Rate My Professor Kathleen Carter

Dr. Kathleen Carter serves as Interim Chair and Professor of Exercise Science in the Department of Agricultural and Life Sciences within Central State University's John W. Garland College of Engineering, Science, Technology, Agriculture, and Business. She earned a Ph.D. in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia in 2013, concentrating in Adapted Physical Activity and Motor Development, with a dissertation on the effects of taekwondo training on strength and balance in young adults with Down syndrome. Her academic background also includes an M.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Louisville in 1990, an M.B.A. from Brenau University in 1997, a B.S. in Dietetics from Miami University in 1984, and a Diploma in Sports Nutrition from the International Olympic Committee in 2016. A Registered Dietitian, she was awarded Fellow status in the American College of Sports Medicine in 2019.

Dr. Carter joined Central State University in 2018 as Associate Professor, advancing to Interim Chair in 2023, where she developed and leads the Exercise Science program with tracks in sports performance and clinical exercise science, aligned to national standards and emphasizing practical training for careers in coaching, physical therapy, and allied health. Previously, she was Assistant Professor at the University of Louisville from 2014 to 2018, coordinating undergraduate exercise physiology programs and teaching sports nutrition, anatomy, and clinical exercise physiology. Her career encompasses adjunct teaching at Ivy Tech Community College and Athens Technical College, graduate teaching at the University of Georgia, ownership of Athens Taekwondo academy (2007-2012), and wellness management at Communit-Y Health Network and St. Mary’s Healthcare System. Research interests focus on exercise science, nutrition, adapted physical activity for intellectual disabilities, sports performance, and ergonomics. Key publications include "Using experiential learning in undergraduate exercise science to provide university worksite wellness programs" (2023), "Dietary Needs, Approaches and Recommendations to meet the Demands of Future Manned Space Flights" (2022), "Effect of taekwondo training on lower body strength and balance in young adults with Down syndrome" (2016), and contributions to studies on sprint interval training and space flight nutrition. She secured a $597,856 USDA grant (2022-2025) for a motion study lab on agricultural ergonomics and participates in the State of Ohio Adversity and Resilience study. Dr. Carter mentors students, advises academically, and contributes to extension programs and community health initiatives.