U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

PCSFN Lifetime Impact Award

The 2024 Council Awards nomination period has closed. To stay up to date on the awards program and other physical activity initiatives, sign up for email updates.

The President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Lifetime Impact Award (formerly the PCSFN Lifetime Achievement Award) celebrates individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports, or nutrition nationwide. This year’s award will honor up to 5 individuals. 

Selection Criteria 

Factors considered in the selection process include: 

  • Alignment of experience with the PCSFN mission to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all people, regardless of background or ability  
  • Span and scope of career  
  • Length of service in the field 
  • Quantitative impact of individual’s work  
  • Qualitative legacy of individual’s work  

Submit a Nomination (The 2024 Council Awards nomination period has closed.)

OMB No. 0990-0379
Exp. Date  10/31/2026 

To nominate yourself or someone else, please submit the nomination materials by 5:00pm ET on July 12, 2024, and include the following information: 

  1. A description of the nominated individual. Format can be written (i.e., cover letter no longer than 2 pages) or audiovisual (e.g., video file no longer than 2 minutes) and must include key takeaways related to qualifications of the nominee based on the selection criteria.  
  2. Nominee resume (no more than 10 pages)  
  3. Note including nominator contact information, nominee contact information, and signature of nominee acknowledging acceptance of nomination 
  4. Contact information for two references 

Please title each file to include the nominee’s full name, the award name, and file type prior to submitting. See the example below: 

John Smith_Lifetime Impact Award_Resume 

If you encounter issues in submitting, please reach out to fitness@hhs.gov.  

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-0379. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average no more than 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions. . If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:  U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201,   Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer

*Awards were not distributed in 2017 and 2018 based on the timing of Council member appointment and swearing in.

2024 Lifetime Impact Awardees

F. Clark Power, EdD, MA, BA
Dr. Clark Power is the founder and director of Play Like a Champion Today, a non-profit dedicated to equitable youth sport participation through coach education and community organizing. A professor of psychology and education at the University of Notre Dame for 42 years, his research and publications focus on overcoming racism and inequality by establishing just communities in neighborhoods, schools and sports teams.

Jayne D. Greenberg, EdD, MS, BS
Dr. Jayne Greenberg is currently the North America Chair for the International Sport and Culture Association and the Education Sector Chair for the National Physical Activity Plan. She is the former District Director of Physical Education and Health Literacy for Miami-Dade County Public Schools; was a teacher; coordinator; and a school site and district level administrator. Dr. Greenberg has also worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was a Presidential Appointee serving on the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, a Gubernatorial appointee serving on the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, chaired a Sport Development Committee for the USOC, and served as an author on the Institute of Medicine Committee. She was named as an Aspen Institute Scholar and was inducted into the SHAPE America Hall of Fame.  She has published five books and several articles and has secured and managed over $34 million in grants.

Kathryn H. Schmitz, PhD, MPH, FACSM, FTOS, FSBM, FNAK, FSEM 
Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, professor at the University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, is an internationally regarded exercise oncology researcher and advocate, former president of the American College of Sports Medicine, and an American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor.  She led both of the American College of Sports Medicine Roundtables (2010 and 2019) that provide evidence based guidance on exercise and cancer and she founded and directs the Moving Through Cancer initiative (Moving Through Cancer - Exercise is Medicine), which has a bold goal of making exercise a standard of care in the setting of oncology by 2029.  Her groundbreaking research has changed clinical practice with regard to recovering upper body function after breast cancer surgery, leading to the Strength After Breast Cancer program, which is available nationwide.

Mary Story, PhD, MS, BS 
Dr. Mary Story is a Professor in Global Health, and Family Medicine and Community Health at Duke University. Since 2005, she has directed the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's national program Healthy Eating Research focused on policy, systems, and environmental solutions to improve child nutrition, food and nutrition security, and prevent child obesity.

Michel Nischan, LHD
Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award winning chef with over 40 years of leadership advocating for a more healthful, sustainable food system. He is Founder and Partner with the late actor Paul Newman of the former Dressing Room Restaurant, Founder and CEO of Wholesome Crave, and Executive Chairman and co-founder with the late Undersecretary of Agriculture, Gus Schumacher, of the food equity nonprofit Wholesome Wave. Under his leadership, Wholesome Wave solves issues related to food insecurity in vulnerable populations across America.

Previous Lifetime Achievement Awardees

To learn more about previous awardees, view archived Lifetime Achievement Awards.

2019 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • James R. Andrews, MD 
  • Donna de Varona 
  • Dean Karnazes 
  • Debra Kibbe 
  • Jill Vialet

2016 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Charles B. “Chuck” Corbin, Ph.D. 
  • Diane H. Hart, CHES, NCCA, CPT 
  • Richard J. Hodes, M.D. 
  • Rafer Johnson 
  • Ken Min, PhD (hon.) 

2015 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Barbara E. Ainsworth, Ph.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S.M., F.N.A.K. 
  • Hon. Margaret J. Giannini, M.D., F.A.A.P. 
  • Billy Mills 
  • Russell R. Pate, Ph.D. 
  • Joan Sullivan-Morris 

2014 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Steven N. Blair, PhD
  • Boyd Epley
  • Kathleen Ann Cordes 
  • Barbara L. Drinkwater, PhD 
  • Jane Katz, EdD 

2013 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Ruth Alexander, EdD
  • Kirk M. Bauer, JD
  • Grandmaster Moo Yong Lee
  • Emilio (“Dee”) DaBramo
  • Antronette (Toni) Yancey, MD, MPH

2012 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Linn Goldberg M.D. 
  • Thomas L. McKenzie Ph.D. 
  • Jacki Sorensen 
  • Charles Sterling Ed.D. 
  • Pat Head Summitt

2011 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Sihak Henry Cho 
  • Robert "Bobby" Dodd, Ph.D. 
  • William G. McNamara 
  • James F. Sallis, Ph.D. 
  • Judith C. Young, Ph.D. 

2010 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Darell Hammond 
  • Barbara Jones "BJ" Slater 

2009 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Asahel "Ash" E. Hayes, Ed.D. 
  • George P. Nissen 
  • Betty Perkins-Carpenter, Ph.D. 

2008 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Dr. Richard O. Keelor, Ph.D. 

2007 Lifetime Achievement Awardees

  • Ken Cooper, M.D. 
  • Jack LaLanne 
  • Bonnie Prudden 
  • Bud Seretean 
  • Judi Sheppard Missett 
  • Joe Weider