Our Board
Carsten Schmalfuss
Carsten Schmalfuss is the President and Executive Director of Balance 180. He and his wife, Ilona, were both raised in Germany and moved to Gainesville in 1995.
Carsten graduated from medical school in Essen, and he has worked as a cardiologist for more than 15 years. He understands the importance of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, and brings his experience to Balance 180.
Carsten has two energetic daughters, Kiki and Veronika, both of whom have participated in competitive gymnastics for several years. Carsten appreciates and promotes the importance of providing children with a safe and nurturing environment. He is a dedicated family man, likes to run and loves chocolate!
Krista Vandenborne
Krista Vandenborne is one of the founding directors and is excited to bring Balance 180 to the Gainesville community. She has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and Motoric Rehabilitation from the Free University of Brussels, Belgium and is an expert in muscle physiology and rehabilitation.
Krista has published numerous articles on muscle injury and recovery and serves on a number of national advisory boards including the National Institute of Health.
She has two children, Sean and Julie. Julie is a former competitive gymnast who trained many hours a week at a young age. As a parent, Krista observed the rigors and challenges high level young gymnasts experience, balancing homework and training.
It gives Krista a lot of joy to bring a more comprehensive program to Gainesville, FL which embraces children with varying abilities and recognizes the importance of academics in the life of a young athlete.
Stacey Gleim
Stacey Gleim is a former gymnast and student manager for the University of Florida gymnastics team. Starting gymnastics at the age of four, Stacey won several USAG Indiana State Gymnastics Championship titles during her club career, and competed at a Regional and National level.
She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor's degree in applied physiology and kinesiology, as well as a Master’s degree in Health Education and Behavior, and a Master's of Physician Assistant Studies. Stacey is currently a Physician Assistant for UF Health in Orthopedic Surgery, specializing in Hand and Upper Extremity.
She has extensive knowledge in the sport of gymnastics and understands the positive benefits this sport provides to young children. Stacey has volunteered in a number of nonprofit organizations and is passionate about working with children. She coaches some of our recreational and competitive gymnastics classes, bringing her expertise to the gym floor.
Edward Buckley III
Ed is Chairman and CEO of Peerfit, a platform that makes it easy for insurance carriers, brokers, and employers to offer a variety of fitness experiences to their clients, employees and Medicare Advantage members. With nearly 10 years in the fitness industry and a background in digital health behavior research, Ed continues to push the envelope on innovation in the fitness-technology space.
He is passionate about designing new ways to drive engagement and help deliver flexibility and personalization to the health and wellness marketplace. As CEO, Peerfit has won national awards for best company culture, best leadership, regional Emmy awards, and best workplaces from Entrepreneur, USA Today, and Great Places to Work. Ed holds a PhD in Digital Health Behavior, and a Master's of Public Health, from the University of Florida.
Shoba Jaishankar
Sobha came from India to pursue a doctorate at the University of Tennessee Health Science. She left experimental research to work in research development and was recruited to the University of Florida. She has two children, both engaged in competitive sports.
Community service has been a joint family activity for many years, and Sobha was introduced to Balance 180 by Krista. It was a great opportunity to get involved with Balance 180's activities when her daughter Vani volunteered with the summer camps during high school. The commitment to inclusivity at B180 is a strong motivation for Sobha's involvement, especially since the benefits of exercise on mental health are well established.
Sobha continues to also volunteer at Grace Marketplace as part of the Sri Sathya Sai Center of Gainesville.