JOSH ROWE- ceo

Josh, named CEO in 2021, has been a leading innovator in the running and track & field industry for over 25 years and has been deeply engaged with the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) since 1999. Throughout his career, Josh has designed and developed transformative experiences for athletes, spearheading the creation of numerous iconic programs that have shaped the running and track & field landscape, bringing together athletes, coaches, and fans in innovative ways including the Nike Elite Program, Nike’s Border Clash, Nike Cross Nationals, and the National High School Track & Field Hall of Fame. A true serial builder, Josh has held multiple leadership positions across the sports marketing, footwear, and apparel industries, consistently pushing the envelope in creating impactful partnerships and initiatives.

His ability to blend his passion for sport with his expertise in strategic partnerships and marketing are invaluable.  With a career marked by groundbreaking work in both the grassroots and elite levels of athletics, Josh continues to inspire the next generation of athletes while advancing the sport.

Chelo Canino - Chairman

Chelo Canino, a California resident, is a business and marketing leader known for building high-impact partnerships and programs across global brands such as Apple, Google, Adidas, Crayola, Nike, Cirque du Soleil, Avon, and more. With a diverse background in both athletics and business, and experience living and working across four continents, Chelo bridges the worlds of sport and corporate leadership, driving strategic initiatives and change that elevates products, brands, and the athlete experience. Her career is defined by a deep commitment to excellence, innovation, and fostering meaningful connections between people, organizations, teams, communities, and athletes. 

Chelo has been an active supporter of the National Scholastic Athletics Foundation (NSAF) for over 25 years, in various capacities, including serving as Chairman of the NSAF Board of Directors since 2022. As a former elite athlete, Chelo won the Indoor Nationals pole vault title in 1999, was an NCAA Division I All-American at Princeton, and represented Puerto Rico, competing professionally on the world stage.

Beyond her day-to-day role in product at Apple, Chelo oversees operations, training programs, and the development of athletes at a sports training company she founded in 2001. With a deep commitment to ensuring the next generation of athletes have the resources to succeed, she built a state-of-the-art indoor training facility in 2005, still in use today, providing young talent with access to world-class equipment and coaching. As a member of the USA Women’s Development staff, Chelo was recently honored with the Community Action Award for her significant contributions to the sport.  In her spare time, Chelo is a commercial rated high performance pilot who enjoys time commuting on her Vespa. 

John Blackburn

John, a Philadelphia native, is renowned for his leadership and deep understanding of track and field and its complex set of rules. He has been a member of the Board for over 20 years and has dedicated much of his career to ensuring fairness, advancing officiating standards, and mentoring new officials.  

John is the chair of the USATF Rules committee and is certified by World Athletics as an International Technical Official.  He has served as a Referee at all levels of the sport, from high school, NCAA, USATF Championships, Olympic Trials, Continental and World Championships, and the Olympic Games. In 2018, John was inducted into the USATF Officials Hall of Fame.

John first fell in love with the sport after attending the Penn Relays. He became involved in track officiating while in graduate school at NC State where he needed a diversion from Chemical Engineering.  

Robert Glen Jones M.D.

Dr. Jones has been a member of the NSAF Board of Directors since 1998. During his tenure, Dr. Jones has developed and lead multidisciplinary medical team comprised of MD’s, Athletic trainers, Sports Massage Therapists and Chiropractors. Dr. Jones, a Tennessee native, graduated from Emory University’s School of medicine and completed his Orthopaedic training at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Always invested in sport, he has served as team physician for a number of high schools, colleges and professional sporting organizations including South East Raleigh HS, Leesville Road HS, Campbell University, Carolina Cobras Arena Football, the North Carolina Ballet and USA Baseball.

Dr. Jones was a varsity letterman pole-vaulter at UNC Chapel Hill, and made the decision to pursue medicine after a pole-vaulting accident abruptly ended his athletic career. Dr. Jones is an Orthopaedic Surgeon with Impact Orthopaedics, PA, a Sports Medicine Private Practice in Raleigh NC. He is an avid tri-athlete, marathoner and high school track and field enthusiast.

