Contact: Paige Watson

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Associate Professor Stamatis Agiovlasitis of Mississippi State is the new president-elect of the North American Federation of Adapted Physical Activity.

Agiovlasitis, a member of the university’s Department of Kinesiology, will be among the organization’s top leaders for the next six years. After two years as president-elect, he then serves periods as president and past-president.

NAFAPA is this continent’s branch of the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity, a professional body dedicated to the promotion, dissemination and practical application of results and findings in the field of physical activity to benefit populations with disabilities and special needs.

An MSU faculty member since 2009, Agiovlasitis is a researcher focusing on physical activity and fitness for people with disabilities. He is co-founder of the Starkville-based Golden Triangle Down Syndrome Association.

Last year, he received another major recognition when elevated to the prestigious rank of Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, the world’s largest sports medicine and exercise science organization. In 2011, he was honored on campus with the MSU Foundation’s James W. Bagley Faculty Award.

In addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Queens College, City University of New York, Agiovlasitis holds a doctorate from Oregon State University.

Stanley P. Brown, MSU kinesiology department head, said having a colleague leading the large international organization “is a first” for the College of Education’s largest academic unit. For more on the department, visit www.kinesiology.msstate.edu.

Complete details on NAFAPA are found at www.nafapa.org.

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.