CEO Quarterly Operational Report | October 2025

With the close of the third quarter of 2025, I’d like to provide an update on the important work we’re doing to support our members and certified professionals.

The following information is intended to highlight operational activities, including performance/financial data, priority areas of focus and key information to ensure transparency and inform our members and certified professionals about our progress and how we are working for you.

Financial and Business Operations

A. Building Sale Funds Overview

The board-designated proceeds from the ACSM building sale have been invested and have generated almost $200,000 in interest income.

To plan for the long-term management of these funds as well as all of ACSM and the ACSM Foundation’s investments, the Investments Subcommittee, in partnership with staff, conducted interviews with four financial advisory firms. After careful evaluation, the subcommittee unanimously selected Fidelity Investments as the most suitable advisor for managing ACSM’s investments. This recommendation will be formally presented to the Budget & Finance Committee (BFC) in August 2025.

B. Technology

Several strategic initiatives have been advanced to improve the digital experience for ACSM members, certified professionals, and the broader College community. A major highlight was the successful launch of an AI-powered federated search that enables users to seamlessly search across all ACSM journals, learning materials, blogs, and website content in one location, significantly expanding access to ACSM research and resources.

The new Association Management System has recorded thousands of unique logins, demonstrating strong engagement with the new platform. Efforts are actively underway on Phase 2 projects, with a primary focus on enhancing the user experience. This includes the implementation of single sign-on (SSO) functionality for Oasis, our abstract management system, and further streamlining the content management system (CMS) to improve ease of access and usability for members, exercise professionals, and all who interact with ACSM. These initiatives aim to ensure a more integrated and efficient digital environment across all ACSM technology platforms. In addition, staff are finalizing testing of a new AI-driven customer service agent and internal AI platform to provide timely member and exercise professional support.

Strategic Plan & Tactic Progress

1. The number of completed tactics has increased and can be attributed to work done by the Health and Science Policy Committee, the ACSM Foundation and Finance staff.
2. The Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) is continuing work on Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting. Additionally, work is already underway on the plan for the next strategic planning cycle (2027-2029).

Strategic Programs and Impact

A. General Certification Updates

• AI Policy Was Finalized
  • Essential Certification Decisions AI Policy: prohibits the use of AI in essential certification decisions—e.g., candidate eligibility, exam development, and SME selection—to ensure compliance with accreditation standards and uphold the integrity of the certification process.
  • Candidate AI Policy: strictly prohibits the use of AI tools ACSM certification exams and describes the disciplinary action associated with policy violations.
  • Subject Matter Experts AI Policy: SMEs are prohibited from using unauthorized AI tools in exam development activities. Exceptions may be contingent on formal approval of ACSM enterprise systems that meet compliance and security standards.
• Legacy Credential Transition: Communications were drafted to explain the transition of certifications, like the Cancer Exercise Trainer, to legacy status. Messaging emphasizes continued recognition of these credentials.
• Updated certification exams, reflecting ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 12th Edition (GETP 12), went into effect in July.
• GEI Program Transition: Staff completed a comprehensive GEI program analysis.
• Surveys and focus groups: Member and certification staff are conducting surveys with the aim of identifying engagement points. The updated surveys are meant to be an extension of marketing survey conducted by Kelton (2021).
• The NCCA Commission has accepted CCRB’s 2024 annual reports for its accredited certification programs.
  

B. Online Education

New internal procedures for the development of online learning content have been completed and launched including a 3-year online learning development plan focused on the strategic goals of creating a compelling customer experience and building a fiscally sustainable organization by focusing on non-dues revenue sources. ACSM’s online learning and education staff are actively working alongside subject matter experts on a new ACSM Obesity Care Exercise Specialist course to be launched in early winter.

C. Programs and Initiatives

Exercise is Medicine

• EIM Active Aging (EIM AA) Updates:
  • The EIM AA Work Group approved an initiative infographic and helped to create a goals and strategies document that will help direct our work.
  • EIM AA blog was created.
  • Short-term and long-term priorities are being established for the next few years based on the goals and strategies outlined.
  • EIM AA Call for Papers in the Translational Journal of ACSM for an early 2026 special section (3 papers).

• EIM-On Campus (EIM-OC) updates:
  • Conducted two webinars: Organizational Implementation of EIM-OC Programs and Gold Standard in Mental Health
  • Awarded the 2025 Franklin Microgrants
  • Secured sustained funding for the Franklin Microgrant program.

