Fiona Blyth, Godan (5th degree), has been a practitioner of aikido for more than 30 years in the U.S., England, and France. A close and direct student of the late Mitsunari Kanai Sensei at New England Aikikai in Cambridge, MA, she was an integral part of developing and teaching the beginners curriculum, and taught beginner and mixed level classes for many years. She has taught seminars in the United States and England, and continues to train in Europe and the States.

John Donnelly, Godan (5th degree), began practicing aikido in 1989 under the guidance of Mitsunari Kanai Sensei at New England Aikikai in Cambridge, MA. He trained there for 16 years. During the August 2000 summer camp at Colgate University, he tested for Shodan and was granted his Kuro Obi. Since then he has continued to practice several days each week. He became a member of Boston Aikikai, training under Vu Ha Sensei, in 2015. John has been teaching basics classes since 2010.

Mary Fuller, Godan (5th degree), began her aikido training in 1991 with the late Mitsunari Kanai Sensei in Cambridge, MA. She has been a regular instructor at New England Aikikai, Brown-RISD Aikikai and Portsmouth Aikido, and a guest instructor at numerous other dojos in the US and UK.

Catherine Lefebvre, Sandan (3rd degree), started practicing aikido in Quebec City (Canada) in 1999. She then studied under Claude Berthiaume Shihan at Aikido de la Montagne, Montreal (Canada). She joined Boston Aikikai in 2020. She is also Yondan (4th degree) in iaido and is assistant instructor for the iaido program.

Holly Nesbeitt, Nidan (2nd degree), started practicing aikido in 2002 at the Brown-RISD Aikido Club and New England Aikikai, and has been training at Boston Aikikai since the dojo’s founding in 2010.  She has been teaching children’s classes since 2005.  She has also offered aikido classes for students with complex learning challenges including autism, ADHD, and developmental disorders at the Wolf School (East Providence, RI).

Kayleigh O’Connor, Nidan (2nd degree), started practicing aikido in 2004 at the RPI Aikido Club. After graduating in 2008, she continued practicing at Aikido of Fairfield County, where she assisted with children’s classes. She moved to Boston and began training and teaching children’s classes at Boston Aikikai in 2013.

John Tawa, Sandan (3rd degree), began practicing aikido in 2004 at New England Aikikai and has been a member of Boston Aikikai since its founding in 2010. John began teaching children’s and junior’s aikido classes with Boston Aikikai in 2012. John also studies iaido (1st degree) with Vu Ha Sensei and Catherine Lefebvre.

Chelsea Trengrove, Nidan (2nd degree), began her practice of Aikido in 2013 at Boston Aikikai, and has been training under Vu Ha Sensei ever since.