Sergio Villamizar joins the Kean staff for his first year in 2026 after spending over 30 years at New Jersey City University.
Active in many fitness organizations, Villamizar is currently a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), American Council on Exercise (ACE), Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA), United States Fencing Association (USFA), United States Fencing Coaches Association (USFCA) and Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). He holds a New York State Teacher’s Certification, and is also certified as a first aid/CPR/AED instructor. He holds a level one fencing instructor certification in all three weapons. He is certified as a medical exercise specialist, strength and conditioning specialist, and PADI scuba assistant instructor.
While at NJCU, Villamizar has taught courses in fencing, step aerobics, weight training, nutrition, aerobic conditioning, spinning, Kinesiology and various others offered by the Fitness, Exercise and Sport Department.
He wrote three courses for NJCU—Basic Fencing, which was approved by the University Senate in 1996; Emergency Personnel Fitness, approved in 2008 and Self: I as Body, co-written with Professor Brian Gustafson, which was approved as a new general education course in 2015.
Villamizar is very active in community service projects. Among the programs he helped coordinate for NJCU is ‘Gifts from the Heart.’ Every year around the holiday season, the committee collects, gift wraps and distributes new or nearly new clothes and toys to children in need in the Jersey City community. He was also NJCU’s Coordinator of the annual ‘Diversity Stride’ walk-a-thon at Liberty State Park and in 2016-17 served on the executive committee of Relay for Life.
Consequently, Villamizar has been recognized for his commitment to community service. In 2001 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Health and Wellness Committee for seven years of service to the Health & Wellness Committee. In 2002, he was given the ‘Connecting and Creating Communities Award’ from the NJCU Division of Student Affairs in recognition of outstanding community service for his role in the ‘Gifts from the Heart’ program. In 2011, he was bestowed the ‘Excellence in Service to Students Award’ from the National Society of Leadership and Success in recognition of his exemplary service to the student body. In 2013, Villamizar was presented with the ‘Team Captain of the Year’ award from the American Conference on Diversity for his continued leadership and dedication to the ‘Diversity Stride’ event.
Villamizar has served on more than 25 committees at NJCU during his career and made nearly a dozen presentations.
He came to NJCU from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, NY, where he was the fitness center supervisor for John Jay’s cardiovascular fitness center from August 1993 until January 1995.There he trained clients in physical conditioning, administered physical fitness tests, provided health and nutritional counseling, and designed, prescribed, and monitored the progress of individuals in various exercise programs.
Villamizar worked as Special Examiner for the New York Fire Department in 1995 and 2000. He also served as a trainer for the CUNY NYPD Police Cadet program and the 1994 female firefighters training program. Prior to that, he was an aerobics instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology from 1992-95.
Villamizar is a February 1991 graduate of Queens College in Flushing, New York with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education, and earned a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology from Queens in 1994. In May 2007 he added a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NJCU.
He was a graduate assistant at Queens from August 1991 through August 1994, instructing students in fencing, aerobics, volleyball, soccer, and physical conditioning. He served as a soccer summer camp instructor in 1992.
Before college, he served four years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve from July 1984 until July 1988, earning the rank of Marine Lance Corporal, while training in communications, and performing duties as a wireman and switchboard operator.
A native of Colombia, South America, Villamizar resides in North Bergen, NJ, with his wife Mariella, 12-year-old daughter, Jahmilet, and eight-year-old son, Jayden.
Updated 7-9-26
