Dr. James Zagrodnik has been a physical education faculty member since 2011. He specializes in motor behavior and earned his PhD from the University of Georgia. He wanted to create this podcast to help start, share, and have conversations about racism that hopefully lead to action and change in himself and others.
His teaching babies include PEP 3100 Principles of Motor Learning and Motor Development and PEP 3660 Adaptive Physical Education, but he also teaches numerous other courses from time to time, such as Foundations of Physical Education (PEP 2000), and Field Experience and Senior Seminar (PEP 4990).
He is creator and director of CAPES!, a skill development program for children with developmental disabilities. His research interests currently focus on the skill and perception changes pre-service teachers have towards individuals with disabilities and the physiological impacts of pickleball.
Outside of the office, Dr. Z. enjoys endurance hiking, visiting state and national parks, learning how to climb big walls, snow shoeing, snowboarding, star gazing by the fire pit, playing racquet sports and watching Georgia football.
Dr. Andrea Garavito Martinez is a first-generation Chicana college graduate and originally from Northeast Los Angeles, California. She also attended elementary school in her parent’s native hometown of Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico. Prior to joining Weber State University, she served as the Community School Facilitator at Hillcrest High School in the Canyons School District where here I work closely with school administration, the district and multiple community partners to implement the Midvale Partnerships for Student Success initiative. She was also a Family Center Coordinator and Latinos in Action teacher at West Lake Junior in the Granite School District. She currently teaches the Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Educational Psychology and Classroom Management.
In addition, for eight years, Andrea helped to coordinate outreach and recruitment efforts in the Urban Institute for Teacher Education that focused on increasing the number of students from diverse backgrounds entering teacher education programs. Her dissertation research is an extension of this work. For her dissertation, she gathered the narratives of Chicana/Latina undergraduate pre-service teachers to understand their professional experiences. The findings from this study indicate the need to develop teacher professional practices that center their unique and varied lived-experiences. At WSU, she is the co-advisor for Future Educators of America (FEA).
Dr. Ryan Zimmerman received his BS and MEd in Physical Education from Utah State University and PhD from Springfield College with an emphasis in teaching and administration.
Since 2016, Dr. Zim has taught a variety of majors at Weber State University including physical and health education teachers, elementary classroom teachers, and exercise and sports science majors. Many of his classes dive into issues you may see in society and how we as aspiring professionals can make changes on a daily basis. He believes the issues we face can be better understood by having difficult conversations in which we learn about others experiences and diverse upbringings. This video podcast will enhance awareness, advocate for difficult conversations, and help in the change that is needed to better our society.
Dr. Zim is an avid golfer, amatuer fly-fisherman, and enjoys most everything outdoorss, especially backpacking in the high country. His favorite activity of all is spending time with his wife Lacy, and 2-year son Winston.
Please click HERE to view our first video podcast featuring Dr. Forrest Crawford on "what is racism?"
Dr. James Zagrodnik has been a physical education faculty member since 2011. He specializes in motor behavior and earned his PhD from the University of Georgia. He wanted to create this podcast to help start, share, and have conversations about racism that hopefully lead to action and change in himself and others. 
Dr. Andrea Garavito Martinez is a first-generation Chicana college graduate and originally from Northeast Los Angeles, California. She also attended elementary school in her parent’s native hometown of Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico. Prior to joining Weber State University, she served as the Community School Facilitator at Hillcrest High School in the Canyons School District where here I work closely with school administration, the district and multiple community partners to implement the Midvale Partnerships for Student Success initiative. She was also a Family Center Coordinator and Latinos in Action teacher at West Lake Junior in the Granite School District. She currently teaches the Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Educational Psychology and Classroom Management.
Dr. Ryan Zimmerman received his BS and MEd in Physical Education from Utah State University and PhD from Springfield College with an emphasis in teaching and administration.