Eastern Seaboard Region Awards
Health Literacy Champion Award
Jayanthi Kandiah
Jayanthi Kandiah is the Inaugural Dean of the College of Health and Rehabilitation
Sciences at Central Connecticut State University. She is a Fellow of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics, a registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist. Her career as an
administrator, researcher, clinician, and educator reflects a deep commitment to excel-
lence and innovation. With over a decade of leadership in higher education and
healthcare she is dedicated to improving health outcomes through interdisciplinary
collaboration in varied settings. Her work, which has impacted thousands, is rooted in
advancing health equity while preparing future practitioners to address health disparities
in underserved populations.
Health Literacy Champion Award
Dawn Francavilla
Dawn “Frankie” Francavilla is a graduate of Rutgers University, New Brunswick with a BS
degree in Health Administration and received her master’s in education from the
College of New Jersey. She is a certified Pre-K-12 HPE teacher in the State of New
Jersey, currently teaching at Cedar Hill Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey.
She brings a wealth of knowledge, innovation and expertise of over thirty years in HPE
to her students, school, community and beyond. She is a certified CPR/AED/First Aid
Instructor with the American Red Cross. She currently serves on the Executive Board for
NJAHPERD and is a Past President, serving two terms as President, multiple terms as
Vice President of Health as well as other Executive Board positions. She also serves as
Vice President Health for the National Academy of Health and Physical Literacy-Eastern Seaboard. She
has been involved with NJAHPERD for over twenty years and is also an active member of NAHPL and
SHAPE America. She has worked closely with the NJ Department of Education writing the State Curricu-
lum for Health (9-12). She also served on the Opioid Task Force Committee, revising the K-12 Drug
Education Curriculum as well as preparing the Sequential Guidelines for Health Education K-12. Frankie
has presented at numerous HPE Conventions, Conferences and workshops for various organizations in-
cluding NJAHPERD, NJEA, NJSIAA, Sexual Violence Prevention Coalition, Wellspring, Robert Wood
Johnson University Hospital, Johnson and Johnson, Rutgers University and other colleges and universi-
ties.
Physical Literacy Champion Award
Lauren J. Lieberman
Lauren J. Lieberman Ph.D. is a Distinguished Service Professor in the Kinesiology Depart-
ment at The College at Brockport, State University of New York (SUNY) in adapted phys-
ical education. She started her career teaching at The Perkins School for the Blind in the
Deafblind program. She is co-director of The Institute on Movement Studies for Individu-
als with Visual Impairments or Deafblindness (IMSVI) (See www.brockport.edu/IMSVI).
She is the founder and director of Camp Abilities: An educational sports camp for chil-
dren with visual impairments. Camp Abilities have been replicated in 20 states and eight
countries. (www.campabilities.org and www.campabilitiesworld.com) She has published
over 250 peer-reviewed articles and 25 books. She has been awarded a Global Fulbright
Scholarship to promote Camp Abilities world-wide. She won the Lifetime Achievement Award for both
the National Consortium of Physical Education for Individuals with Disabilities and for SHAPE America.
Most recently she won the Lifetime Achievement Award from Division 19 of the Association for Education
and Rehabilitation of the Blind in 2024. She is the co-chair for the Adapted Health and Physical Literacy
Council for NAHPL.
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Service Citation
Sally Nazelrod
Sally retired from Baltimore County Public Schools in 2015 after 42 years of service,
concluding her career as Coordinator of Health and Physical Education PreK–12.
Throughout her tenure, she was deeply involved in MAHPERD—now SHAPE Maryland—
which opened the door to district leadership and ultimately to her role as President of
the Eastern District. When NAHPL transitioned to its new structure, Sally was invited to
serve as President of the Eastern Seaboard Region of the Academy. She accepted
immediately, eager to work alongside trusted colleagues and support the Academy’s
mission and vision. She served in this role through the 2025 Summit in Newport, presid-
ing over ESR meetings and collaborating with the executive committee to plan professional develop-
ment and member events. During this time, Sally and Dan Swartz were also asked to become Co-Chairs
of the Professional Development Committee. They agreed, forming a strong partnership in coordinating
sessions, meetings, and events for multiple Summits. In this capacity, Sally also served on the Acade-
my’s Strategic Planning Committee. At each Summit, college students volunteer in exchange for waived
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registration, and Sally coordinated these assignments in both Baton Rouge and Newport—welcoming,
scheduling, and supporting students throughout the event. At the 2025 Leadership Development Con-
ference at CCSU, she presented “Colors of Leadership” and was later featured as a guest on Scaling the
Summit. Sally now serves on the Retired Professionals Council for the Eastern Seaboard Region and is
the Executive Secretary of Delta Kappa Gamma Maryland, an international society of women educators.
Service Citation
Dan Swartz
Dr. Daniel Swartz is a Professor at Southern Connecticut State University, where he served
as Chairperson of the Exercise Science Department for 9 years and Physical Education
Teacher Education Program Director for 13 years. Dan has published articles in a variety of
scholarly journals including JOPERD, Strategies, and the International Journal of Physical
Education, Fitness and Sports. In addition, Dan has presented over 50 times at state, re-
gional, national and international conferences on topics ranging from "Sport Specialization:
A Survey of Collegiate & Professional Athletes," to the “Effects of Obesity on Academic
Achievement,” to the “Tactical Game Approach for Students with Disabilities." Dan has writ-
ten and received grants totaling over $30,000 and was the Content Advisor for two PEP grant applications
which were ultimately funded for close to $3 million. Dan has been an active member of state, district and
national associations for over 20 years. He has held numerous leadership positions in these organizations,
including President of CTAHPERD and Vice-President of Physical Education (CTAHPERD and Maryland
AAHPERD). Dan has served as chairperson of the NAHPL Professional Development Committee since the
organization’s inception. He also served on the Board of Directors of the American Association for Physical
Activity and Recreation (AAPAR) and held many other roles within CTAHPERD and EDA AAHPERD/
SHAPE. Dan has been recognized for his scholarly work and service on several occasions including Pro-
fessional Honor Award - CTAHPERD (2019), Linda Woods Huber Recognition Award - EDA/SHAPE (2019),
Physical Education Outstanding Professional Award - EDA/AAHPERD (2015), and the R. Tait McKenzie
Award – AAHPERD (2012). Read more.
