Zhang elected Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology

James Zhang, a professor of sport management, has been elected as a Fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology.

Zhang, coordinator of the sport management program in the Department of Kinesiology, teaches and studies sport consumer and organizational behaviors. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in sport management, and is leading the development of an international center for sport management education and research at UGA.

His research focuses on predicting sport consumption behaviors and forming effective market strategies by investigating (a) market demand and competition, (b) socio-motivation, (c) event/program operation and service quality, (d) consumer lifestyle and (e) socio-demographic backgrounds. He has also studied sport leadership with a focus on formal and informal leadership in athletic program management.

He is currently working on three research projects, two of which focus on sport marketing and are funded by international organizations. The third one is a 21st Century Community Learning Center program evaluation, which is funded by the Georgia Department of Education.

Zhang also contributes to other faculty and student research by sharing his expertise in research design, measurement, data analyses, research report formulation, management and marketing theories.

To become a Fellow in the Academy, a faculty member must make significant scholarly contributions to the field and take leadership roles in professional associations for more than 10 years.

There have been only 533 members elected to the Academy since its inception in 1926. Zhang will be UGA's 10th member. Previous UGA Fellows in the Academy include: former professor Robert Armstrong, Ted Baumgartner, Kirk Cureton, Rod Dishman, the late Gary Dudley, the late Ann Jewett, Pat O'Connor, David McCully and former professor and Associate Dean for Research Mike Ferrara. Karl Newell, who will join the College of Education as professor and associate dean for research in July 2014, is also a member.

Zhang, who joined the UGA faculty in 2011, will be inducted at the Academy's annual meeting in Austin, Texas in September.