Planet Fitness, Inc. announced the appointment of Steve Beard, the chairman and CEO of Covista Inc., formerly Adtalem Global Education Inc., to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. The appointment of Beard brings Planet Fitness’ Board of Directors to nine total directors.
“Planet Fitness’ mission to make fitness and well-being within reach for all deeply resonates with me, and I’ve long admired its unparalleled leadership position in the industry,” said Beard. “I look forward to leveraging my expertise to support the brand as it executes its strategy and unlocks value creation opportunities ahead.”
During his tenure with Covista, Beard has spearheaded key strategic and operational improvements, including its transformation to focus exclusively on health care education. His efforts have yielded total student enrollment growth, accelerating organic growth across the enterprise, and today, Covista is America’s largest health care educator, operating five accredited institutions serving more than 97,000 students and 385,000 alumni, from physicians and nurses to veterinarians and behavioral health professionals. Beard was also recently named to the 2025 TIME100 Health list, a prestigious recognition of the most influential people shaping global health.
“Steve’s appointment demonstrates our commitment to continually enhancing the strength and effectiveness of the Board of Directors with new perspectives and complementary expertise,” said Stephen Spinelli, Jr., the chairman of the Board of Directors. “With his proven track record of leading and growing high performing public companies, I’m confident Steve’s insights will help to drive the continued success of the brand and deliver value for our shareholders.”
Prior to becoming Covista’s CEO, Beard served as the company’s COO and general counsel. Beard also spent more than a decade at leading executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., focused on identifying and unlocking talent to drive growth, and rising to chief administrative officer after serving as general counsel. Earlier in his career, Beard practiced corporate and securities law, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance for regulated industries.
“As a new independent director of our Board of Directors, Steve brings a wealth of broad expertise across several areas including health care, strategy, talent acquisition and development, corporate governance and mergers, and acquisitions,” said Colleen Keating, the CEO of Planet Fitness. ” All will be incredibly valuable in driving sustainable growth. We’re thrilled to welcome him at a time when health and wellness is more top of mind than ever before, and Planet Fitness continues to be well positioned as a leader in the fitness category.”
