Meet Our Team
With WATERinMOTION® being the leading program in aquatic fitness, people from different locations and age groups have come together to form a group very dedicated to growing WATERinMOTION® and all that it has to offer. We value each and everyone of our faculty members and what they have done to help WATERinMOTION® become so successful, because without you it simply wouldn’t! This is the WATERinMOTION® family—Join us today!
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Trainers
Mac Carvalho
Mac holds a Bachelors of Science in Physical Education from Bridgewater State University. Starting his fitness career in 2012, he has been featured in several WATERinMOTION® Releases and POP Pilates Official Choreography release. Mac is proud to be a WATERinMOTION® Champion, as well as part of the Tour Crew for POUND. Currently, Mac teaches 20 classes a week at the Old Colony YMCA. Mac is a featured SCW MANIA presenter in Barre, Dance as well at Aqua.
Harley Cofield
I transitioned from a dancer to the fitness industry 4 years ago and have been loving every second of it. I trained under Wave 29, and started participating in WATERinMOTION® filmings with Wave 33. I’m employed at the Cumberland YMCA as a NASM certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, teaching 10 classes each week. My passion for fitness and my education with marketing/media allows me to help people from all over the world. I am honored to be apart of this industry and the WATERinMOTION® family.
Ann Gilbert
Ann Gilbert is an owner of two, Shapes Fitness for Women, franchises. She oversees the operations of as many as 15 certified Personal Trainers, 30 Group Fitness professionals, and coordinates fee-based group personal training programs. Ann promotes the popular Aging Fit series and is the choreographer for S.E.A.T., an innovative chair fitness program. She was awarded ACE / IHRSA Personal Trainer of the Year in 2001 and has been a popular speaker at Club Industry, SCW MANIA, IAFC and IHRSA Conventions since 2002. Ann writes for Fitness magazines and can be seen on local TV.
Chris Henry
Chris Henry is a WATERinMOTION® Champion and Master Trainer. He has been teaching group exercise since 2007 and WATERinMOTION® since 2011. Chris has been featured in countless videos and is known for his leadership skills and creative abilities. He has worked at ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers for the past 10 years and managed a team of 75 Group Exercise and Fitness Instructors at their Midlothian, VA, facility. During this time, Chris received ACAC’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Leadership Person of the Year and Service Provider of the Year awards. You can catch Chris at several fitness events worldwide and as a regular presenter at SCW MANIA® conventions.
Cheri Kulp
Cheri is the program director for WATERinMOTION® Original and Strength and is BOTH a Master Trainer for WATERinMOTION® and a proud Faculty Member for SCW Fitness Education. She has spent her adult career as an instructor beginning as a special education teacher for 18 years. She has been a group fitness instructor and has been teaching lifeguard classes and swim lessons for over 25 years. Cheri was also previously an aquatics director responsible for training aquatic instructors and lifeguards. As a marathoner, triathlete and winner of two national bodybuilding competitions, she has always had a passion for teaching and fitness. Cheri is currently certified by AEA, AFAA, WATERinMOTION®, Les Mills & the American Red Cross.
Sara Kooperman, JD
Sara, CEO of SCW Fitness Education and WATERinMOTION®, is a visionary leader that has transformed the fitness education community. A successful business owner and advisor, she is a keynote speaker, published author, webinar host, podcast presenter and sought-after industry trail-blazer. Sara has a unique ability to share her passion and devotion towards fitness education through her humor, enthusiasm and her effervescent no-nonsense personality. Sara serves on the Gold’s Gym Think Tank, is on the canfitpro Advisory Panel, was a founding board member for the Women In Fitness Association (WIFA), and is a proud inductee into the National Fitness Hall of Fame. Sara currently serves on IHRSA’s Headlight Committees for Facility Standards and is also a Co-Host of IHRSA’s Talks & Takes Monthly Talk Show. Sara has left an indelible mark on the fitness industry as a whole.
Bryan Miller
Bryan is a proud member of the WATERinMOTION® family, having participated in all but two filmings since Wave 15. He is an AEA certified aquatic professional, and ACE certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer. Bryan has been teaching group fitness since 2011, and his passion for his classes and students come through with his enthusiastic and expressive style.
Sara Vandenberg
Sara has been teaching in the fitness industry since 2010. She grew up dancing competitively which lead her towards teaching fitness in her adult life. Sara is a fitness instructor at the YMCA of Cass & Clay Counties, North Dakota State University Wellness Center and Family Wellness in Fargo. In addition to being a WATERinMOTION Champion, Sara teaches Les Mills and Beachbody formats, is a master trainer for Beachbody LIVE and is an ACE certified group fitness instructor. She is also a certified Paddle Into Fitness instructor and teaches on indoor inflatable BOGA mats.
