John F Holland

John F. Holland is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist with Penn State Health. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Penn State in 2016 before completing a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology at Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2018.

John holds multiple professional certifications, including NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Performance and Sport Scientist (CPSS), ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist (ACSM-CEP), and USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach.

John's path to Kinesiology was anything but traditional. He began his Penn State journey as a pre-veterinary student before discovering the profession that truly felt like the right fit through a conversation with Lori Gravish Hurtack. Although changing majors extended his undergraduate career, it ultimately led him to a field that combined his lifelong passion for athletics with the science of human movement.

Following graduation, John returned to Penn State as a strength and conditioning coach, instructor, and collaborator. Working alongside many of the same faculty members who had once mentored him, he coached multiple sports, taught students, contributed to research, and supported educational and outreach initiatives. Those experiences reinforced his passion for educating others through exercise science and coaching.

Since then, John's career has spanned strength and conditioning, higher education, and clinical healthcare, where he served as a Clinical Assistant Professor, Kinesiology Program Director, and Clinical Exercise Physiologist with Penn State Health. Beyond his clinical and teaching roles, John contributes nationally through service with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), helping advance professional education, certification, scholarly publication, and educational quality. 

Throughout his career, John has enjoyed bringing together strength and conditioning, clinical exercise physiology, higher education, and healthcare while helping translate research into practice and strengthen the profession through education, certification, and mentorship.

One of John's favorite Penn State memories came while teaching Ballroom Dance. During the final week of the semester, his students surprised him with a thank-you card signed by the entire class, followed by an unforgettable group hug. What stayed with him even more was that many students asked if they could take the course again, despite knowing they would not receive additional elective credit, while others asked to serve as teaching assistants or sit in on future class sections simply because they enjoyed the experience. "It was the first time I genuinely felt that I had done something right," he recalls. That moment affirmed his love of teaching and mentorship and continues to shape how he approaches students today.

Outside of work, John is a dedicated coffee enthusiast who has become known among colleagues as "the coffee guy" at conferences, often using recommendations for local coffee shops as an icebreaker to meet new people. John and Lori Gravish Hurtack still share an appreciation for Lynda Carter's portrayal of Wonder Woman, a fun connection that has remained since his days as a Penn State student.

John credits Penn State Kinesiology with giving him the opportunity to explore different paths, discover what genuinely interested him, and learn through both success and failure. Looking back, he believes much of his professional development has been driven by becoming the mentor, educator, and exercise professional he needed when he was a student. 

Today, he remains committed to helping strengthen the profession by developing students, supporting educational quality, and advancing the next generation of exercise professionals.

John can be reached at johnfholland4@gmail.com for professional inquiries and alumni connections. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn or follow his professional updates on Instagram (@joholla4).

This profile was published August, 2026