The President's Council's Executive Director and staff carry out the mission of the President's Council to educate, empower, and engage all Americans across the lifespan to adopt a healthy lifestyle that includes regular physical activity and good nutrition.
Shellie Y. Pfohl, MS
Executive Director
Shellie Pfohl was appointed by President Barack Obama in February 2010 to serve as Executive Director of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. She manages the activities and operations of the Council and leads the Council's efforts related to First Lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move! initiative to solve childhood obesity within a generation. Shellie earned her BA in Community Health Education from the University of Northern Iowa and a MS in Exercise Physiology/Fitness Leadership from Northern Illinois University. She also has a certification in Non-Profit Management from Duke University and is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina Class XIII.
Full Bio
Shannon Feaster, MS
Director of Communications & Public Affairs
Shannon.Feaster@hhs.gov
Shannon Feaster joined the President's Council in May 2010 as the Director of Communications and Public Affairs. In this role, she directs the Council's public outreach and awareness efforts through media relations, strategic messaging, event planning, marketing, and website development. She has extensive prior experience in those areas, and held the same position previously at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (National Protection and Programs Directorate). Shannon received her BA in Mass Communications from Howard University and MS from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. To stay physically fit, Shannon plays racquetball and tries to keep up with her daughter (Riley Sage) and dogs (Sasha and Storm) on neighborhood trails.
Joey King
Deputy Director of Communications/Webmaster
Russell.King@hhs.gov
Joey King joined the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in November 1991. As the Deputy Director of Communications, he crafts messages and talking points, coordinates media efforts for Council events, initiatives and programs, and manages logistics for speaking engagements for Council members and the Executive Director. He also serves as Webmaster for the Council's website: www.fitness.gov. He received his BA in Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. As a proud car-free citizen, he enjoys walking, biking, and in-line skating not only as alternative methods of transportation, but also as fun forms of recreation and physical activity.
Jane Wargo, MA
Director of Federal Partnerships/President's Challenge Programs
Jane.Wargo@hhs.gov
Jane Wargo joined the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in July 2003. As Program Analyst, she manages the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards program, co-leads the Public Health and Recreation MOU and the Physical Activity chapter of Healthy People, serves as the liaison to the Council's Science Board, and manages various Council recognition programs. A native Hoosier, she is a proud graduate of Butler University and received her MA from Ball State University, where she studied at the Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology. When not trying to keep up with her young daughter, she stays active training for multi-sport and road races.
Meredith Aronson
Partnerships & Communications
Meredith.Aronson@hhs.gov
Meredith Aronson joined the President's Council in April 2012 as an Oakridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow. In her position, she supports both the partnerships and communications sides of the Council. Meredith manages the President's Challenge Advocates program and helps organizations strategize PALA+ implementation tactics. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in sports industry management at Georgetown University, with expected graduation in December 2012. Meredith started her undergraduate collegiate career at Colby College in Maine, where she played two years of varsity basketball. After transferring to the University of Virginia in 2009, she graduated in 2011 with BA in economics. She leads a healthy lifestyle, staying active through sports and working out.
Lauren Darensbourg, MPH
Strategic Partnerships for Minority & Underserved Populations
Lauren.Darensbourg@hhs.gov
Lauren joined the President's Council in April 2010 to cultivate and manage strategic, health-lucrative partnerships with organizations that target racial and ethnic minorities as well as individuals with disabilities. In her role as Technical Information Specialist, Lauren leads all minority health-related activities and initiatives including coordination of an expert panel to revitalize a national physical activity and nutrition-based mentoring program for children and youth with disabilities; participating in speaking engagements; and often times leading physical activity segments on the Council's behalf. Lauren joined the US Department of Health and Human Services in May 2008 as an Oakridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow at the Office of Minority Health, where she contributed to the National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity and the A Healthy Baby Begins With You initiative. Lauren earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry as well as a Masters degree in Public Health from Florida A & M University. She is committed to leading a healthy lifestyle and does so by playing recreational sports, working out regularly and eating lots of fruits and veggies.
Megan Nechanicky, MA
Nutrition/Physical Activity Programming & Communications
Megan.Nechanicky@hhs.gov
Megan Nechanicky joined the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in August 2010 as an Oakridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow. In her position, she leads all nutrition-related initiatives and events. Her role also includes the planning and presentation of Lifetime Achievement and Community Leadership awards given by the Council, including recipient nomination, marketing, and event logistics. She coordinates monthly meetings with HHS to ensure that all offices are actively and properly supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's national Let's Move! initiative, aimed at solving childhood obesity within a generation. She is currently completing her dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian. In 2010, she earned a dual MA at San Diego State University in exercise physiology and nutrition. She received her BA in Food Marketing at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia where she also served as the women's Division I rowing team Captain. She is personally dedicated to a healthy lifestyle while competing at the Elite level in triathlon, and enjoys tennis and golf.
Chris Watts, MBA
Partnerships & Special Projects
Chris.Watts@hhs.gov
Chris Watts joined the President's Council in July 2010 as an Oakridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow to manage strategic partnerships and special projects. In his role, Chris leads the President's Council's partnership strategy and development as well as the implementation of the Council's Joining Forces Fitness Initiative to serve America's military families. Chris earned an MBA from George Washington University, with a focus in strategy, entrepreneurship, and social responsibility in the sports industry. Proudly from Pittsburgh, Chris graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a four-year starter and Captain of the Men's Varsity Soccer team. He continues to stay active by working-out, running, and playing sports.