Meet the KMDC Instructors
Carol Middleton, Director
Carol began her martial arts careerwith Tae Kwon Do in 1968. She opened her first school in 1971, then D.C. Self Defense Karate Association in 1976, D.C. IMPACT in 1989, KidPower in 1991, and Krav Maga DC in 2001. Carol teaches and supervises martial arts, self defense and instructor trainings here and abroad, including the first training of self defense instructors in the former Soviet Union in 1993. She has also studied Aikido, Shotokan, American Free-Style Karate, Judo, boxing, CDT low-force tactics, and Last Resort Tactics, and holds degrees in microbiology and exercise physiology. She has been a guest on many radio and TV programs, including the Today Show and Good Morning America.Tim Collins, Chief Instructor
Tim began Krav Maga trainingas a natural evolution of his varied martial arts studies in the pursuit of heightened self and situational awareness, coupled with solid, immediately applicable skills. He has been teaching self-defense and coaching combat sports since 2008 to help students realize their desired physical capabilities along with the self-assuredness intrinsic to practical self-defense training. Certified as an instructor by Krav Maga Worldwide and Fit to Fight, Tim has practiced with many martial arts and combat sports masters to add depth to his teaching. When not training or teaching, Tim directs the development and maintenance of financial information management systems for a global technology company.DJ Stephens, Instructor
Kickboxing Instructor.Black belt taekwondo.2006 National karate point fighting champion.
2 time DC golden glove boxing finalist.
Certified fitness and kickboxing instructor.
Felipe Torres, Certified Instructor
Felipe B. Torres started training in Krav Maga in December 2009 in Detroit, Michigan
When he realized that weight training and running lacked the intensity and variation to keep him motivated to exercise regularly. Mr. Torres had been running and weight training since he played football in high school, and he continued to train through college and law school. He became interested in Krav Maga because of the defense system's functionality and because it was, for him, a more engaging and exciting way to deal with stress from work and get in shape. He is a Level 3 Krav Maga student at KMDC.Kelly Pickard, Certified Instructor
A lifelong athlete and collegiate softball player,
Kelly was looking for a break from her routine running workouts and race training. After taking a Krav Maga class, she was immediately drawn to the way it provided practical self defense skills paired with a physically demanding workout. Kelly became an instructor to empower students by helping them develop skills to improve their physical and mental strength while building self-confidence. When not at KMDC, Kelly works for an association in the design and construction industryJayme Cloninger, Kickboxing Instructor
Jayme Cloninger is a Black Belt in American Freestyle Karate.
She studied mixed martial arts for eight years in Denver, North Carolina under Danny McCall and Joe McClellan. Currently, Jayme is practicing Krav Maga and leads kickboxing classes for KMDC. Outside of the training center, Jayme serves as a human rights activist for the conflict in eastern Congo for the Enough Project