Michigan State University Associate Professor Leapetswe “Leps” Malete became president-elect of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, or NASPSPA in Sept. 2024. He will serve as president-elect for one year and then as president in the 2025-2026 academic year. He will be a past president beginning in fall 2026.
“I am extremely honored,” said Malete, who joined MSU in 2016. He is the director of global initiatives for the Department of Kinesiology and director of the International Research on Youth Sport, Physical Activity and Health research lab. “This is truly humbling and exciting and brings opportunities to broaden our work in NASPSPA.”
MSU strengths
Malete is the fourth MSU faculty member to hold this role, including Professor Emerita Deborah Feltz (2007-2008) and incoming Professor Jackie Goodway (2022-2023).* Several MSU alums have also held roles in the NASPSPA board of directors since its creation in 1968.
“For decades, the Department of Kinesiology has been a central hub for sport psychology, motor development and motor control and learning, which are the three domains of research under the umbrella of NASPSPA.,” said Paddy Ekkekakis, professor and chairperson of the Department of Kinesiology. “Therefore, it is no coincidence that multiple scholars affiliated with MSU have served in leadership roles within the society over the years. Leps Malete will be an outstanding continuation of this legacy, bringing his unique global perspective to the organization and shining one more spotlight onto our great department.”
Spartans have previously received honors from the organization, including winning the Distinguished Scholar, Early Career Distinguished Scholar and Outstanding Student Paper awards. In 2023, two of the three awardees of the Outstanding Student Paper awards were MSU scholars.
New Responsibilities
During his president-elect year, Malete will oversee updates to the organization’s bylaws and policy manual and organize memorials. He will also sit on the newly formed diversity, equity and inclusion sub-committee as the liaison to the Board of Directors.
Malete, who was born in and spent the early years of his career in Botswana, is optimistic about the group’s potential outcomes.
“I want to use my agency, leadership experiences and cross-cultural, global work to support NASPSPA’s efforts to broaden international membership, strengthen local and regional outreach and promote cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research that impacts lives,” he said. “I will endeavor to increase conversations about how best to strengthen connections with and participation of faculty and students from less-served communities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Native American and Indigenous people because these efforts present huge growth opportunities for NASPSPA’s growth.”
Malete aims to expand knowledge of and opportunities in international work, with the goal of “increasing cross-cultural aspects” of research within the field. Beyond increased geographical representation, Malete is also interested in amplifying research on diverse subjects, such as health-centric research on individuals with disabilities.
As president, beginning in fall 2025, Malete will provide leadership in various ways, including overseeing Board of Directors meetings, award nominations and selections, conference preparations, fiduciary responsibilities and supportive roles in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and Journal of Motor Learning and Development.
This story originally appeared on the College of Education website.
