In a time of transition and change, the College of Public Health and Human Sciences’ own Heidi Wegis looks to take the Oregon SHAPE organization in a new direction as president.
Clinical Assistant Professor Heidi, who has been a member of Oregon SHAPE – previously known as OAHPERD – since 2002, was elected president at the statewide convention in October.
She says her goal is to help support, encourage and guide individuals and programs related to health and physical education through increased visibility and participation. Her plan is to update the website, produce advocacy materials and create an electronic newsletter to distribute through a listserv.
“I would like to ramp up the ‘products’ we offer to our members,” she says. “Each of these things can allow us to offer news about the organization and what is occurring in schools – things that affect each of us in the profession.”
Heidi says the national organization, AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance), has also undergone significant changes over the past year and is now a unified organization known as SHAPE America (Society of Health and Physical Educators).
“This unification will allow the organization to better serve its members at both the national and state level,” she says. “Our name change, and AAHPERD’s new name change to SHAPE America, will hopefully allow us to be more visible to the public and reflect our position as a leader in school-based health and physical education. I’m excited to be a part of the new vision and mission at the state level.”
Heidi says it was time for her to step up and help develop and strengthen the organization’s vision. She believes it is important to serve in a leadership capacity in an effort to advance the profession and hopes her students will follow suit.
“Through my work in this position, I hope that my students will recognize the importance of serving their profession as they will soon enter the workforce as physical education teachers,” she says. “Serving in this role will allow me the opportunity to advance our profession, which will ultimately affect each and every one of my students and the people they will serve in the future.”