Bridging Coaching and Service: Benton Lewis (MA ’25) Advances Soldier Readiness
As the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) celebrates its 50th anniversary—and the 10th anniversary of the Master’s in Sport Coaching (MASC) Program—alumnus Benton Lewis (MA ’25) stands as a testament to the school’s enduring mission: preparing professionals who transform systems of care. Today, Lewis applies the philosophy and science of sport coaching to one of the most complex teams in the world—the U.S. Army.
Lewis’s path to human performance was anything but direct. Initially on a computer science track, he admits, “I wasn’t happy with life, and I wasn’t happy with my major.” Everything changed when he took an elective called Wellness Concepts at Austin Peay State University. “I just immediately fell in love with the topic. It was all about general wellness practices—health, fitness, taking care of yourself.”
That class inspired him to switch majors to Health and Human Performance, focusing on human movement and wellness. “I found that helping people engage with health and fitness activity on a social level was absolutely fascinating,” he said. As a student trainer, he discovered a natural fit working with ROTC cadets and emergency responders—communities he felt called to serve. “I grew up in an Army aviation household,” he explained. “Being able to combine my studies with that tactical side fit very naturally.”
During the pandemic, Lewis moved to Denver and learned about GSPP’s Master’s in Sport Coaching (MASC) Program and its graduate certificate in Strength & Conditioning and Fitness Coaching. “I spoke to Dr. [Brian] Gearity, and he thought it might be a good fit.
The program’s blend of applied practice and academic rigor reshaped Lewis’s understanding of coaching. “The strength and conditioning coursework grounded me in the hard sciences—measuring movement, biomechanics, bringing physics into the equation,” he said. “Dr. [Clayton] Kuklick’s classes were huge for that and gave me a deeper understanding of what it really means to be a strength and conditioning coach.”
Through the program, he earned both his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) credentials from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), developing a solid foundation in exercise science and a growing interest in tactical performance.
When Lewis returned to complete his master’s degree, his focus expanded beyond physical training to include the social and ethical dimensions of coaching. “It was mostly the sociology and ethics courses that were left, and that’s where my perspective completely shifted,” he said. “[It] opened the door to [how] discourse really matters in the grand scheme of things.”
That blend of science and sociology, he explained, transformed his approach. “I wouldn’t have it any other way—going from the hard science to what some might call the ‘soft science,’ or more post-structuralist perspective, was incredibly unique. It 100 percent influenced who I am as a coach. I went from being a trainer to being a genuine coach because of the program.”
Among the faculty who shaped that transformation, Lewis points to Dr. Joseph Mills as especially influential. “Dr. Mills really shaped my perspective on the sociology side and challenged some of my initial beliefs when it came to coaching. He was willing to do the one-on-ones and help make clear the content at hand—I still reach out to Dr. Mills for guidance to this day.”
Today, Lewis serves as a Human Performance Advisor supporting the Army’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) system—a sweeping effort to integrate physical, nutritional, mental, sleep, and spiritual readiness across the force. His early role at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, as a strength and conditioning coach gave him firsthand insight into both the promise and the challenges of cultural change in large organizations.
“At first, I was very program-oriented,” he said. “But toward the end, I realized it was more about what the takeaway was for the soldiers. I went from being up-front and center—‘I’m the expert’—to being more of an advisor supporting the systems they wanted to implement.”
He emphasized that success depended on relationships more than routines. “You can’t just yell across the line and say, ‘You’re doing this wrong.’ You have to step across the line and nudge them toward something better through education and trust.”
Lewis often spent extra hours building that trust, joining soldiers for informal conversations or even helping with physical tasks. “I’d hang out in their footprint, lend a hand, talk shop. The smaller, informal conversations are where you get some of the most value.”
Now based at Fort Bliss, Texas, Lewis works with TIAG, helping integrate a secure, cloud-based platform called the Warrior Performance Platform (WP2) into Army H2F programs. The platform allows Soldiers and units to visualize readiness data in real time across multiple domains. “It’s an athlete-management system for the military,” Lewis explained. “It can track workouts, questionnaires, nutrition, sleep, and mental readiness—all in one place.”
Importantly, Lewis and his team are shaping ethical frameworks for its use. “Data privacy is a huge piece,” he said. “Permissions are tiered—individual soldiers see only their data, while leadership views generalized trends. The idea is to identify patterns that affect readiness and allow leaders to make informed, compassionate decisions.”
He believes this integration of data and human insight represents the next frontier in soldier care. “You don’t need technology to know there’s a problem,” he said. “But technology helps us see it clearly and respond faster. Recovery is tactical. Seeing that on a dashboard changes how leaders think about performance."
As Veterans Day approaches, Lewis reflects on how his work honors those who serve. “The Army is moving toward decentralized command and autonomy—soldiers are being empowered to make critical decisions when communications break down. H2F does the same thing with health and readiness. It gives them knowledge, resources, and ownership over their well-being.”
He added, “We’re literally putting power into a soldier’s hands creating awareness and providing almost real-time education on these various topics.” He points to early data showing lower suicide rates and injury reduction in H2F units. “Units with H2F have seen more than a third reduction in suicides, better marksmanship, fewer injuries, and higher fitness levels.”
Looking ahead, Lewis believes that as the Army continues to scale and personalize these efforts, the impact will grow exponentially, yielding a healthier, happier, and more seasoned force of soldiers who are both better prepared and more likely to stay in the service long term.
His advice for current and future MASC students is straightforward: “If you’re studying, start applying everything right away. The more you can apply your studies to real coaching, even informally, the better,” he said.
Lewis also encourages students to explore different paths before settling on a specialty. “If you want to do tactical or sport, pick a few areas and try them all,” he said. “You’ll learn what fits and what doesn’t. If you enjoy where you are, you’re probably in the right place.”
He’s quick to credit those who helped shape his journey. “Dr. Gearity, Dr. Kuklick, and Dr. Mills were critical in my development,” Lewis said. “99.99% of who I am as a professional today is because of the Sport Coaching Program—without a doubt.”
