Scott Caulfield named president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association Foundation’s Board of Directors

Norwich University Director of Strength and Conditioning Scott Caulfield has been named president of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Foundation’s Board of Directors. This board oversees the grants and scholarships that the organization offers, with around $300,000 per year going to scholarships, coaches, trainers, researchers, and various other demographics.

Caulfield is the first full-time college strength and conditioning coach to be president of the foundation. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve as president of the NSCA Foundation Board of Directors. I am deeply grateful for the support and trust extended to me by the foundation’s board of directors, executive director, NSCA members, and my fellow strength and conditioning coaches,” said Caulfield. “I am enthusiastic about continuing the legacy established by our predecessors.”

The NSCA boasts a combined membership of over 60,000 worldwide and is split into two distinct leadership groups: the NSCA Board of Directors and the NSCA Foundation Board of Directors. Ian Jeffreys, Ph.D., is the NSCA Board of Directors president-elect and will lead alongside Caulfield. “To have such a distinguished coach as Scott Caulfield take up the reigns as president is great news for the organization and the profession of strength and conditioning,” he said. “Scott is a highly experienced and respected coach. His insight and expertise will help the foundation continue its excellent work in ensuring our future professionals have the opportunities to help them thrive.”

NSCA Foundation Executive Director Carissa Gordon Gump echoed his sentiments. “The appointment of Scott Caulfield by his fellow board members demonstrates the foundation’s commitment to intellectual and professional diversity in its leadership, ensuring representation for all members.”

“Being a full-time college coach, I really want to show other college coaches that they can do all these things, be very involved in an organization, and still coach and spend a lot of time in the weight room,” said Caulfield. This is of particular importance to the organization because the NSCA tries to match board members to the audience of each group. “I represent strength coaches across all domains: college, high school, and even professional sports. We have people who are professors or researchers in exercise science, and people who do personal training,” he said. “The board typically mirrors the membership to ensure that we can improve programs and help out different groups.”

Caulfield has been involved with the organization for years and remembers discovering the NSCA through recommendations of fellow professionals. “People told me when I was first getting into the profession that if I wanted to train athletes that I needed to check out a certification called Certified Strength Conditioning Specialist, which is one that the NSCA offers,” he said. “That led me down a rabbit hole of all this information; but what happened is I ended up going to a clinic and I found out there was actually a Vermont state chapter. I went to a state clinic, and that just started the snowball rolling.”

He values the connections and insight he has gleaned from surrounding himself in an immersive strength and conditioning environment. “It was so cool to see these people asking where you are from and knowing that they were interested in what you do. They were really trying to help,” he said. “I realized there were tons of volunteering opportunities and that just continued to get me more involved and going to more events.”

Caulfield was employed at Dartmouth College in 2011 but was told that the NSCA had job openings he should look into. “I applied and got the job,” he said. He spent nine-and-a-half years at the NSCA, where he eventually rose to head strength and conditioning coach, coaching education manager, and performance center manager. He spent that decade additionally working as an adjunct instructor at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs and the director of strength and conditioning at Colorado College before finding his way to Norwich University in 2021.

A significant shift was made shortly after his arrival in June of that year as Norwich University adopted a holistic approach towards strength and conditioning. Incorporating his experience as a Navy veteran, the native Vermonter impeccably fit the dynamic and multifaceted requirements of this role within America’s oldest private military college and birthplace of ROTC.

Coach Caulfield oversees the physical development of over 600 student-athletes across 22 diverse varsity sports. “As an adjunct lecturer in the Norwich Health and Human Performance Department, I have the privilege of utilizing my teaching and public speaking skills to equip our students with the necessary knowledge for successful careers in health and fitness,” said Caulfield. “I also collaborate with and advise our ROTC leaders, providing expert guidance on best practices and training methods for our cadet fitness trainers. Most recently, I have taken on the responsibility of managing the comprehensive strength and conditioning program for our Norwich Ranger Company, ensuring their optimal readiness and performance.”

Caulfield feels like the future is bright in Northfield and looks forward to empowering not only the University’s student-athletes, but professionals nationwide. “Norwich supports me really well. They see the value in me having a role in the big picture of this large organization because it helps bring awareness to Norwich and what we’re doing in our program,” said Caulfield. “It’s a true benefit for everybody.”