Board of Directors
Board of Directors #
| Name (City, State) | Position (Position - Term) |
|---|---|
| Elisa Au eau@usankf.org (Glenview, Illinois) | Chair & Team USA AC Rep (term ends 12/31/2028 - non voting) |
| Sasha Gerritson sgerritson@usankf.org (Glenview, Illinois) | At-Large Director (term ends 12/31/2026) |
| Pat Hickey phickey@usankf.org (Stow, Ohio) | Affiliate Director (term ends 12/31/2028) |
| Brian Hilliard bhilliard@usankf.org (Dallas, TX) | Athlete Director (term ends 12/31/2026) |
| Safin Kasturi skasturi@usankf.org (Texas) | Team USA AC Alternate Rep(term ends 12/131/2028 - non voting) |
| Tom Scott tscott@usankf.org (Plano, Texas) | Athlete Director (term ends 12/31/ 2028) |
| Todd Myers tmyers@usankf.org (Oviedo Florida) | Independent Director (term ends 12/31/2026) |
| Mike Donadio mdonadio@usankf.org (Tampa, Florida) | Independent Director (term ends 12/31/2024) |
| Dr. Angel Johnson ajohnson@usankf.org (Frisco, Texas) | Independent Director (term ends 12/31/2024) |
| Senthil Thiyagarajan sthiyagarajan@usankf.org (Irving, Texas) | Elected At-Large Director (term ends 12/31/2026) |
Board of Directors Biographies#
Elisa Au is the alternate USOPC Athlete Advisory Council representative. In addition to her non-voting seat on the board, she is also a member of the WKF Athletes Commission. Elisa is a former USA National Team member and 3x WKF World Champion. In addition to her karate experience, Elisa is a business advisor, working with companies in various industries to achieve their growth and profit goals.
Sasha Gerritson is a highly sought after opera and musical theater stage director for many local, regional and national companies. She serves as the General Director for the Opera Festival of Chicago, as well as the Director of Music Ministries of Park Ridge Community Church.
An expert in nonprofit management, Ms. Gerritson specializes in long-term strategic planning, board development and individual and foundation giving and fundraising.
For USA Karate, in addition to her work on the Board of Directors, Ms. Gerritson has served as a member of the Ethics committee, and Team Leader.. She has participated in karate as an athlete, earning her Nidan under Sensei Jeff Kohn. In addition to serving as the business manager of the North Shore Dojo, Ms. Gerritson also serves as the Executive Director of the Karate Can Do! Foundation, a group dedicated to making karate accessible to athletes with disabilities.
She holds degrees in Opera Performance, French (Bachelors) and Vocal Pedagogy (Masters) from Northeastern Illinois University and Opera performance and Romance Languages from DePaul University (Post Graduate) and has studied choral conducting at Westminster College in New Jersey.
Patrick Hickey has been elected to the USANKF Board by the to fill the position for the Affiliated Organizations. In addition to long-term karate practice, he works as an insurance specialist for public entities including municipalities and school districts assisting with insurance placement and risk management needs.
Coming Soon!
- MBA - Masters of Business Admin
- MS/MS - Dual Masters of Science - Exercise Science and Nutrition
- World / Pan American Medalist; National Team Member 2006-2022
- 4th Degree Shotokan Black Belt
Business strategist well versed in the startup realm, event management and sports performance. Excels at problem solving, communication, goal setting and agile thinking. Became an athlete rep on the board with the goals of increasing communication from the athlete base to the decision-making process in the federation, making sure all athletes felt their voice was heard and to bring my views on how to make this federation better on all levels. Serves on various committees within USA Karate including USA Karate's AAC as well as working groups within the USOPC AAC.
Michael Donadio is the Associate General Counsel at the United Soccer League, which has become one of the most sophisticated soccer organizations in North America over the past decade and includes professional men’s and women’s soccer leagues as well as pre-professional men’s and women’s soccer properties.
Mr. Donadio was previously an associate attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP where he was a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group including the firm’s Sports & Entertainment Industry Team. In that capacity, Mr. Donadio provided legal guidance to professional sports franchises and organizations in various capacities and also had the opportunity to assist USOPC organizations during his time at the firm. In addition, Michael assisted various companies from start-ups to major corporations in terms of general corporate governance/formation and board related issues.
Mr. Donadio is originally from Upstate New York and currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his fiancée, Hayley, and son, Matteo.