Linda Rikard graduated from Winthrop University with a BS in Physical Education in
1970. She continued her studies at the University of Georgia earning a M.Ed in 1972.
In 1979 she was awarded a Ed.D. in Administration and Curriculum Development from
the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Dr. Rikard's teaching career has included middle school in Columbia, instructor positions at Otterbein and Coker colleges, serving as a visiting professor at USC, Assistant professorships at the University of Southern Mississippi and Columbia College. In 1987 she moved to East Carolina University as Director of Undergraduate and Graduate programs. After a distinguished career at ECU, she moved to George Mason University as Coordinator of the BSED Health and Physical Education program in 1996. She currently serves as the coordinator for the Physical Education Concentration in the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in the Advanced Studies for Teaching and Learning at George Mason.
Linda Rikard is a leading educator. She has over 54 peer reviewed publications, has pages and pages of presentations at the international, national, regional and local levels. She has received seven grants and served on the editorial boards of The Physical Educator, Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, and Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. She has also been a guest reviewer for Research Quarterly and Quest. Her service to the discipline of physical education includes Secretary of Research Consortium, chair of the Credentials Committee for AAHPERD, member of Research Consortiums Executive Committee, and invited member of the NASPE Task Force on Minimal Skill Competency of Pre-Service Teachers. In addition, she has served as Secretary/Treasurer of the American Educational Research Association.
Research Consortium awarded her Fellow status in 1996. Other honors include being named to Whos Who in Education in 2003, receiving a Meritorious Award from East Carolina University in 1992, being named the Young Scholar by Southern District in 1980, and receiving a Research Award from the Southern Association of Physical Education for College Women in 1979. In her spare time, she has managed to develop two master' programs, open a business (The Complete Runner), and impact the lives of a multitude of students.