Griffs Under 40: Jessica Matthews MSEd '07

July 17, 2017

Buffalo, NY - Jessica Matthews knows a thing or two about balance –literally and figuratively. 

She is an industry leader in health and wellness, a seasoned yoga instructor and an innovative college professor.

“I love the idea of being able to motivate and educate people on their health and fitness journeys,” Matthews says.

Much like the Canisius education she received, Matthews champions a holistic method to wellness, one that “integrates a healthy body, a sound mind and a connected spirit.”

Her approach is grounded firmly in exercise science, nutrition and behavioral health.

Matthews is a senior advisor for health and fitness education for the American Council on Exercise (ACE).  She develops educational content for the non-profit health and fitness certification organization.  Matthews is also the lead author and editor of the ACE Group Fitness Instructor Handbook and most recently Stretching to Stay Young.  

Matthews’ expertise makes her a trusted and sought-after media resource. She is a regular contributor to Women’s Health and Men’s Fitness, and a contributing editor to SHAPE magazine.

Matthews conducts her most meaningful work, not in the gym but in the classrooms at California’s Point Loma Nazarene University. It’s here that this professor of kinesiology teaches a healthy course load of health and exercise science classes.

 It’s also here that Matthews will introduce her newly developed master’s of kinesiology in integrative wellness in fall 2017.  Matthews spent the better part of last year developing the program which, she explains, “encompasses her passion and purpose to shape the lives of future health and wellness professionals and to truly integrate lifestyle medicine into the healthcare system.”