Manuel Velazquez
Manuel is the program director for WATERinMOTION® Platinum a proud Faculty Member for SCW Fitness Education, while being a valued trainer for Hydro-Fit, Bosu, Tabata Bootcamp and Barre Above. He is a WATERinMOTION® National Trainer and a recipient ECA-NYC OBOW All-Around International Presenter of the Year award and has been presenting at fitness conferences worldwide for over two decades. Manuel is a continuing education faculty for SCW, ACE, AFAA, ACSM, AEA, and WATERinMOTION®, and stars in over 50 Fitness Instructor Training Videos. He is an AFAA Team Pro and Examiner, and is a Lead Instructor at the Golden Door Spa in Puerto Rico and is RYT-200 Yoga certified.
Connie Warasila
Connie is the Co-Founder & Master Trainer emeritus of WATERinMOTION®, faculty member with SCW Fitness Education and certified by ACE, AEA, AFAA, Yoga Fit, Schwinn, Reebok Cycle and Moms in Motion. She has been awarded the Aquatic Exercise Association’s Fitness Professional of the Year and is a published author of articles in various trade publications. She has over 30 years of teaching experience in the USA and abroad and is presently teaching in Northern Virginia. She has traveled around the world presenting new and creative workshops to make fitness more accessible, professional and fun.
Billie Wartenberg
Billie has over 28 years of experience in the fitness industry and is currently the Fitness and Wellness Director at the Trilogy Resort 55+ Community and Resort in Orlando, FL. Managing almost 100 sessions per week focused on healthy active aging, Billie has authored the SCW Aqua Barre certification and is also a master trainer for SCW’s WATERinMOTION® and S.E.A.T. (Supported Exercise for Ageless Training) programs. Drawing on her experience as a former competitive cheerleader, Billie brings high energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement to everything she does.
Champions
Sibilla Abukhaled-Masini
Sibilla, born and raised in Switzerland, started her fitness career in 2001 in Tampa, Florida. The continuous urge to coach and teach drove her to build a successful personal training career and lead the aqua and fitness department in an all-female gym for 10 years.Teaching aqua has always been special in her heart, so it was no surprise that Water in Motion became her passion when she was introduced to it in 2010. Sibilla would describe herself as a technical and enthusiastic instructor. She is honored and proud to be part of the WATERinMOTION® team.
Cheryl Chiappeto
Cheryl Chiapetto has been teaching group exercise classes for 15 years. She is certified with AFAA, Zumba, Silver Sneakers and WATERinMOTION®. Cheryl has a minor in dance and currently coaches and choreographs for the marching band color guards in Springfield, Illinois. She combines technique, her musical background, and passion for fitness to create energetic high-energy classes. One of Cheryl’s favorite groups to teach is the beginner level. Cheryl is honored to work as a Champion presenter for WATERinMOTION®.
Betsy Hare
With over 23 years experience in teaching and training in the fitness industry, Betsy is ecstatic to be joining the Water in Motion Champion team. She has been in 10 Water in Motion DVDs. She was the underwater focus in WIM 18 and 19 and in WIM 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and Platinum 5 and 6. As a competitive ice skater in her youth ,Betsy discovered her passion for fitness and movement. She is certified with Water in Motion, AEA as a group instructor and personal trainer, Burdenko levels 1-7, Hydrorider, ATRI, Hydrofit and the Arthritis Foundation. In addition to her extensive water experience Betsy is also certified with AFAA, Les Mills (Body Pump and CxWorx), Stott pilates, Zumba (Gold, Basic1,2, Aqua), NETA,Yogafit, Silver sneakers, and Tabata Boot camp. When not pursuing fitness endeavors , Betsy is a practicing ARCB certified Reflexologist. She holds a B.S from Boston College and an M.S. From SUNY Buffalo. Betsy is the lead Aquatic Fitness trainer at the JCC of Greater Buffalo in Getzville, NY
Robin Taylor
Having taught Aquatic Fitness for over 12 years, Robin is AEA and AFAA certified. Teaching at Suncoast YMCA and Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center in Tampa, she leads variety of aqua and senior programs. Her energy, passion and dedication keep her classes filled. She is a black belt in Isshinryu Karate, enjoys running, and has participated in several WIM filmings, as both a pool participant and on-deck presenter.
