Cory Walts was hired as the Director of Strength & Conditioning at the University of Pennsylvania in April 2019.

Walts came to Penn from nearby Haverford College, where he spent 12 years as the head strength and conditioning coach and fitness center director. During that time, he designed and implemented year-round sports performance programs for a majority of Haverford's 23 varsity sports and several club sports teams. He utilized a holistic approach to create robust individuals and teams, focusing on physiological qualities (movement skill, strength, power, speed, agility, and energy systems); psychological qualities (growth mindset, grit, and internal motivation through the use of education, autonomy and accountability); and lifestyle qualities (positive habit formation in sleep, nutrition, hydration, and mindfulness).

During Walts’ tenure, a number of Haverford teams reached unprecedented heights. The volleyball program won three consecutive Centennial Conference titles under Walts' guidance and reached the NCAA Regional semifinals in 2014, while men's soccer advanced to the 2015 NCAA Elite Eight. From the spring season, baseball won three conference titles, advanced to the NCAA Regionals and had two student-athletes drafted in the eighth round of the MLB Draft, while softball advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in 2016. Haverford also had 12 student-athletes selected as National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and EAS Sports All-Americans during his last five years on campus.

In addition to his work with Haverford student-athletes, Walts served as director of the Joe Schwartz '83 Memorial 3K Run/Walk, which raised more than $75,000 for ALS research and had more than 2,000 participants from the campus community. He taught multiple classes within Haverford's Physical Education program and co-created the Healthy Mind/Healthy Body and Employee Wellness Committees, multi-department initiatives aimed at enhancing student and employee wellness respectively.

Walts is co-Head of the Philadelphia Area Strength & Conditioning Association, which fosters relationships and develops knowledge specific to the profession of Strength & Conditioning for those in and around the Philadelphia area. He also is a member of West Chester University’s Exercise Science Advisory Board and oversees the Strength and Conditioning program for the Marian Anderson Recreation Center in South Philadelphia.

In 2013, Walts was a finalist for the NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year Award.

Walts graduated magna cum laude from Ithaca College in 2005 with a major in clinical exercise science and played four years for the football program. Following internships with the strength and conditioning departments at Cornell University and the Buffalo Bills, he earned his master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Maryland in 2007. Walts also worked with the Terps' strength and conditioning department during his two years in College Park, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for men's tennis and assisted with football, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's swimming.

Walts is a Certified (with Distinction) Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and a Certified Level 1 Sports Performance Coach with USA Weightlifting. He also is Precision Nutrition Level 1 certified and certified in CPR/First Aid and AED by the American Red Cross.