2012-2013 Adjunct Instructor Information

SUZANNE BRAUER:

Whether on land or in water, Suzanne is a cross-training fitness fanatic. She considers herself a “jack-of-all-trades” and a “master of none,” while enjoying all types of sports and activities.

Suzanne has previously taught at many other colleges and universities, and also currently teaches at PCC.

Suzanne’s hobbies are masters swimming, her own work-out routine, and cooking/baking everything from scratch, along with helping her husband do home improvement projects. She is married to John Brauer, who is a data base engineer at a small software company, and a former UO Duck track and cross-country runner. They have one daughter, Ali Beata, a student at Lewis & Clark. She also teaches cross-training, indoor cycling, and employee fitness classes.

Classes: Pilates, Step Aerobics

Contact: sbrauer@lclark.edu

DANNY BURKHEAD:

Danny has been teaching climbing for several years and currently coaches The Circuit's Climbing Team. Although he enjoys various types of climbing, bouldering has become his favorite discipline. He has been climbing for over 10 years, and enjoys the opportunity to share that passion with others. Danny has experienced many of the best climbing areas in the world, which has inspired him to take on new climbing challenges.  He also is a route setter at The Circuit and creates the problems that their customers climb.  Climbing can take you to the most exotic places and teaches you about your limits physically and mentally.

Classes: Intermediate Bouldering

Contact: danny@thecircuitgym.com

NELSON DEJESUS:

Nelson started his Tae Kwon Do life at Mt. Hood Community College. He received his first degree black belt in 1995. He has been Oregon State Junior and Senior National team head coach for Olympic style Tae Kwon Do. Currently is an International Referee in Hanmadang Tae Kwon Do and a National Referee in Olympic Tae Kwon Do. He is a 6th degree black belt in WTF Tae Kwon Do, 5th degree in Ji Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do, 3rd and 2nd degree Black belts in to Ryukyu Kempo systems. He has  spent time learning other various arts like: Arnis, Kali, Escrima, Hapkido, Jeet Kune Do, Small Circle Jujitsu, Gung Fu, and Kyushu Jitsu. He started teaching Tae Kwon Do at Mt Hood CC, then took over the class at Lewis and Clark College from his instructor who chose to retire. He enjoys seeing the growth of his students, through the time they train. He believes Tae Kwon Do has many great aspects for students from learning life saving self-defense to experiencing sparring to the artistic value of forms. When not teaching at Lewis & Clark he teaches at Choi's Taekwondo Academy Troutdale, enjoys watching sports (mainly NFL), and doing things around the house.

Classes: Taekwon/Hapki Do

Contact: dejesus@lclark.edu

 

ANNIE ERICSON:

Annie Ericson is a certified Tulen Self Defense instructor and first degree black belt in the art of Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen.   She has B.A. in Spanish and M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Minnesota.  She began training the art in 1999 when she serendipitously moved in down the street from One With Heart Tulen Center.  She continues to teach and train in the art because, “training Poekoelan and Self Defense is a powerful reminder of our limitlessness.  Tulen Self Defense teaches us that real strength is having the courage to be who you are in the world.”

In addition to teaching self defense and instructing in the Poekoelan Kids program, Annie teaches English as a Second Language, and loves to get outdoors with her husband, kids, and wonderful old dog. 

Classes: Self Defense For Women, Poekoelan Kung Fu

Contact: aericson@lclark.edu

  JEFF FELD-GORE:

Jeff is our Associate Dean of Students. For the past 15 years, he has has studied both the health and martial art aspects of several different Tai Chi styles. This gives him a unique view and a deep knowledge of this ancient Chinese art form. Jeff has published an article on the Wu(Hao) style in an international Tai Chi magazine. The Wu(Hao) style is a rare style that is only recently gaining popularity in the United States. For the last several years he has studied Yang style which is the most common style that is seen today.This style, or variations on this style, is the style seen in most health clubs. Jeff also has extensive knowledge of Hua To's Five Animal Frolics, one of the oldest continuously practiced Qigong.

Classes: Tai Chi Chuan

Contact: jfeldgore@lclark.edu 

 

RICHARD HAMMERSTROM:

Richard Hammerstrom is an Emmy and Telly award winning Television Director, Editor and Producer and has worked on numerous documentaries, special events, music performance and concert programs. Richard earned his Bachelor of Arts in

In addition to television production, Richard's other passion is sailing and teaching the art of sailing. He has been sailing since high school in a variety of craft, ranging from 26' sloops to 42' ketches in waters ranging from the Puget Sound, the Columbia River, to San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Specializing in Navigation and Piloting, Richard received his maritime education at the College of Alameda in Alameda, California. Currently he shares his passion for sailing as an instructor at Lewis & Clark.

Classes: Beginning Sailing; Sailing: Navigation/Piloting

Contact: rth@lclark.edu; ricnjan@q.com

 

ASHLEY KIKUKAWA:

Ashley Kikukawa grew up in Molokai, Hawaii, where she danced hula for 14 years before moving to Portland to attend Lewis & Clark in 2002. She choreographed and taught dances for the annual Lewis & Clark Lu'au during her four years as a student and continued to do so after graduation. Ashley has also been working in L&C Student Financial Services since 2006.

Classes: Intro to Hula Dancing

Contact: ashleyk@lclark.edu

 

 

 

SUSAN LILLY:

Susan Lilly received her Yoga Teachers' Credential in 1989, at Val Morin Canada, at the Sivananda Ashram there. She has been teaching Yoga ever since, having taught at Willamette University and Oregon State University before coming to Lewis and Clark in 2001. Her classes are structured around a classic Yoga routine, emphasizing proper breathing, proper postures, proper attitude, proper relaxation, and meditation.