• EIM is working on a website migration to ACSM.org by end of Q4 2025.

American Fitness Index

The 18^th annual American Fitness Index was released with an exclusive story in USA Today. Arlington, VA was named the fittest city for the eighth year in a row. There were two new indicators added, trail miles and splashpads, and the tennis indicator updated to include pickleball and dual-use courts. 

Partnerships

Key partnerships recently finalized include: 

• American Council on Exercise (ACE) – education-sharing 
• National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF) – education-sharing 
• Medical Fitness Association (MFA) – education-sharing 
• National Senior Games Association (NSGA) – content and event partnership 
• American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) – relaunched the joint ACSM Foundation and   AMSSM Foundation Breaking Barriers grant.   

Grants and Awards

Applications for the 2026 research and program grants opened in September and are due November 7. The ACSM Foundation will give 10 grants totaling $57,500 next year.  

The Foundation also partnered with GSSI to offer a new award, the GSSI Pathways in Sports Science Award, to first-generation college students. Four total awards will be given, two $4,000 awards to master’s students and two $6,000 awards to doctoral students. Applications were due October 17. 

ACSM and the ACSM Foundation partnered with the American Medical Society of Sports Medicine Foundation (AMSSM Foundation) on reinstating the restructured AMSSM/ACSM Breaking Barriers Research Grant which was paused in 2020.  This $20,000 grant will go to a clinician member of both organizations. Applications are due December 17.  

ACSM Foundation

In October, the ACSM Foundation approved adding the Autism Exercise Specialist Fund to provide a student scholarship to take the Autism Exercise Specialist course and certificate. The scholarship will be activated when the fund reaches $25,000 or after three years of fundraising, whichever comes first. There are internal steps that need to be completed before the Foundation can accept donations for this fund.  

 The Foundation board also approved a spending plan for the Lawrence A. Golding Health & Fitness Fund. This fund will support student scholarships to take any ACSM certification exams and/or specialty certificate programs. This fund will be activated when the balance reaches $15,000 or after three years of fundraising. This fund can accept donations now.  

These two funds and the associated scholarships are the first in the Foundation to support ACSM certifications and will offer a fantastic new member benefit for students and exercise professionals.  

Member Engagement and Experience

1. Membership/Programs
   1. Following the Inaugural Early Career Professional Meet-Up held at the 2025 ACSM Annual Meeting, a survey was sent to all professional-in-training members and posted in the ACSM Bulletin. The survey aimed to collect data on current ACSM value, desired engagement activities/benefits, professional development tools/resources, and ideal professional community for early career professionals. In addition, 33 respondents expressed a desire to serve on a potential Early Career Professional Advisory group, and 23 respondents expressed interest in participating in a follow-up focus group. Results will be used to improve the Professional-in-Training membership and general benefits for early career professionals.
      1. A Membership Engagement Task Force was created to assist ACSM broadly, working with the related member-led groups and staff, in how ACSM can work to systematically address challenges and opportunities with member engagement. The Task Force Chair, chaired by Katherine Collins-Bennett, PhD, began meeting with the task force. This summer, the task force formed four (4) working groups to tackle various aspects of the 9-part official charge. The workgroups will focus on: 1) Engagement Assessment, Benchmarking & Metrics; 2) Early Career Engagement; 3) Volunteer Structure Redesign; and 4) Clinical Member Engagement. Workgroups will complete work independently with the full task force convening periodically. The next full task force meeting is in early December.

Governance

ACSM’s Articles of Incorporation were revised, reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees.

Seven ACSM Committee Operating Codes were reviewed by the Constitution, Bylaws, Operating Code Committee (CBOCC) and will be sent to the Board of Trustees for review and approval when complete.

Customer Service/Engagement Highlights

• After several months of staff overtime to address delayed responses due to the technology transitions, the response rate to email and voicemail returned to 48 business hours or less.