Paul Limmer

Paul Limmer, a Long Island, NY resident, is known as the winningest combined boys’ and girls’ track coach in New York State history, boasting over 700 victories across an extraordinary 35+ year coaching career.  Under his leadership, Mepham High School earned numerous prestigious titles, including Footlocker Championships and multiple National Championships, including a Girls’ distance medley relay (DMR) national record that stood for 20 years, and an astounding 153-2 girls' cross-country record. Multi-time award winner, Paul holds both National High School Cross Country Coach and New York State Coach of the Year honors. 

As highlighted in the award-winning documentary The Fifth Man, Paul has had a profound impact on the sport which continues to resonate through the generations of athletes and coaches he has mentored. Outside of sport, Paul is an avid gardener and day lilly society member, with a registered display garden full of his hybridized cultivations.

Dr. Elizabeth Ann Wheeler, PT, DPT, PRC

Dr. Liz Wheeler has been involved with the NSAF since 2007, serving in a variety of roles across the organization, including leading the NSAF Medical Team.  Deeply rooted in the sport - Liz was a pole vaulter and discus thrower in high school who went on to study and serve as an athletics trainer to her track team in college while earning her undergraduate degree in Exercise and Sport Science.  Always honing her skill - Liz went on to earn her Doctorate of Physical Therapy before starting her own business in the field.

As an entrepreneur and owner/CEO of Launch Physical Therapy and Fitness Coaching based in Rockville, Maryland, Liz has been a pioneer in her field as the first female Doctor of Physical Therapy for an MLB Team, the Washington Nationals.  She’s traveled both domestically and internationally as a medical provider for the NFL combine, Hollywood stars, musical entertainers, professional athletes, the NSAF, and the like.

Dexter Braff

Dexter Braff, who currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA,  joined the NSAF Board in 2023.  

Founder and president of The Braff Group, Dexter leads a healthcare mergers and acquisitions advisory firm. Over the firm’s 25 years in business, the firm has repeatedly been ranked among the top five advisors in healthcare services M&A. 

Dexter’s deep love for filmmaking and keen interest in storytelling have seen him produce multiple acclaimed documentaries that capture the essence of sport, including his most recent 26.2 to Life, which tells the inspiring and redemptive story of inmates at San Quentin Prison in California who train with volunteer coaches to run a marathon within the prison walls. Dexter’s passion for running began in 1973 under the mentorship of Coach Paul Limmer, a current NSAF Board member - though he’s no longer as fast as in his competitive days, Dexter still runs nearly every day, maintaining his lifelong connection to the sport. 

sHARON cOUCH

Dr. Couch is the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership at Pellissippi State Community College and a two-time U.S. Olympian, known as one of the most decorated female student-athletes in the history of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She competed professionally for 11 years, represented the U.S. on five World Championship teams, was a seven-time ACC champion, and five-time NCAA All-America.  Equally accomplished in her professional life as in her sport’s career,  Dr. Couch’s diverse background spans working with companies like Kraft, Pfizer, and Franklin Covey, as well as higher education, where she has served as a Division I track coach at the University of Tennessee and mental performance coach. Her unique experiences in athletics, corporate training, and student engagement inform her work in leadership and inclusion and are extraordinarily valuable to the NSAF. 

Holder of multiple coaching certifications, including sprint and hurdles specialties at the Level 3 IAAF and USATF levels, Dr. Couch holds a Master’s in Sport Psychology and a Ph.D. in Kinesiology and is a renowned contributor to her field through conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles, including publication in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. Dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and as founder of Purposely Empowered Performance, Dr. Couch advocates for equitable practices in both sports and society. She resides in Knoxville, Tennessee, and is a proud mother of two college-aged sons.