assume responsibility for passing on the knowledge and skills of our art to future generations of students and for caring for the dojo space.

Click here to view our organizational chart.

The bulk of the work of Thousand Waves is administered by our dedicated staff. We also benefit from the substantial volunteer efforts of our training members, their families and the community at large.

John Pappas
Information Technology Manager

Kate Webster
Manager of Violence Prevention Programs

Rebecca Epstein
Development Manager

Ryan Libel
Director of Operations

Vada Woods
Member Billing and Retail Manager

Yesica Barrera
Staff Instructor / Visual Communications Manager

Patricia Broughton, Chair
In May 2003 Pat attended Thousand Waves’ “Art with Heart” benefit performance, fell in love with the power and beauty of Seido karate, and became a training member.  She joined the Board of Directors in October 2005 as a small way of giving back some of what Thousand Waves had given her, and was honored to become board chair a year later. In April, 2011, she earned her second degree black belt. When not training or volunteering at Thousand Waves, Pat works as Director of Development for The Women’s Treatment Center.

Matt Birnholz
Matt began serving on the Board of Directors in November of 2007. His introduction to the Board was at the 2006 Kagami Biraki meeting, where he learned of Thousand Waves’ diverse activities and meaningful responsibilities held by its members. As his relationship with the Thousand Waves community deepened, he looked for ways to contribute back and enhance the health of the organization. Becoming part of the Board and working alongside its remarkable members was, and continues to be, the best decision he has made at Thousand Waves.

Denise Coleman
A performance at Mountain Moving Coffee House caught the attention of Denise and she was in awe of the beauty of women performing Seido Karate. She joined Thousand Waves in 1991, holds a second degree black belt, and became a member of the Board of Directors in 2008. Denise also volunteers with the Adapted Seido Karate Program which teaches self-defense and martial skills to youth with disabilities.  When not training, Denise works in the accounting department for Aspen Foods, and enjoys sports and adventures with her partner.

Michele Curley
Michele kept getting injured during marathon training and her doctor suggested she strengthen her core. In October of 2008 she started taking Thousand Waves’ fitness class faithfully twice a week. After successfully training for and completing the Boston Marathon in 2009, she decided to add Seido Karate to her life. She accepted a position on the Board of Directors in November 2010 to give back to what she considers an extremely unique martial arts community.  The few hours that Michele is not at Thousand Waves, she's teaching Italian at Leyden High School.

Shelley Fried
Shelley is a native of New England but has called Chicago home for the past 18 years.  She shares her home with her partner Melissa, her daughter Jordan, and several treasured pets. Jordan, 11 years old, is the only family member who trains at Thousand Waves.  Shelley’s family enjoys the outdoors and has a goal of visiting every National Park.  She possesses professional experience as a senior administrator in both the public and non-profit sectors in the fields of mental health, health care, aging, social services, and higher education.  Shelley serves as the Treasurer on Thousand Waves’ Board of Directors.

Annie Gregory
In February 2008, Annie came to Thousand Waves after receiving a gift certificate from a friend for a month of karate classes.  A lifelong athlete, she quickly came to appreciate learning the movements of Seido Karate. Over the course of her training, she became more familiar with Thousand Waves' mission and non-violence activities. Annie was honored to join the board in November 2009 and sees her involvement as a way to give something back for the many benefits she has received through her training. A 2005 graduate of DePaul University College of Law, Annie currently works as a regulatory attorney.

Tony Laden
Tony was introduced to Thousand Waves in March 2001 when his then five year-old son Jacob started training. He has now watched each of his three children become strong in body and kind in heart through their martial training.  Tony joined the board in 2004 to feel more connected to the organization that helped make his children so terrific.  When not ferrying his children to Thousand Waves, he is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

Carolyn Master
Carolyn's martial journey began with a self-defense course at Brooklyn Women's Martial Arts (as it was known in 1993).  From her first board break, she was hooked. Carolyn has now been training at Thousand Waves for ten years and hopes to continue training for at least another 25! Carolyn joined the Board of Directors in November 2010 in an effort to give back as much to Thousand Waves as she has received. When not training or volunteering at Thousand Waves, Carolyn works as massage therapist and as a musician.

Sophie Michals
Sophie started training in Seido Karate in early 2006. Throughout her years of training, she has volunteered for Spirit Challenge, Punch & Kick-a-Thon, and the Marketing Committee. Joining the board seemed the next natural step. Sophie has worked as an editor in advertising and educational publishing since the mid-1990s. She spends her free time making up baked-goods recipes, employing friends and family as test subjects for her creations.

Jean Petersen
Jean has been studying Seido Karate at Thousand Waves for over 15 years and been a member of the Board of Directors since 2009.  Training at Thousand Waves has had a huge impact on her life and growth.  One of the reasons she chose to serve on the board was to have an opportunity to help Thousand Waves grow, so others will be able to train there and have the same valuable experiences she has had.

Pamela Robert
After a seven-year hiatus from karate training, Pamela received a gift certificate to Thousand Waves from her partner.  She recalls her return to karate as a long overdue coming home to a practice she never stopped loving, with the added bonus of finding a community that shared her concerns for violence prevention, social justice, and fitness. In April 2009, Pamela earned her first degree black belt and began looking for ways to express her gratitude for Seido Karate and her and her sons’ training at TW.  With that in mind, in 2010 she joined the Board of Directors.  Pamela is a proud parent of twins, a Parent Ambassador at their school, and an Associate Professor of Sociology at Roosevelt University. 

Ayşe Şahin
Ayşe was introduced to Thousand Waves when her four year old daughter started Seido Karate training in summer 2007.  Immediately impressed by the organization’s environment Ayşe started training that fall.  She joined the Board of Directors a year later to actively support the high quality programs and the mission of the Center.  Ayşe is a mathematician by trade and teaches on the faculty at DePaul University.

Lauren Schwendimann
Lauren came to Thousand Waves through its popular 12-hour self-defense class. Once she enrolled in the course she immediately felt welcomed into the Thousand Waves community. In April 2009 she began training in Seido Karate. Lauren first saw the practice as a new athletic challenge, but it quickly became more as her practice added new richness and meaning to her life. With hopes of deepening connections to fellow members and serving the organization, Lauren joined Thousand Waves’ Board of Directors in November of 2010. When not kicking and punching, Lauren designs mobile applications for Motorola’s Android smart phones and enjoys playing dodgeball. 

Katie Speth
Two years after Katie and her two sons joined Thousand Waves she gratefully accepted the invitation to become a board member. She finds Thousand Waves a place of peace, empowerment, acceptance, and a great community for students of all ages.  In her “free time,” Katie is a mom to four children and a junior high social studies teacher. 

Julie Swift
Julie’s relationship with Thousand Waves began in 2005.  Her son Graham started taking classes and Seido Karate soon became a favorite activity.  Two years later her son Evan also started training.  Julie enjoys spending time at Thousand Waves watching her sons train, and finds it a very peaceful place to spend an afternoon.  More importantly, she appreciates the message of nonviolence and peaceful problem solving that her sons are learning.  Involvement in Thousand Waves started when Julie joined the Parents Advisory Council in 2007 and deepened when she joined the Board of Directors in fall 2009.

Beth Maschinot
Diane Miller
Barry Moltz
Ann Morris
Melissa Nigro
Tom Polzin
Scott Rapacz
Kathryn Ruetz
Margarita Saona
Lucy Smith
Kevin Turner
Ann Tyler, Chair 2001-2006
Cheryl Vargas
Neil Venketramen
Andrea Wenzel
Tom West
Sally Wigginton
Amanda Young