The American College of Wellness was founded in spring 2003 by Dr. Amy Blansit. With the help of the Executive Advisory Board, she led the association to increased membership, advanced continuing education, and national presence at conferences and forums. Dr. Blansit works as a consultant to many businesses nationally, assisting them in development and continuing education. She began her career in wellness and weight management as the Employee Wellness Coordinator for Missouri State University. She expanded her experience as the Chief Association Officer for American Association of Integrative Medicine (AAIM) and Director of Conference Planning for the American Psychotherapy Association (APA). During her employment with AAIM and APA she founded the American College of Wellness and began the process towards creating the Board Certified Obesity Management Specialist, COMS program. The development of COMS is a result of Dr. Blansit noting that some of her co-workers had little or no training working with obese populations. COMS was established in collaboration with health professionals interested in standardizing the care of the morbidly obese population.

Since the inception of ACW, Dr. Blansit served as the Weight Management Coordinator for Mercy Health Systems in Springfield, MO for seven years. She worked with Mercy as lead exercise physiologist for metabolic exercise stress testing. Dr. Blansit was an adjunct instructor at Drury University in the Exercise Science program and is currently at Missouri State University in the Department of Kinesiology. In her role as the Director of Campus Wellness & Fitness and Drury University she assisted the University in becoming a tobacco-free campus, expanded the student bike share program, and worked in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic to develop a certificate program available to Drury University students. Dr. Blansit received a Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Physiology with Honors from Drury University; she was a graduate assistant in the Human Performance Lab and received a Master’s Degree from Adelphi University in Exercise Physiology; and received a Doctor of Health Sciences (DHSc) at A.T. Still University.  During her education, she performed and published studies on Obesity and Weight Management in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Patients and the Cardiovascular Effects of Hatha Yoga. She is a certified ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialist and ACSM Health Fitness Specialist. She is a board member of the Medical Wellness Association.