The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has acquired the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute (DSWI) for an undisclosed sum and has created a new division of the organization, ACE announced on Sept. 7.
DSWI will be part of a new division, ACE Health and Wellness, as ACE expands its health coaching education and training.
“We are proud to be joining forces with DSWI to grow the field of health coaching,” said Cedric X. Bryant, ACE president and chief science officer. “DSWI has an outstanding reputation and is well respected in allied health and healthcare, where there is tremendous growth opportunity for lifestyle behavior change education and training.”
Bryant will oversee the ACE Health and Wellness division with former president and CEO of DSWI, Bob Hodgin. Hodgin will lead day-to-day operations as ACE Health and Wellness executive vice president.
“DSWI is proud to join a mission-driven organization like ACE who has been committed to health and wellness coaching for over twenty years,” Hodgin said. “The expertise and breadth of resources that will now be available to both our DSWI and ACE health and wellness coaches is unparalleled in this growing industry.”
Founded in 2003, ACE was the first organization to have a National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) health coach certification. In 2021, ACE become recognized by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching as an approved education provider. Through the acquisition of DSWI, ACE will grow its number of actively certified health coaches from 8,000 to more than 15,000.
“Growing our health coach education and training through the acquisition of DSWI is an exciting new chapter for ACE,” said ACE CEO Scott Goudeseune. “It is my hope that by drawing upon the expertise and experience of DSWI, we will be able to deliver the highest quality education available to current and future health coaches to help them have a greater public health impact.”