UPDATED September 10, 2025
After serving as the only full-time personal trainer for three years, Carole Gist was promoted to Wellness Coordinator at Wayne State University's Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center in 2015.
Gist is responsible for planning and scheduling all indoor and outdoor recreational programs, as well as hiring and mentoring the fitness professionals that serve our students, faculty, and community members through group fitness sessions, personal training, and the Wellness Warrior employee program. Prior to the pandemic, she managed up to 95 fitness opportunities weekly; and since the pandemic, has developed virtual fitness programming that continues to safely and conveniently serve our community.
Gist, a native of Detroit, is a graduate of Cass Technical High School (1987), a former Miss Michigan (1989) who was crowned Miss USA (1990) and became the first runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant (1990). After completing her reign in 1992, she went on to fulfill her education goals, earning two A.A. degrees and a dual B.A. in Management and Marketing/International Business from Northwood University. In 2006, she continued her education with a renewed focus in Health and Wellness, which led her to obtain an M.Ed. in Kinesiology (2015) and an M.S. in Sports Administration (2021) from Wayne State University.
Carole is passionate about helping others achieve their health and wellness goals through exercise and nutrition. She makes herself available to those who are ready to accept new or reactivate old personal goals because she is eager to assist her clients reveal the best version of themselves.
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