CHFS Agenda

John Penny

John has held the position of Managing Director at Third Space since 2014, bringing over 20 years of experience in the health, fitness, spa, and hospitality sectors.

Previously, John was the Managing Director of the Reebok Sports Club London and prior to that held senior management positions at the Harbour Clubs and various premium London health & leisure businesses.

John specializes in operational excellence with a focus on business development across health, fitness, spa, programming, and customer experience solutions. He holds a BSc in Sports Science and an MBA.

JJ Creegan

J.J. Creegan has been part of the Orangetheory team since 2020 and has been in the industry for +20 years. In his role as COO he oversees the strategy for the performance, support, & quality of all global studios.

Before joining Orangetheory, J.J. was a key member of the founding team and served as Chief Operating Officer at Youfit Health Clubs. In this role, he spearheaded operations, strategy, marketing, and culture, driving the brand’s rapid expansion from concept to over 120 owned and operated locations in under eight years. His leadership was instrumental in transforming Youfit into a prominent player in the fitness industry.

J.J. Is also a board member for the Health & Fitness association (formally IHRSA) advocating for our industry and representing OTF. His career in the industry began as a teenager stacking weights at an early Planet Fitness location. 

J.J. is a true power walker who always prefers to start on the floor. His favorite benchmark is absolutely the 200m row. He and his wife Megan are happy parents to eight-year-old twins Jolene & J.J. IV.

Melanie Strong

Mel started her career as a first-grade teacher and journalist. A chance meeting at the Boston Marathon led to an interview for an entry level job at Nike. She spent 17 years there, where she led businesses including Nike Women and Nike Skateboarding, and worked on the launch of the Nike Running and Training Club apps. In 2019 she left Nike to co-found venture capital firm NEXT VENTURES, focused on early-stage investments across health and wellness in companies like Oura ring and Outside. She serves on the boards of Cofertility, Ramble Campgrounds, Sage Hospitality, University of Oregon’s Knight Campus, Outdoor Afro and USA Cycling — and when she’s not traveling you can find her mountain biking on the trails in Hood River Oregon.

Amber Taylor

For over 20 years I have worked in technology with a focus on improving peoples’ lives. From launching international websites and marketing for TIBCO, to leading the developer community for MuleSoft, to driving digital / live video / AI-led community shopping experiences at Amazon, to creating fitness experiences at Nike and now Les Mills that drive habit, my goal is to inspire, delight, and move people to action. My purpose is to help people live their best lives. My passion is working with high-trust teams who care and invent on behalf of customers – and have fun along the way.

Today I get to lead an amazing team of 150 who build all of the Digital and AI experiences that power Les Mills. We serve 23K gyms around the globe, 100K instructors, and hundreds of thousands of Movers in D2C experiences. I believe science supports humans in pursuing their best life and my goal is to inspire, delight, and move people literally and figuratively.

Amanda Phillips

Amanda Phillips is the Chief Performance Innovation Officer (CPIO) at Exos. She’s responsible for leading the performance innovation team to evolve Exos products, services, and practitioners while establishing Exos’ long-term innovation strategy. A 22-year Exos veteran, before taking the CPIO role, Amanda established Exos' nutrition, research & business insights function and played a leadership role across strategic partnerships and industry relations.

Dr. Gloria Winters

Dr. Jessica Ruff

Dr. Jessica Ruff is a triple board-certified physician in Clinical Informatics, Preventive Medicine & Public Health, and Lifestyle Medicine. She serves as IT Medical Director for Patient Journey at Cleveland Clinic, where she leads digital health innovation to enhance patient engagement and optimize clinical workflows. Her work spans MyChart optimization, population health tools, and enterprise access initiatives—integrating clinical insight with informatics strategy to deliver meaningful, tech-enabled care.

Dr. Jessica Ruff is a triple board-certified physician in Clinical Informatics, Preventive Medicine & Public Health, and Lifestyle Medicine. She serves as IT Medical Director for Patient Journey at Cleveland Clinic, where she leads digital health innovation to enhance patient engagement and optimize clinical workflows. Her work spans MyChart optimization, population health tools, and enterprise access initiatives—integrating clinical insight with informatics strategy to deliver meaningful, tech-enabled care.

As Section Head for the Center for Integrative & Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Ruff leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to helping patients prevent and reverse chronic disease through evidence-based lifestyle and integrative therapies. She is deeply committed to advancing whole-person care and is constantly exploring how connected technologies can expand access, personalize treatment, and drive sustained behavior change.

A recognized educator and thought leader, Dr. Ruff enjoys speaks on the convergence of digital health, clinical operations, and lifestyle-driven care models—bringing a unique lens that blends medical, ethical, and public health perspectives to the future of healthcare.

Dr. Ed Laskowski