Shellie Pfohl has joined HOPSports as Senior Vice President of Partnerships. "We're so excited about the expertise and knowledge she brings to the HOPSports team. Her passion and dedication compliments HOPSports' mission," said CEO Tom Root.

In her role as Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Pfohl's responsibilities will be threefold: (1) building partnerships with state, national and international organizations (2) helping states design and implement statewide rollout efforts (3) identifying and matching resources with schools and community organizations to obtain HOPSports Training Systems.

"I know how important it is for schools and nonprofits to build capacity and ensure sustainability for their organizations. I will be working to help local organizations not only bring HOPSports to their facilities but ensure that their organization can expand their outreach and build sustainability," said Pfohl.

Cindy Sisson, HOPSports President, says, "Shellie brings HOPSports tremendous credibility in the area of public policy, nonprofits, health, obesity and physical activity, to name a few."

Pfohl has spent the last 23 years working for nonprofit organizations and state government. Most recently, she led Be Active North Carolina from inception to being named the top physical activity organization in the United States in 2007 by the National Association for Health & Fitness.

After learning about HOPSports through her work with Be Active North Carolina, Pfohl oversaw a statewide HOPSports study that confirmed its efficacy. Over 8,000 youth in 20 schools and community-based organizations in North Carolina participated in the study. Highlights include:

· Youth were 55% more active during HOPSports classes versus traditional physical education classes.

· Girls increased their levels of activity and intensity with HOPSports by 68% over traditional physical education.

· Overweight and obese students were 23% more active during classes with HOPSports than healthy-weight students were during traditional physical education.

· All HOPSports lessons exceeded the gold standard for moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) by up to 29% – in some cases nearly doubling minimum standards.

· An average school could expect to see a return on investment of 38%. That is, for every dollar spent on HOPSports, at least a $1.38 saving in health care costs related to obesity, inactivity and type 2 diabetes can be expected.

Pfohl said joining HOPSports was a logical next step in her lifelong goal of promoting healthier lifestyles. "The results of our study in North Carolina were so positive I had to figure out a way to bring HOPSports to youth across the country, " said Pfohl. "HOPSports engages kids through high tech and entertaining mediums while teaching them exciting new activities that they can take into adulthood. That's why I am excited to take my passion to the national and international levels with HOPSports."