Jillian Harper Promoted To Director of ESU’s Recreation Center

Posted by: admin on June 3, 2014, One Comment

The Student Activity Association, Inc. (SAA) an affiliated operation of East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania (ESU), announced the promotion of Jillian Harper to director of the Mattioli Recreation Center effective July 1, 2014. The Mattioli Recreation Center opened in 2003 and offers facilities, equipment and services that provide opportunities for physical activity and leadership experience while also promoting the lifelong pursuit of recreational activities and healthy lifestyles for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

Harper will be responsible for the comprehensive recreational program that includes league sports, group fitness, personal training, club sports and special events. In addition, her duties will include operation and utilization of the Mattioli Recreation Center (a 58,000 square foot facility completed in 2003) and RecB Fitness Center (a 15,000 square foot facility completed in 2012).

“Jill is a leader who has continually pushed the envelope to deliver services and meet the needs of students,” said Joseph Akob, recently named East Stroudsburg University’s SAA executive director. “She cares about students and works tirelessly to prepare them for their campus responsibilities, and most of all, their futures. She is extremely trustworthy and someone I have always been able to count on for the past eight years.”

Prior to her promotion, Harper was the associate director of the Recreation Center at ESU for the last eight years. In her role, Harper has been responsible for assisting with the operation of the two recreation facilities, overseeing the group fitness program that offers more than 30 classes a week, creating and maintaining personal training services, developing student staff and leadership training and incentive programs and creating fitness outreach programs that included ESU WellU Group Fitness and Wellness on Wheels programs.

Harper earned her Master of Science in Human Performance and Recreation from the University of Southern Mississippi University and a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education with a concentration in adult fitness from Montclair State University. She holds current memberships with the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), the Pennsylvania Intramural and Recreational Sports Association and American College Personnel Association. In addition, she has numerous fitness certifications that include American Council on Exercise (ACE) Personal Trainer, Aerobics and Fitness Association of America Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Yogafit Level 2, Pilates, indoor cycling, Insanity® and Les Mills Body Pump^TM certifications. Harper is also an American Red Cross volunteer.

Harper has made numerous campus and conference presentations related to her experiences and expertise in NIRSA. She serves on many ESU committees, including Student Affairs Division Personal and Professional Development, Strategic Planning Implementation Team, Service Learning, Wellness, Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast, Homecoming Parade Committee, Warrior Mentor Program Development and the Leadership Programs Advisory Board Committees.

In her new position, Harper will oversee operations of two facilities, provide campus wide recreational and fitness programming and supervise more than 75 student staff.