Personal Fitness Trainer Faculty Profiles

The Personal Fitness Trainer Certificate Program is offered by the Physical Education & Human Performance Division at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California. Division faculty and staff have a long-standing reputation for academic achievement, professional recognition, and commitment to helping students of all abilities succeed.
	Ross Gerry joins Foothill College after ten years as Associate Head Swim Coach at Stanford University. Some of the highlights of that ten-year period were winning six NCAA Team Championships and coaching at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Prior to Stanford, Ross was Head Coach of the Napa Valley Swim Team for two years. He started his career as Head Men's and Women's Swim Coach at Clark University in Worcester, MA and as Assistant Coach at Boston University. Ross received his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Boston University in 1981, and his Master's degree in Human Movement in 1982. He's also worked as a personal fitness trainer and is a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). At Foothill, Ross is the Head Men's and Women's Swim Coach and teaches a number of different courses in the Physical Education & Human Performance Division, including Nutrition for Sports, Strength Fitness, and Techniques of Fitness Assessment.
	Gary Lang, M.S., ATC has been Director of the Foothill College Sports Medicine program forsine 1988, serving as Coordinator or the AS Sports Medicine degree and providing care for 17 athletic teams. During this time he's had the honor of serving as athletic trainer for the United States Olympic Committee, World Cup Soccer, the United States Track & Field Association, and the East-West Shrine Bowl. He's an active member of the California Athletic Trainers Association (CATA), an instructor for the American Red Cross, and his favorite color is green.
	Irv Ploke has taught at the community college level, corporate setting, and the private fitness industry for over twenty years and more than 12 years with Foothill College as a professor in the Human Performance Division. At Foothill College, he is also the director of the Personal Fitness Trainer Certification Program and Martial Arts Program and serves as a faculty advisor to several student clubs. He obtained his Master of Science Degree in Human Performance from San Jose State University as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from San Jose State University. In addition, he holds a sixth degree black belt ranking in karate with over 25 years experience and is the Chief Instructor of the Pacific Coast Karate - Do Association.
	Barbara Shewfelt, MFA, MS teaches in both the Biology Department and the Dance Department at Foothill College. As an undergraduate, she received a BA from UC Santa Barbara as a double major in both disciplines, and went on to complete her MFA in dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and a Master's degree in Biology from Stanford University with a research specialization in Neuroscience. Barbara also spent 5 years as a competitive Ballroom dancer and has fun directing and producing student Dance performances. Barbara has taught at Foothill for 15 years, offering popular classes in biology, ballet, stretching, and social dance. In addition, she has been instrumental in crating the Personal Fitness Trainer Program and developing the curriculum for the Exercise Physiology class. Look for this class online in the near future!