Iowa State students will now have to step to the beat of a new head fitness instructor.

Irene Lewis is ending her position as head fitness instructor and will be replaced by Ellice Ratliff.

“Irene was a graduate assistant that was hired for a three-year assistantship and now the three years are up,” said Gary Greenlee, intermural/fitness coordinator.

Greenlee said the position was between Ellice Ratliff and Gigi Cordaro, who have both been fitness instructors at ISU.

“Both would have been great, but Ellice had more background knowledge,” she said.

Ratliff started teaching aerobics last fall and just received her bachelor’s degree at ISU.

“She decided to continue on to get her master’s degree,” Greenlee said.

Some of Ratliff’s responsibilities will be to train the staff of 20 people, communicate with college students, schedule the fitness classes, schedule instructors, set up workshops and teach aerobics herself, Greenlee said.

Lewis said she is still working on a few projects with Ratliff, but Ratliff has taken over most of the responsibilities.

“I really think she is going to be wonderful. We have very similar styles, and I hope she maintains professionalism and integrity in the program,” Lewis said.

Fitness instructor Jamie Rodenkirk said she thinks Ratliff will do well.

“Ellice is very knowledgeable in the field of exercise physiology. She is a tremendous leader … both in and out of her fitness classes, and she will have no problem in filling Irene’s place,” she said.

Many things have been done by Lewis to improve the fitness program in the last three years, Lewis said.

“I created a program where instructors were required to be certified and helped them establish a knowledge base through student development programs,” she said.

Lewis said by December she will hopefully finish her creative component and teaching at ISU.

“Right now I just got a job teaching physical education at St. Cecilia, and I am still teaching aerobics at the [Lied] Rec Center,” she said.

Lewis said she would like to relocate to San Diego to further her career in the media.

“A lot of people thought my fitness program on television was part of my assistantship, but it was a totally separate project of mine,” she said. One of her goals will be plugging her show to Weight Watchers or other fitness programs.

Rodenkirk said Lewis did a “wonderful job” with ISU’s fitness program.

“I will be sad that she is leaving, but I know she will be a great success in whatever she decides to do,” Rodenkirk said.

“Irene was awesome and Ellice will have big shoes to fill,” Greenlee said, “but I think the transition will be easy.”