Thursday, May 04, 2006

WILMINGTON, NC - John Bennett was elected national president-elect of the Alliance for Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) during the annual convention April 25-29 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bennett, a professor in the Department of Health and Applied Human Sciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington, is the second North Carolinian to serve in this position in over 100 years of this association's history. It has approximately 24,000 members nationwide with a mission to promote healthy active lifestyles.

A former director of healthful living education for North Carolina and a lifelong educator, Bennett's contributions to the health and well being of individuals of all ages, from kindergarten to senior citizens, have been widely recognized in North Carolina where he has received the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching and NCAAHPERD's Honor Award.

In March, Bennett attended the annual conference for the East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools - the largest international school system in the world - in Manila, where he spoke about "the preservation of our intangible culture heritage, with a focus on dance" and presented a session on leadership development. He also traveled to Hong Kong, where he served as an artist in residence in dance at the largest international school in the world.

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