NSCA’s Southeast Region

Southeast Region

Regional Coordinator: Tom Palumbo, MS, CSCS,*D
Contact:  pbo1222@gmail.com

Tom Palumbo is the former Florida and Ohio State Director for the NSCA. Palumbo has been the Human Performance Advisor for the Air Force Special Operations Command Headquarters since 2019.

Alabama 

State Director: Stacy Bishop, PhD, CSCS,*D
Contact: sbishop2@montevallo.edu 

Stacy Bishop currently works at the University of Montevallo as an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of the Exercise and Nutrition Science program. Bishop is a former NCAA strength coach and is currently interested in research using cryotherapy to aid performance in baseball as well as other sports including mixed martial arts. 

Florida

State Director: Dominic Rondinelli, CSCS, TSAC-F
Contact: domrondo44@gmail.com 

Bio to come soon!

Georgia

State Director: Jennifer Novak, MS, CSCS,*D
Contact: jennifer@symmetryperformance.com                                      

Bio to come soon!

Mississippi 

State Director: Zachary Gillen, PhD, CSCS,*D
Contact: zmg43@msstate.edu

Zachary Gillen currently works as an Assistant Professor of Exercise Physiology in the Department of Kinesiology at Mississippi State University. Gillen is a former strength and conditioning coach. His current research is primarily interested in understanding how to maximize muscular strength and power adaptations across the lifespan, as well as understanding the underlying physiological responses of muscle to strength-based and power-based training.

North Carolina

State Director: Joseph Marino, PhD, CSCS,*D
Contact: jmarin10@charlotte.edu 

Joseph Marino is an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences at UNC Charlotte.  Marino is the program director for the Masters in Kinesiology program and the undergraduate and graduate CASCE accredited strength and conditioning concentrations.  He has 20 years experience studying insulin signaling and the regulation of muscle mass.  His current research is focused on long-term athlete development and well being.

South Carolina 

State Director: Jay Patel, PhD, CSCS,*D, TSAC-F,*D, CPSS
Contact: pateljh@gmail.com

Jay Patel currently works with Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina. He serves as the Director of Performance Science with the Athletics Department, and Clinical Assistant Professor with the Exercise Science Department. Patel is a former strength and conditioning coach, and his interests include promoting a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to analyzing human movement, testing and load monitoring of collegiate athletes, and military personnel to develop maximum performance.

Tennessee

State Director: Vanessa Moreno, PhD, CSCS,*D
Contact: vanessa.lc.moreno@gmail.com

Vanessa Moreno is a full-time faculty member at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN. Her main research interest is human performance, specifically post-activation potentiation. Moreno received her Bachelor's degree from Whittier College, Master's degree from California State University, Fullerton and PhD from Concordia University Chicago. 

Puerto Rico

State Director: Miguel Franquiz, CSCS
Contact: yunque411@gmail.com

Miguel A. Franquiz is owner of Functional Dynamics since 1995, business dedicated, and interested in creating strength and conditioning training programs for athletes, sports medicine, and personal training clients. His business takes him to Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico for consulting and implementation of safety and prevention of injury practices while in-training, while at work, and at home.