has made significant contributions to the profession. She has demonstrated unwavering dedication to promoting health and well-being among individuals of all abilities.

Will Potter has been teaching physical education since 2002 and has been at Serendipity School since 2005. In 2013, he served as director for the Elementary Physical Education Workshop at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In 2019, Will was named the California AHPERD (CAHPERD) Elementary Teacher of the Year and in 2020 was named the SHAPE America National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year. In 2021-2022, he served as CAHPERD president, promoting professional development and advocacy programs for health and physical education.

Joe Velardi is the Connecticut Coordinator for Health and Physical Education. He became an Assistant Director of the Connecticut Association of Schools – Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS-CIAC) in January of 2019 after a successful and extensive career in public education. Joe taught physical education for 14 years in the New Haven, CT Public School system. He then became the Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics in Regional School District 15 (Southbury, Middlebury CT), a position he held for 24 years. Joe is honored to serve the health and physical education profession in Connecticut by working in conjunction with the Connecticut State Department of Education.