 

Classes: Yoga

Contact: slilly@lclark.edu

 

 

MARIO MESSINA-AZEKRI:

Mario Messina-Azekri is a licensed massage therapist and certified Bowenwork practitioner, with a B.A. degree in Pre-Medicine and Spanish Literature. He has been in private practice for 14 years in both Portland and Rhododendron, Oregon. He also holds black belts in Tai-Chi and Judo and has studied other styles of martial arts. He has coached soccer for 22 years at all levels and held the highest coaching license offered in the USA. He has studied yoga, meditation and chanting for the last 20 years. He has been seven times to India where he learned more about chanting and some forms of prayer and meditation.

Classes: Qi-Gong & Meditation

Contact: mmessinaazekri@lclark.edu

 

 

CYNTHIA PARENT:

Cynthia Parent has been teaching ballroom dance for the last 15 years. She and her husband have owned and operated Impressions Dance Club in Tigard since 1997. They originally were strictly a competitive studio and trained numerous students to compete all over the country. They also danced together competitively in the Rhythm Division, which means dancing the American style Swing, Rumba, Cha Cha, Mambo and Bolero. In 2001 they won a Rising Star Championship in Honolulu.

Cynthia and her husband have been concentrating on sharing their passion for dance with school age children, developing a Social Education Through Dance program taught at local schools, as well as working regularly with local DARE/GREAT program to teach dance to under privileged children and at-risk youth. This dynamic duo currently teaches adult classes and private lessons, ranging from more serious competitive students to those just learning basic social dancing. Cynthia has been teaching Beginning Ballroom Dance at Lewis & Clark since 2005. Visit her at Impressions Dance Club

Classes: Beginning Ballroom Dance; Intermediate/Advanced Ballroom Dance

Contact: cparent@lclark.edu

 

ABI PHILLIPS:

After watching her children begin training Poekoelan 13 years ago, Abi Phillips decided to try it out for herself. She took the Poekoelan women’s self defense course and through the inspiration of her own instructors found her desire to share the experience and instruct others. Abi has now been training Poekoelan Tjimindie Tulen for over 12 years and has earned a third degree black belt. She has also been instructing martial arts and self-defense for 61/2 years at colleges, schools, local community programs and businesses. Abi finds that as a self defense instructor, she is able to help influence the incredibly moving experience of a young woman discovering herself as both beautiful and powerful, with the right to decide. She is an instructor at Lewis & Clark through the One With Heart center.

Classes: Self Defense for Women; Poekoelan

Contact:  abi@lclark.edu

 

JEFF POWELSON:

Jeff Powelson has been diving almost his entire life. His father, John had him cleaning the pool on scuba at the age of 8 years old, and tag along on open water weekends, during the summer at Hoodsport, Wa. At 10 he took his first open water class. He does admit to having a take home test; the U.S. Navy Dive tables were a little complex for a 10 year old. Jeff really did not start diving as a career until 1986. After graduating from the University of Idaho, he began working for the family business, earned his instructor rating from NASDS clinic, and purchased the dive store from his parents in 1989. Jeff has been diving in numerous locations around the world. Jeff’s favorite places to dive would be Canada, Fiji, Palau and Australia.

Classes: Beginning Scuba; Advanced Scuba

Contact: powelson@lclark.edu; jeff@aquaticsports.com

 

KENA RAMSEY:

A native Oregonian, Kena loves the out of doors and has quite a few hobbies requiring rain gear! She currently owns 4 horses, 4 cats, 1 rabbits, 1 guinea pig and a dog while living on a small 5 ac. farm in Wilsonville.  Her family enjoys down skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows race team.

Formally trained as a Dental Hygienist and having worked as a Pharmaceutical sales representative Kena have a varied background. She is involved with hair and makeup design for video production.

During the 1980 Kena became swept away into the indoor aerobic craze. She became certified shortly there after and has taught almost every form of traditional fitness class. Teaching a balanced class is always a goal and sometimes a challenge during an hour class! Step aerobics is the perfect format for anyone wanting a great low impact workout.

When not busy with her small farm Kena loves to read!

Classes: Step Aerobics

Contact: kramsey@lclark.edu

JOEL VELASCO:

Joel attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and fostered a relationship with the outdoors that led him to the sport that is his passion and livelihood. Today, he has been rock climbing for 6 years and has been instructing for over 3. His favorite group of people to teach has always been new climbers. He thoroughly enjoys introducing people to the sport, community, and life-style of rock climbing, through which travel, exercise of the mind and body, and life-long friendships are possible. Joel has worked and taught in climbing gyms in the Portland area for over 3 years, including The Circuit Bouldering Gym and Club Sport, Oregon. Along with private instruction, he currently teaches introductory bouldering, intermediate technique, and lead climbing. 

Classes: Introduction to Bouldering

Contact: jd_velasco@sbcglobal.net   

JOE YUSKA:

Joe Yuska has been the director of the outdoor program (College Outdoors) at Lewis & Clark College for over 20 years. He's been to nearly every corner of the Pacific Northwest. He still enjoys getting rained on while out on outdoor adventures.

Classes: Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness Leadership, Skiing: Cross Country/Skate Ski, Outdoor Adventures

Contact: yuska@lclark.edu