The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition has selected National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) Executive Director Austin McInerny to receive a 2016 President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition Community Leadership Award.
The award is given annually to individuals or organizations who improve the lives of others within their community by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, fitness, and nutrition-related programs.
“Through NICA, Austin McInerny has worked to consistently promote opportunities for individuals to lead healthy lifestyles through physical activity and/or healthy nutrition,” says Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the Office of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. “Because of Austin’s efforts and contributions, our community can embrace a more active lifestyle. Together, we are all working to make our nation a healthier one by helping individuals across the nation live vibrant, vivacious, and productive lives.”
Founded in 2009 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes and coaches across the United States. NICA provides leadership, services and governance for local leagues to produce quality mountain bike events and supports every student-athlete in the development of strong body, strong mind and strong character through their efforts on the bike. As of winter 2015, NICA was supporting over 3,000 coaches and over 7,500 student-athletes from over 500 middle and high schools in fourteen (and growing) separate leagues with another five leagues coming online over the next two years [(2016) Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arkansas; (2017) New Jersey and North Carolina].
“To be recognized by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition for our efforts to help teenagers across America build strong body, mind and character is a testament to NICA’s continuing success,” stated Austin McInerny. “And, as our programs grow across America, it is important that we expand our leadership to represent the diversity in our membership and I am thrilled that both Dan and Susan are committed to helping strengthen what is arguably the fastest growing movement in cycling. Dan and Susan are leaders in their respective communities and both bring strong business skills and incredible energy to NICA at a critical time as we work to provide greater opportunities for youth and adults to work together both on and off the bicycle to build stronger communities.”
NC League president elected to NICA board
Susan Helm-Murtagh, who is one of two people appointed to NICA’s board, said she is very committed to increasing the number of girls and women participating in and impacted by NICA.
“In my short time with NICA, I have been impressed by both the accomplishments and the future potential of NICA,” she said. “I am honored to be a part of this incredible organization, and I look forward to helping NICA continue its success in achieving its current mission, and expanding that mission to be even more explicit in terms of character development.”
Susan Helm-Murtagh is an adjunct assistant professor at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches in the executive doctoral program. In addition, she is president of NICA’s recently formed North Carolina Interscholastic Cycling League. Previously, she was vice president at Mosaic Health Solutions, where she was responsible for building and managing a portfolio of health solutions products and services centered on information technology, analytics and consumer engagement. She has over twenty-five years of healthcare payer experience, including analytics, information management, strategic development, application development, marketing, and operations.
Helm-Murtagh holds a doctoral degree in public health from Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a competitive cyclist and multi-sport athlete; she has been competing in road, mountain, cyclocross, and multi-sport events at the regional, national and world level since 1995. She is on the Board of Visitors for the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the boards for Girls on the Run of the Triangle and Triangle Bikeworks, and is President and Board Chair for the TriCyclists Bicycle Racing Club in Chapel Hill.
Georgia League co-Founder elected to NICA board
Dan Brooks, the co-founder of the Georgia Interscholastic Cycling League and a businessman in Atlanta, was also appointed to NICA’s Board of Directors. In addition to overseeing a diversified portfolio of investments for his family, Brooks serves on the board of directors of Cell Constructs, a biomaterials company focused on regenerative medicine; New Constructs, a financial technology company; RPS Environmental Solutions and Grain & Barrel, LLC.
“I believe in the mission of NICA because I think there is a disconnect in our message to young students to eat healthy and engage in physical activity while only supplying opportunities for a select few to participate in sports that typically end immediately after high school and certainly after college,” Brooks said. “We need to support lifelong health of our students by exposing them to activities they can participate in for their entire lives, and in a variety of different ways. NICA gives more students a chance to participate in a sport that can benefit them for a lifetime.”
Brooks began his career as an attorney for King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia, in their corporate division supporting clients such as The Coca-Cola Company, Sprint, Kimberly-Clark and Georgia Pacific. He then transitioned to general counsel of American Tower International, a subsidiary of American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT), where he helped develop businesses in South and Central America, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Africa and India. Since leaving American Tower, Mr. Brooks has served as Chief Executive Officer of Cold Smoke Capital, LLC, and The Family Office, LLC.
Brooks earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, summa cum laude, from The University of the South at Sewanee (with highest honors), and his Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University. Mr. Brooks lives in Atlanta with his wife, Lisa, and three sons, Sam, Marley and Cash.
