The President shall have the authority, power, and responsibility commonly vested in a presiding corporate officer, including but not limited to serving as President at all meetings and administering the affairs of the NPCP Board in accordance with the Polices and Procedures. The President should remain neutral on all voting issues and should not vote unless it is to break a tie. Jolita owns and operates the Pilates Network studio in Florence, Italy, in addition to a teacher training program available throughout Italy. As Upper School Coordinator of the International School of Florence for over 12 years, Jolita brings experience in educational policies and procedures to the Board as well as an international perspective.

Clare has been teaching Pilates for 23 years and previously was a personal trainer and group exercise teacher for 15 years. She completed her Pilates training in 1997 under Romana Kryzanowska. Under the umbrella of her studio Progressive Bodyworks, she developed Pilates Avatar, a comprehensive audio program for Pilates practitioners of all levels. Clare co-authored the curriculum for the Peak Pilates Comprehensive Education program including eight manuals, written and practical student assessments, and have mentored scores of teachers and teacher trainers since 2001. As an active international presenter and NPCP provider, Clare has earned the respect of students, teachers and colleagues for more than a decade.

The Treasurer shall perform all duties commonly vested in the corporate office of treasurer, including the review of financial reports and creation and approval of yearly budgets. Driven by her passion for creating an environment focused on wellness and optimal health, Karyn founded ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio (Peachtree City, Georgia) in 2005. Karyn brings over 20 years of clinical and teaching experience to the Board.

The Secretary shall perform all duties commonly vested in the corporate office of secretary, including but not limited to maintaining accurate minutes of all meetings of the NPCP Board. Kathleen is a graduate of UC Davis, Stanford University, the Pilates Center, and Polestar Pilates. She has integrated Pilates and orthopedic physical therapy for more than 30 years. Kathleen also chairs the Certification Exam Item Writing Committee.

Benjamin Degenhardt has been involved in the world of Pilates for over 20 years. He began his studies in 1998, completed classical and contemporary training programs, and is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher since 2011. Benjamin is a renowned educator and has presented his work at training facilities and conferences around the world. He refined his perspective on Pilates by synthesizing historical research on Joseph Pilates’ thought process with a modern understanding of movement, health, and fitness training. Benjamin is the founder of 360° Pilates, an e-learning platform dedicated to the original Pilates method, and the creator of March MATness, an annual and global social media campaign that celebrates the original Mat work. Additionally, Benjamin is a frequent guest teacher on Pilates Anytime, has been featured in Pilates Style Magazine and the documentary "Tribute to Joseph Pilates", and is the creator of the "Decoding Pilates Workshop".

Cecilia Pulido has been in the natural health & fitness industry since the early 1990’s. Her Pilates training includes Polestar, specializations in Scoliosis and spinal asymmetry, and extensive training with Pilates elder Lolita San Miguel, among others. She also has a Masters of Science in Applied Exercise Science, Human Movement Science. With over 20+ years of experience working with people who have Parkinson’s disease in all stages, in conjunction with her training and specializations, she has developed a truly efficacious method to help people with Parkinson’s disease to preserve their movement independence. Her focus is to bring Pilates based exercise programming to the Parkinson’s community, and deliver quality, comprehensive program education to Pilates instructors and fitness professionals on how to work with people who have Parkinson’s disease in any stage.

Iris Burman
Public Member, voting
[email protected]

Iris Burman is Co-Founder and Director of Education at Educating Hands School of Massage in Miami, Florida. She has been practicing Massage Therapy for over 40 years with a wide range of bodywork modalities. She has been active in the development of the Massage profession for the last 37 years. Iris served as a board member on the AMTA Council of Schools and subsequently helped form the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, serving on its initial board of directors. She also served on the committee that created COMTA, the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. Assisting the progression of Massage Therapy to achieve the benchmarks of a full profession has been among her life’s accomplishments.

John Garey is the creator of John Garey TV and Pilates Grad School. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Human Development from Penn State University and earned his Master’s degree in Physical Education from New York University. John began practicing Pilates in 1992 and began studying to teach Pilates in 1998. He went on to become a Master Trainer for STOTT PILATES and owned a Pilates Studio in Long Beach, CA for 18 years. John has been a NPCT since 2015. In 2019 he served on a panel as a Subject Matter Expert for the Role Delineation Study, developing the blueprint for the creation of the current NPCP Exam. John is an International Pilates Presenter and has taught Pilates Workshops to Instructors in over 30 countries.

I taught at Core Pilates NYC for 15 years where I was the first student in their Comprehensive Course, then evolved into developing and leading the program as the Director of Education. I trained upwards of 1,000 instructors and taught clients of all kinds and conditions. In 2016, I pivoted my career and now work with St. Christopher’s Inc. a non-profit adolescent residential treatment center with three campuses in New York, serving youth with psychiatric and special needs. As the Assistant Executive Director of Residential Services, I lead the division responsible for youth care and healthy outcomes. I am an Advanced Level 5 MELT Method® instructor and am on the training team. I hold an MFA from Yale University and Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Fordham University. Additionally, I maintain a private practice, core + bones pilates, where I continue to teach clients Pilates, MELT, and Anatomy in Clay®.

Tabatha is NPCP certified and comprehensively trained Pilates Instructor. A former professional dancer, she has been practicing and teaching dance and Pilates for over 25 years. She brings to her teaching a deep understanding of tailoring individualized exercises and classes and teaches students of all ages and abilities. She developed tabPILATES to ensure that the embodiment of the method could be taught and utilized for a wide variety of clientele and that it goes beyond just teaching exercises or leading classes. In 2009, Tabatha opened tabPILATES and Bodyworks Inc. in the Woodlawn community of Chicago with the purpose of expanding the teaching and practice of Pilates, yoga, dance-based movement, exercise, and healing body arts to the people in her community. She specializes in translating the classical Pilates work into a method that supports, nurtures, and enhances the lifestyle of those she is surrounded by daily, which has become her calling and passion.