Regis Tremblay

Regis Tremblay is an organization development consultant and learning leader living in Phoenix, Arizona. He is the author of numerous articles and workshops on Leadership, Change, Organizational Learning, and Youth Sports.

He began his career as a high school teacher and coach in 1975 at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Arizona. During those years, Regis began to discover some of the basic truths about how people learn and work together, especially the use of large group processes.

In 1993, he began coaching his own children and has coached soccer, Little League baseball, softball, and ice hockey. He has served on several youth boards, and in numerous capacities with the NHL Phoenix Coyotes Youth Hockey program.

As a charter member of the Coyotes Youth Hockey Association, Regis was responsible for developing the coaching development program and recruiting and certifying over 100 coaches. He has been involved in youth sports for over 30 years as a coach, league administrator, and board member, and continues to play adult hockey in an “over-40” league.

In 1993, Regis founded the Tremblay Group and began working with a variety of organizations where he continued his study and research about organizational and personal transformation and how people learn and work together in complex adaptive systems.

In 2001, Regis founded The Center For Kids FIRST in Sports as a resource for young athletes, parents, league administrators, coaches, and other adults who care about the influence of organized youth sports on child development, families, culture, and schools.

The Center offers many valuable resources and services that include: workshops for athletes, parents, and coaches; sport awareness programs; video programs; a Blueprint For Change Toolkit; an Organization Scorecard, and helpful advice for parents and families to understand their involvement in organized youth sports.

Regis received an STL in Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome Italy and an undergraduate degree in History and Philosophy from Mt. Carmel College in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Karly and their three children, Ashley, Ryan, and Tanner.

You can contact Regis Tremblay at: regis@thecenterforkidsfirst.org

Jerry Stitt

Associate Director, Jerry Stitt began his coaching career at Salpointe Catholic High School in 1971 as varsity baseball coach. In 1978, he was hired as an assistant baseball coach at his alma mater, The University of Arizona where he was an All-American.

Upon graduation from the U of A, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians and played three seasons in the Tribe’s minor league system before returning to Tucson to teach and coach at Salpointe. Jerry was appointed head coach of the Arizona Wildcats baseball team in 1996. His record was 157-124 (.559) in five complete seasons as the head coach.

Widely regarded as a top hitting coach, the Wildcats batted an impressive .327 under his guidance as an assistant and head coach. Fifty-seven players have been drafted by the Major Leagues during his tenure at Arizona.

Jerry and Regis were colleagues at Salpointe and have remained friends for nearly 30 years. In April of 2002, Jerry joined Regis as a co-founder and incorporator of Kids FIRST. Not only does Jerry bring a life-time of experience to Kids FIRST, but he represents all the best of what a coach should be.

Among Jerry’s goals as head coach were: to run a clean program, be honest and forthright with parents and student-athletes, and stress academics, above all.

In addition to his bachelor’s degree in Education, Jerry also earned a master’s degree in Education (1973), and a doctoral degree in Educational Administration from the U of A in 1993. His doctoral dissertation presented the case for aligning athletic department goals and objectives with the educational and social mission of our universities.

Jerry lives with his wife Linda in Tucson.

You can contact Jerry Stitt at: mattyalou22@cox.net

Brenda Gruender

Brenda Gruender joined Regis as the Phoenix Program Manager for The Center For Kids First in Sports, Health, and Education in 2005. She is responsible for recruiting, training, and placing university and high school interns in local K-8 schools to assist with physical activity and nutrition programs. Brenda is also responsible for introducing and implementing the Kids FIRST School-based Model to prevent and combat obesity.

Upon graduating from the University of Arizona in 1984 with a degree in Public Recreation Administration, she opened a fitness studio at the La Posada Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where she taught fitness classes to young children, teenagers, and adults.  She was also  a personal trainer and water fitness instructor at the resort until 1994. Brenda continued teacher water fitness classes and conducting personal training sessions for all different fitness levels and ages.

Brenda also served as a fitness consultant to the Arizona Biltmore and other resorts in the Scottsdale area where she trained forty instructors.

Brenda is married to Matthew Gruender, and is the mother of three children ages 7-14. In order to spend more time with her growing family, Brenda gave up her business and began volunteering her time with Kids FIRST and teaching fitness classes to children and adults at Christ Lutheran School.