Strategic Communications and Scientific Outreach

1. Communication and Media Highlights
   • The 2025 American Fitness Index was released in July, and the media and communications report was presented to funder Elevance Health Foundation. Elevance representatives were pleased with the results, which included exceeding many of the goals from the communications plan.  
   • The 2026 Worldwide Fitness Trends report was published on October 22 and supported by a media strategy. Several resources were developed and made available to the media to aid them in covering the release.  
   • In support of several initiatives (in addition to the fitness index and trends release mentioned above), news releases were written, posted and distributed regarding the following announcements: 
     • ACSM/ACE partnership 
     • ACSM/National Senior Games Association partnership 
     • Support of President’s Council 
     • Hamburg Declaration signing 
     • New ACSM/AMSSM grant 
     • ACSM/ National Council on Strength and Fitness partnership 
   • ACSM media coverage totaled more than 6000 stories in the second quarter, with a potential reach of just over 23 billion. Media interviews were facilitated with our members based on their subject matter expertise, and we monitored coverage of ACSM, its members, certified professionals, journals and programs. Highlighted media coverage included stories in the following publications:  
     • USA Today
     • NBC Today Show
     • New York Times
     • Sports Illustrated
     • Consumer Reports
     • Associated Press
     • MSN
     • Yahoo! News
     • Medical Forum
     • Good Housekeeping
     • Health.com
     • Women’s Health
     • WebMD
     • Health and Wellness Magazine
     • Local markets: Reno, Denver, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Spokane, Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia, Arlington, Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Francisco, Seattle and multiple cities in Florida and Texas
   • In addition to total media mentions and potential reach, three subsets of media coverage are tracked that align with the strategic plans goals and supporting strategies: 
     • ACSM Scientific Pronouncements: 38 stories, 360 million potential reach 
     • ACSM Spokespersons: 888 stories, 3.8 billion potential reach 
     • ACSM Journals: 930 stories, 3.7 billion potential reach 

Advocacy and Policy

• To address potential budget cuts, a letter signed by ACSM past-presidents was sent to congressional appropriators in support of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.   
• A letter was sent from President Jaworski, MD, FACSM, FAAFP to 14 Republican senators who pushed the administration to release delayed NIH funding. The letter expressed our support for their efforts, offered our expertise and invited discussion/collaboration.  
• A letter from President Jaworski to all members of congress expressing its support for the re-establishing of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition (PCSFN) and the reinstatement of the Presidential Fitness Test for U.S. schoolchildren. Given ACSM’s long-term involvement with the President’s Council, the letter also urged representatives to leverage the expertise of ACSM members as it develops and implements its plan of action.  
• President Carrie Jaworski, CEO Katie Feltman, CAE, and Monte Ward traveled to Washington D.C. and met with Dr. Dorothy Fink, HHS acting assistant secretary for health and head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT), who serves on the House Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Ways and Means and its Subcommittee on Health; and Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), who serves on the House Committee on the Budget, the House Committee on Ways and Means and co-chairs the Physical Activity Caucus. The meetings were used to advocate on behalf of our members and their best interests.  

Publications and Pronouncements

• The Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (TJACSM) is on track to reach over 100 submissions in 2025, surpassing 2024’s record of 92 submissions. 
• As mentioned in the Q2 Operational Report, the editors of Exercise, Sport, and Movement (ESM) launched a Student Assistance fund on July 1, 2025. The fund provides $1,000 in assistance for the article processing charge (APC) for qualifying student-led papers accepted in ESM and can be used in addition to the 20% APC discount available to ACSM member corresponding authors. The first 10 qualifying papers this year will receive assistance. 
• Successfully completed ESM editor-in-chief (EIC) search and interviews, resulting in a nomination of interim EIC Jennifer J. Heisz, PhD, for a four-year term (starting January 1, 2026) with the opportunity for reappointment for a second term. 
• Successfully completed Current Sports Medicine Reports (CSMR) EIC search and interviews, resulting in a nomination of Kevin R. Vincent, PhD, MD, FACSM, CAQSM, for a four-year term (starting January 1, 2026) with the opportunity for reappointment for a second term. 
• Reappointed EIC of Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews (ESSR) Sandra Hunter, PhD, FACSM, to a second term (starting January 1, 2027). 
• The Publications/Editorial Services Office staff are in the midst of several transitions 
  • A new Managing Editor, Miranda Manier, was hired (starting Oct 14, 2025) and will handle ESSR and TJACSM.  
  • Angela Chastin has transitioned from the Director of Publishing to part time Managing Editor of the ACSM books portfolio. 
  • Stephanie Custer has transitioned from the Managing Editor of TJACSM and ESM to Director of Publishing and Managing Editor of ESM.  
• After careful work to ensure compliance with National Library of Medicine guidelines, TJACSM was resubmitted for indexing in Medline (PubMed) in August. The review process is expected to take several months. 

