On November 15, the College of Health and Human Services will host the 2019 Health and Human Services Hero Awards to recognize the unsung heroes in our community whose actions, thoughts and words have had a transformative impact in our region. We will highlight the ten honorees in our Heroes Blog Series.
Name: Cyndi Dean
Occupation: Department of Safety Program Coordinator for Physical Education, Wellness and Nutrition; Fresno County Office of Superintendent of Schools
Nominated by: Department of Kinesiology
Laying the foundation for younger generations to develop healthy and active lifestyles is Cyndi Dean’s passion and purpose. A constant learner, with a desire to educate, Dean has always made it her mission to motivate and empower others to challenge themselves and to simply get moving.
For 15 years, Dean has worked for the Fresno County Office of Superintendent of Schools, most recently as its Department of Safety program coordinator for Physical Education, Wellness, and Nutrition. It is more than just a career to her, but a distinct privilege that impacts nearly 200,000 K-12 students.
Dean’s passion for health and fitness has been at the forefront of her life for as long as she can remember. From competing in state aerobic competitions to participating in competitive fast-pitch softball leagues, she has always remained active. Knowing what an active lifestyle can do for one’s mind, body and soul, Dean wanted to help others discover that. She went on to become a personal trainer in the 90s.
After that, she followed her dream of teaching physical education. While serving as chair of the Physical Education department at the Chawanakee Unified School District in North Fork, Dean became aware of the childhood obesity epidemic – an area she is highly passionate about improving.
Since then, she has led several key projects, including working as a health consultant with the state of California, where she helped to create and implement online health education content standard modules for classroom and physical education teachers.
“Cyndi Dean is a total champion for children’s health and well-being in Fresno County. She positively impacts thousands of school children and their families every year by planning health-related programs and initiatives and by advocating for healthy schools and communities.” – Dr. Nicole Smith, Department of Kinesiology
The 2019 Health and Human Services Hero Awards, which celebrates heroes from each of the seven departments, as well as centers and institutes within our college, will be held on November 15, 2019 at Fresno State. For more information on the event, contact Beth Wilkinson at 559.278.3603 or bwilkinson@csufresno.edu.
Fresno State College of Health and Human Services 