WELCOA and the National Wellness Institute (NWI) Announce New Partnership

Brookfield, Wisconsin, January 18, 2024—the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) and the National Wellness Institute (NWI) have formalized a new partnership to expand wellness education for workplaces and practitioners.

WELCOA is one of the nation's most respected resources for building high-performing, healthy workplaces. With a 35-year history, impacting countless lives around the globe, WELCOA helps business and health professionals improve employee well-being and create healthier organizational cultures. Main offerings include WELCOA's Seven Benchmarks™ for the success of workplace wellness initiatives and the Well Workplace Awards.

Since 1977, NWI has been the leader in providing professional development and engagement opportunities that support individuals from a variety of disciplines in promoting whole-person wellness. At the core of NWI's offerings are its Wellness Promotion Competency Model, Six Dimensions of Wellness model, Multicultural Wellness Wheel, and Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP) designation. Through its four pillars—Professional Development, Practical Application, Connection & Collaboration, and Professionals Standards--NWI elevates and empowers professionals who advance inclusive cultures of well-being for all.

"This new partnership allows our wellness community to gain valuable support from two organizations leading the charge in both individual and workplace wellness education and resources," said Ryan Picarella, WELCOA Executive Director. "We are excited to continue bringing value to the dedicated, passionate professionals that the two organizations are serving with the shared mission of improving workplace culture, employee experience, and whole-person wellness."

The WELCOA and NWI partnership will officially launch at a jointly presented event, the Annual Wellness Summit, August 26-29, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. The Annual Wellness Summit will combine two long-standing events: the WELCOA Summit and NWI's National Wellness Conference into one powerful gathering of wellness thought leaders, experienced practitioners and industry experts. Multiple tracks will allow for a custom conference experience while offering meaningful opportunities to connect with the industry's top leaders.

"Uniting the strengths of WELCOA and NWI brings a collaborative partnership that will elevate professional development and world-class standards in wellness," said Dr. Lana Saal, President of the NWI Board of Directors since 2022. "I've been involved with both organizations and their conferences for many years and look forward to seeing exponential growth and impact."

Through this partnership, NWI joins WELCOA as an affiliate of the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. Collectively, the International Foundation, WELCOA and NWI will be able to more comprehensively serve the diverse community of professionals who influence and shape the health and well-being of individuals and workplaces. Connecting the wellness and employee benefits industries provides a unique opportunity to bring meaningful change to millions of people through education and a wealth of combined services.

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About the International Foundation: The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans is the premier educational organization dedicated to providing the diverse employee benefits community with objective, solution-oriented education, research and information to ensure the health and financial security of plan beneficiaries worldwide. The International Foundation has more than 31,000 multiemployer, corporate and public sector members representing over 25 million lives. For additional information, visit www.ifebp.org.

About NWI: The vision of the National Wellness Institute (NWI) is to activate and advance inclusive cultures of well-being for all. Through its exceptional courses and events, professional standards and frameworks, evidence-informed resources, engaging membership community, and gold-standard Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP) certification, NWI elevates and empowers professionals who drive inclusive whole-person wellness that enables people to function optimally within their current environment. For additional information, visit www.nationalwellness.org.

About WELCOA: Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) is one of the nation's most-respected resources for building high-performing, healthy workplaces. With a 35-year history, impacting countless lives around the globe, WELCOA has an impeccable reputation for helping business and health professionals improve employee well-being and create healthier organizational cultures. For additional information, visit www.welcoa.org.