Pronouncements

• Approved ACSM logo endorsement request for Parkinson’s Foundation “Exercise Guidelines for Exercise Professionals”withLisa Hoffman, MA, Senior Director, Professional Education, Parkinson’s Foundation. 
• Published “Considerations and Recommendations for Prescribing Exercise and Designing Physical Activity Programs for People with Disabilities”in MSSE. Writing group members include Lauren Ptomey, PhD, Kerri Morgan, PhD, Cheri A. Blauwet, MD, Benjamin D. Boudreaux, PhD, Bo Fernall, PhD, Janet Hauck, PhD, David Legg, PhD, Stephanie Tow, MD, and Kathleen A. Martin Ginis, PhD. 
• Published“Physical activity and exercise intensity terminology: a joint American College of Sport Medicine & Exercise and Sport Science Australia expert consensus statement”,with Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) in MSSE and Medicine in Sport.Writing group members include David J. Bishop, PhD, Linda S. Pescatello, PhD, FACSM, Sophia Nimphius, PhD, Trine Moholdt, PhD, Martin J. Gibala, PhD, Belinda Beck, PhD, FACSM, Stuart J. Biddle, PhD, Mary Jung, PhD, Robert U. Newton, PhD, Andrew M. Jones, PhD, Samuel Headley, PhD, FACSM, Matthew J.-C. Lee, PhD, Keri Denay, MD, FACSM, Alessandra Ferri, PhD, Nicholas J. Saner, PhD, and Chris Tzarimas, MS 

Education and Events

• Annual Meeting
  • 2026: The Program Committee held its Business Meeting, and several motions were passed to sunset or revise long-standing exchange lectures that have declined in value and appeal to attendees.
• Advanced Team Physician Course (ATPC)
  • The 2026 host site has been selected as Phoenix, Arizona. Contract negotiations are currently being finalized. The event is planned for December 2026.
• Health & Fitness Summit
  • Planning is now underway for the 2026 Summit that will be a virtual format. Work has begun with Blue Sky (learning management system) and the Program Committee to design the content and session layout.

Partnerships/Sponsorships

1. Sponsor/Partner Engagement
   • Sponsorship offerings for a virtual Summit have been designed and confirmed with the meetings and education teams. Outreach has begun.  
   • Several new sponsorship offerings have been identified and designed for the Annual Meeting. The sales prospectus is in the review phase and will be distributed to over 150 companies at the end of October.  
   • A new comprehensive sales deck highlighting all sponsorship opportunities at ACSM is in the final stages of development and will be sent to over 150 strategically selected companies at the end of October.  
   • ACSM and Technogym held a Summit in October in Cesena, Italy at Technogym Village highlighting the longstanding partnership and collaboration in Exercise is Medicine^®. Over 100 guests from Europe were in attendance. ACSM President Carrie Jaworski, MD, FACSM, FAAFP, EIM Governance Board Member, Rachele Projednic, PhD, EdM, FACSM, CEO Katie Feltman, CAE, and Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships, Jessi Warner, attended the Summit and represented ACSM.  
   • ACSM partnered with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Performance Institute and the ACSM Combat Sports Special Interest Group to host a Summit at their complex in Las Vegas, Nevada. It brought together leading researchers, practitioners, and performance specialists from around the world to advance the science and practice of combat sports. Over the two days, attendees explored cutting-edge topics in athlete health, performance optimization, neuroscience, injury prevention, nutrition, and applied innovation – directly from the experts driving the sport forward. The Summit included a keynote presentation, scientific sessions, immersive rotations led by the UFC Performance Institute’s team, alongside a panel of elite athletes and coaches. This event will serve as a model to create more interdisciplinary Summits spanning across multiple sports.  

Internal Operations

• ACSM is in the process of updating our Human Resource Information System (HRIS) which will be launched in 2026.  The new system represents a lower cost to ACSM and features better integration with our financial system, enhanced performance review tools, and built-in analytics and access to Best Places to Work survey tools. Once the new system is implemented, we’ll be able to use this data to formulate processes to enhance the employee experience.