About - Officers
Jim Griffith, MBA, CAE - Board Chair
American Medical Society for Sports Medicine
Jim Griffith has served as the Executive Director for the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine since 2011. He previously worked for the American Academy of Family Physicians and prior to that served for a decade as the Executive Director of a 25,000 member men’s international fraternity. His 25+ years’ experience in association management followed three years as a sports journalist and editor. He has served on eight non-profit Boards of Directors (including serving as President/Chairman of three of them) and multiple leadership roles within his church. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, an MBA from Baker University and earned his CAE in 2005. He is based out of Leawood, Kan.
Jonathan N. Metzler, Ph.D., CMPC - Vice Chair
Dr. Metzler is Senior Director of Human Performance for Magellan Federal, a subsidiary of Magellan Health. In this role, Dr. Metzler provides strategic thought leadership on systems, resources, and processes that help organizations optimize performance, enhance resilience, and sustain readiness in their leaders and teams. He focuses primarily on coaching innovations and people development. He served 10 years in direct sport psychology support of the United States Army via the Army Center for Enhanced Performance, Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness, and Army Resilience Directorate contracts. He introduced several performance psychology principles that have been implemented across the Army via “performance experts” through 2.7 million training and coaching engagements in just the past 5 years. He is a Past President and Fellow of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and currently serves on the Certification Council for Certified Mental Performance Consultant® (CMPC). He has served on the American Psychological Association’s Advocacy Coordinating Committee, Coalition for the Psychology of High Performance, and Committee for the Advancement of General Applied Psychology. Dr. Metzler’s breadth of expertise and experience across military, sport, and corporate domains afforded him the unique opportunity to provide feedback on the Surgeon General’s Workplace Mental Health & Wellbeing framework prior to its launch in October 2022. As a CMPC, Jon has extensive experience providing direct performance psychology consultation to teams and athletes representing many different sports of various competitive levels including intercollegiate athletes, Olympians, Paralympians, and professional athletes. He holds three bachelor’s degrees from Concordia University – Portland, a MA in Sport Psychology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a PhD in Kinesiology from The Pennsylvania State University.
William Feldner, DO, FAOASM - Executive Advisor
American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine
Dr. Feldner is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a past president of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine and is on the editorial board of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine. He has served as a team physician for USA Volleyball, travelling with the Women's Junior National teams to continental and world championship tournaments. Over the years he has cared for athletes of all levels, from recreational to professional and Olympic athletes.
Eric Morse, MD - Board Member
Dr. Eric Morse is an Addiction and Sports Psychiatrist. Dr. Morse helps people recover from many addictions and mental illnesses. Dr. Morse is a sports psychiatrist who works with professional and college athletes and teams. He has been the Sports Psychiatrist for NC State since 2006. He specializes in a large variety of performance difficulties. Dr. Morse is a Past President of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry and the Associate Editor for the Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology. Before NC State, Dr. Morse worked for UNC, UMBC, University of Maryland, and Baltimore Orioles. Dr. Morse has volunteered his time for the US Olympic Team and has led substance abuse treatment programs for professional leagues.
Kristen Dieffenbach, Ph.D., CPMC, AASP Fellow – Board Member
Kristen Dieffenbach is the director of the Center for Applied Coaching and Sport Sciences at West Virginia University and a professor in the School of Sport Sciences. She is the executive director of the United States Center for Coaching Excellence, a Fellow in the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, and a graduate of the NSSU Coach Developer Academy. She has been a professional endurance sport coach and Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and educational consultant for athletes, coaches, and teams for over 20 years working with developmental through Olympic level athletes, coaches, and organizations. Although most of her work currently is in support of coaching education and coach development systems, she also still coaches at the developmental through elite levels. Her research interests focus on coach developer training, coaching and professionalism, and supporting athlete to coach transitions.
NiCole Keith, Ph.D., FACSM, FNAK – Board Member
Rick Howard DSc, CSCS *D, RSCC E, FNSCA – Board Member
Rick Howard earned his doctorate in Health Promotion and Wellness from Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (UT). He is an Associate Professor in Applied Sports Science at West Chester University (PA), Sports Performance Coordinator, and Coaching Minor Advisor at West Chester University (PA); Visiting Professor at Reykjavik University, Iceland; and Fellow of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He has served in numerous capacities for NSCA, such as Subject Matter Expert, Chair of the State/Provincial Director Committee, and the Executive Council of several Special Interest Groups. Howard also serves in leadership capacities for SHAPE America and SHAPE PA. is the co-founder of LTAD Playground, which brings LTAD to life in communities across the country through collaborations with JCSMS member organizations interested in raising the bar through collective impact.
He contributes peer-reviewed articles, blogs, and podcasts and presents nationally and internationally on long-term athletic development (LTAD) and the application of concepts of pediatric exercise science for coaches, personal trainers, physical education teachers, and those who wish to improve the lives of our young people.
He is a masters strongman competitor and leads by example demonstrating the value of developing muscle strength and movement skills across the lifespan.
Rob Franks, DO, FAOASM – Board Member
Administration and Meeting Support
Jody Gold, JCSMS Administrator
Joint Commission on Sports Medicine and Science
4000 W. 114th Street, Suite 100
Leawood, KS 66211
(913) 327-1415
E-mail: Office@amssm.org
Kent Lindeman, CMP – 2025 Meeting Program Chair
Stephanie Morris – 2026 Meeting Program Chair
Ted Forcum, DC, DACBSP, CES, PES, CSCS - Director of Sponsorship
E-Mail
American Chiropractic Association Council on Sports Injuries & Physical Fitness
Dr. Forcum is a Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP), Internationally Certified Chiropractic Sports Practitioner (ICCSP), NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), NASM Certified Exercise Specialist (CES) and Performance Exercise Specialist (PES).
He teaches postgraduate programs on soft tissue treatment, sports injuries and the biomechanics. The American Chiropractic Association Council on Sports and Physical Fitness has awarded Dr. Forcum the 1994-95 and 2004 Sports Chiropractor of the Year Award.
Dr. Forcum is the team chiropractor for the Portland Winterhawks Western Hockey League Team. He was medical staff for the 2015 USA Track and Field World Championships, 2008 Beijing US Olympic Team Chiropractic, and 2007 Rio de Janeiro US Pan American Team. He has worked as an event physician at the U.S Track and Field Olympic Trials and National Championships, U.S. Taekwondo Championships, US Triathlon National Championships, World Veteran’s Games, Nike World Masters Games, US Soccer Festival, World Canoe/Kayak Championships and US Figure Skating Championships. Dr. Forcum has worked as a staff chiropractor for the PGA Tour and Champions PGA Tour, and the Portland Timbers Major League Soccer Club. Dr. Forcum is Past President of the American Chiropractic Association Council on Sports and Physical Fitness (2008-2010) and currently serves as their advisor. Dr. Forcum currently serves on the board of director’ for the Joint Commission on Sports Medicine and Science, and is in private practice in Beaverton, Oregon.
