Michael Kanters

Michael Kanters is a Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University's College of Natural Resources. He holds a B.A. from the University of Waterloo (1984), M.S. (1985), and Ph.D. (1988) from Indiana University, specializing in Human Performance and Recreation Administration. His teaching focuses on sport management, while his research emphasizes children's physical activity and youth sport policies, particularly shared use of school facilities to promote health equity. Key themes include the environmental impact of youth sports commuting, sport-based life skills programs for underserved populations, and policy strategies for increasing physical activity access in low-income and rural communities.

Notable research includes evaluating shared use agreements in North Carolina schools, analyzing commuting patterns in youth sports, and assessing physical activity levels in high school sports. He has secured over $2 million in grants from agencies like the CDC and DHHS, focusing on obesity prevention, park prescription programs, and the Healthy Sport Index. His work often bridges academia with community partnerships to address public health challenges through sport and recreation policies.

• Grants:
• $1.5M: Multi-Level Approach to Prevent Obesity in four NC counties (2016–2018)
• $103K: Prescribing Parks and Recreation for Community Health (2017–2018)
• $125K: Healthy Sport Index Project with the Aspen Institute (2017–2018)

Dr. Kanters has presented at conferences like the Global Summit on Physical Activity of Children and Active Living Research, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration. His research groups examine facility utilization, policy simulation, and cost-benefit analyses to optimize community health outcomes through sport and recreation initiatives.