Zachary Beldon always knew that he was destined for a career in education. The only question, was what level? Zach grew up wanting to be a high school coach and teacher to be a positive role model for his athletes and students. However, once he was introduced to research, he knew he wanted to join academia to conduct research and better equip his students for their future careers with the most recent research available.  He can naturally explain abstract concepts in an engaging, interesting, and thought-provoking manner. As the lead faculty and Assistant Professor, he balances his research commitments with his true love - sparking curiosity and interest through his teaching. In 2023, Zach's Introduction to Sport and Recreation Management class was recognized as an exemplary course at Missouri Southern State University for its interactiveness in an online course. While working on his Ph.D., Zachary was acknowledged by his department as an "Outstanding Teaching Fellow" for his work as an instructor for various courses in his Kinesiology, Health Promotion, and Recreation department. 
Since 2020, Professor Beldon has published several peer-reviewed articles that discuss ethical behaviors in coaches and how they relate to their athlete's ethical behaviors.  Additionally, to date, Zach has published six book chapters discussing sports history, expansion, and winning in youth sports. Along with his book chapters, Zachary has presented his research annually at various national and international conferences including, the North American Society of Sport Management (NASSM), the National Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA), the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), and SHAPE America. Currently, Zach has several works under review across various sports and recreational journals. His main research focuses on the impact that stakeholders have on the development of the participants and how programs can better retain participants.