COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO — The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) recently presented Joni Boyd ’07, ’20, ’21, a Winthrop University professor of exercise science, one of the organization’s 2023 Annual Awards.
Boyd was recognized July 14 with the State/Provincial Director of the Year Award during the group’s three-day national conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her award was one of several distinctive awards which honor professionals for outstanding achievement in their field, such as for personal trainer of the year, high school strength and conditioning coach of the year, and educator of the year.
A faculty member in the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences, Boyd also is the advisor to the coaching minor at Winthrop. She served as the National Strength and Conditioning Association state director from 2018-23 and currently serves as a member of the Educator Special Interest Group and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Exam Prep Live lead facilitator.
In her role as a state director, Boyd served for a term and half for a total of 4.5 years. She encouraged and engaged South Carolina’s members in a variety of ways and hosted at least one state clinic each year that had outstanding turnout, stayed within budget and received “world class” reviews, based on the clinic’s net promoter score. In her role as a state director, she worked with an eight-member advisory board.
Boyd has more than 20 certifications and credentials within the exercise science and nutrition fields, and she is an author, educator and presenter. Currently, she serves as the lead director of Bingocize-SC, a grant-funded mission to improve the health and quality of life of skilled nursing home residents of South Carolina, the state’s most vulnerable population.
Bingocize is an evidence-based, falls prevention program that combines gentle strength and flexibility movements with Bingo. Bingocize-SC is almost halfway through its second year of a three-year cycle. It is currently offered in 45 S.C. skilled nursing homes with a goal of reaching 60 facilities. More than 1,000 senior citizens have participated in the program and more than 300 students from Winthrop, Coastal Carolina and Anderson universities have completed the certification and had opportunities to engage within a Bingocize session at a local facility. Boyd helps manage the nursing facilities, universities and research initiatives in the grant cycle.
She hopes it will continue in the Palmetto State beyond the three years. Another positive outcome is that many physical therapists in the facilities use Bingocize as a supplement to resident therapy.
Bingocize is reflective of Boyd’s research interests which include studying functional-based movements, strength and conditioning, coaching styles, warm-up protocols, group exercise cohesion, nutrition-driven athletic and academic performance, general health and well-being of college students, and healthy aging practices. She works to help students find where they belong in the worlds of health, exercise and sports.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington; three master’s degrees from Winthrop in sport fitness administration, human nutrition, and learning design and technology, and a Ph.D. in exercise science from the University of South Carolina.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu.
