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• Overview
• About the Concept
• About the Industry
• Research and Data
• Grants / Raising Money
• Workshops
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• FAQs

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Our Team

Ed Kasanders

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Ed started Motion Fitness in 1998 with the idea that he wanted people to move.  He knew the importance of an Active and Healthy lifestyle and "Motion" was one of the keys.  In 2003 he saw a new trend in kids fitness by incorporating interactive games and making fitness fun. He later started Exergame Fitness and began searching for products that met three key criteria.  They had to be Fun, Simple and Social. Today the Exergame Fitness division of Motion Fitness is known as a leader and innovator in the field. They serve Commercial facilities across the world.

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Dan Lawler, PhD

Advisor Board Member

danlawler@exercise4learning.com
www.exercise4learning.com

Dan Lawler, Ph.D., is a pioneer in the burgeoning field of movement-based learning. He has 34 years experience as an elementary school principal. His school leadership was consistently based on leading-edge research and best practices in education. Most recently, he spent seven years changing a school's culture by developing and branding his school as a center of "academics, character and wellness." He initiated multiple wellness-and movement-based learning initiatives, including a first-of-its-kind exercise 4 learning center that improved students' academic performance and behavior.

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Stephen P. Yang, PhD-ABD

Advisor Board Member

Professor at Suny Cortland

stephen.yang@cortland.edu
www.exergamelab.org

Stephen P. Yang is an assistant professor at SUNY Cortland and he researches the effectiveness of using exergames / active games and technologies for children, adolescents, and adults with and without disabilities. He has been active in the field of exergaming since its infancy and has published and presented internationally and nationally.

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George Velarde

Advisor Board Member

Physical Education Department Chair

gvelard@hartdistrict.org
www.hart.k12.ca.us/sierra/

George is the Physical Education Department Chair at Sierra Vista Jr. High School in Canyon Country, California. In 2007, George and Sierra Vista Jr. High School was awarded the prestigious Carol M. White PEP Grant. In 2009, George was awarded the California Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by Governor Schwarzenegger and former President Bill Clinton at the Health and Obesity Summit. That same year, he was also named Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the California Coach's Association. In 2009, the school was awarded the Golden Bell Award by the California School Board Association for the "No Child Left on their Behind" Physical Education Program. Sierra Vista was also named the Physical Education Middle School of the Year by the California Coach's Association in 2009. George is a State and National speaker for his PE program's No Child Left On Their Behinds initiative. Sierra Vista Jr. High's PE program is recognized by the President's Council on Physical Fitness/Sports as an official National Demonstration Center for the United States.

New PE at Sierra Vista Jr. High School.

PE program is researched based and has demonstrated improved fitness test scores (tops in the State of CA.), increased Academic Scores (API), decreased discipline referrals and community partnerships.

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Ernie Medina, Jr., DrPH

Advisor Board Member

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer

ernie@medplaytech.com
www.medplaytech.com

Ernie Medina, Jr., earned a masters and doctorate in public health from Loma Linda University in 1993. Specializing in lifestyle medicine (weight loss, stress, smoking) at Beaver Medical Group, he started researching "exergaming” in 1998. Since 2005, he co-founded Xrtainment Zone, MedPlay Technologies, and Shinobi Labs (digital health game design studio). He consults on exergaming grants and sits on numerous boards, including Exergame Fitness and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. He speaks at game and health conferences, and is focused on merging the next generation of health games with electronic medical records to enhance lifestyle behavior modification interventions.

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