Bio

Rebecca ‘Becky’ Kimball was named Butler Director of Sport Performance and Fitness and Assistant Professor of the Practice at Wellesley College in July of 2013.

Since joining Wellesley’s Department of Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletics, Kimball has overseen the rapid growth of a sports performance program that includes strength and conditioning for Wellesley’s 13 NCAA Division III varsity programs as well as campuswide fitness and wellness initiatives. In addition, she supervises the student-led fitness program of nearly 50 student workers as a component of the Recreation program and teaches in the Physical Education curriculum.

Kimball supervises three assistant sports performance coaches throughout the year to meet the strength and conditioning needs of Wellesley’s highly successful varsity programs. The Blue have claimed four NCAA national championships during Kimball’s time as Director of Sports Performance, including three individual titles and the 2016 women’s rowing national title.

A Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach with Distinction (RSCC*D) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Kimball is a Level I coach through United States Weightlifting (USAW) and a licensed massage therapist (LMT). Kimball serves on the NSCA State Advisory Board and is an active committee member for Women Leaders in College Sports. Kimball has been asked to presented on the national and regional level on topics related to sports performance and women’s leadership, most recently at the National Strength and Conditioning Association Massachusetts State Clinic in April of 2017 and at the Women Leaders National Convention in 2016.

The co-chair of Wellesley’s Wellness Outreach Collaborative, Kimball has worked with campus partners to meet the fitness needs of the entire student population and foster an environment for wellness education for over 2,300 undergraduate students at the world’s leading liberal arts college for women. She is responsible for the oversight of maintenance, leasing, and staffing for three on-campus fitness facilities, including Wellesley’s 4,600 sq ft Fitness Center located in the Keohane Sports Center. Kimball, whose input was critical during the design phase and vendor equipment selection for the facility, has managed the leasing agreements for the Fitness Center since it opened in 2015.

Kimball joined Wellesley after spending a year and a half as a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Bates College. Prior to her appointment at Bates, Kimball had a six-year tenure as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach and Fitness Coordinator at Division I Southern Illinois University. While at Southern Illinois, Kimball trained the women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s golf, softball, and baseball programs while assisting with football and directing internship and graduate assistantship development programming.

Kimball holds a B.S. in Sports Medicine and Health Fitness from the University of Southern Maine and a Masters in Applied Exercise Science with a concentration in strength and conditioning from Springfield College. While at Springfield, she served as a graduate assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, interning at the University of Maryland and University of Connecticut (UConn). Kimball also interned at UConn as an undergrad in addition to working with Mike Boyle’s Strength and Conditioning.