Jason Reynolds, Chief Instructor

Jason Reynolds has been studying martial arts for close to 19 years. He currently holds the rank of Third Degree Black Belt in Ryu Kyu Kempo and a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Jason serves as the dojo's vice president. He enjoys teaching a fun class but simultaneously never loses sight of disciplined instruction with good technique. Prior to devoting himself full-time to the USMAA, Jason worked at P&G in A/V and electrical specializations.

Dave Tester, Master Instructor

Sensei David Tester began his training in the Martial Arts in 1978 and opened the US Martial Academy in 1992. He holds a 7th degree Black Belt in Ryu Kyu Kempo, a 4th degree Black Belt in Shin Gi Tai Jujitsu and vaious other degrees of Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Ao Denkou Jitsu. He has two grown children. When not at the dojo, he might be found fishing, teaching firearms proficiency or playing the drums. He retired from Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health to focus on USMAA full time.

Matthew Rowland

Matt has been a student of the USMAA since 2001, earning Youth, Junior and Adult Black Belts. He began as an assistant in 2005 and was made an Instructor in 2012. Matt is currently a Third Degree Black Belt in Ryu Kyu Kempo and enjoys teaching students of all ages. He is a full-time engineer for GE Aerospace specializing in fluid dynamics.

Kym Smith

Kym has trained at the USMAA for eight years and has served as an instructor and office administrator for three. She is rapidly approaching her Black Belt in Ryuku Kempo. She is married with one daughter who also trains at the school. Kym is a full-time accountant with CCMS.

Mark Magna

Mark joined USMAA in 2011, earning his Black Belt in 2017 and his First Degree Black Belt in 2021. Mark has been an Instructor since 2016. His son Samuel was the school's youngest adult Black Belt at 14 years old.Mark is an employee of Anderson Township.

Jason Carleski

Jason began his martial arts training in 1995 in response to middle-school bullying. He earned his Second Degree Black Belt in Shuri-Ryu Karate in 2002, teaching martial arts all throughout college, and earned his Black Belt in Ryukyu Kempo at USMAA in 2025. Jason is a former analytical chemist, current industrial hygienist for Thermo Fisher Scientific and webmaster for the dojo. His son Josh and wife Amanda also train at USMAA.

Sam Collier

Sam Collier, a former Marine, has been with USMAA for about six years. He loves to teach the younger generation, watching them acheive more and more as they advance through the Youth and Junior programs into Adult Martial Arts. Sam credits his USMAA training with providing him confidence, self-defense skills and the ability to overcome setbacks. Sam will be testing for his Black Belt in Ryu Kyu Kempo soon, cheered on by his partner and two children, who also train at the school.

Bill Stagge

Bill started his martial arts journey in the early 1990s, studying Matsubayashi Ryu Karate and Penjak Silat Bukti Negara under Sensei-Guru Bruce Crutchfield. When not training at USMAA or chasing his two children, Mia and DJ, he works for Midwest Eye Center in their call center.

Kemal Catalan

(Bio Under Construction)

Dave Tester, Professor

Sensei David Tester recently earned his 3rd degree Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) under Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, who himself traces back to Carlson Gracie through André Pederneiras. Vitor Ribeiro is a BJJ specialist and widely regarded as one of the most gifted grapplers of all time, winning multiple Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships.

Nate Lynch

Nate Lynch was first introduced to BJJ in the 1990s, via a UFC VHS tape from Blockbuster. Nate's lifelong passion for grappling arts began with wrestling in high school and has continued ever since. He has trained at the Pedro Sauer Association, Walt Bayless Combat Jiu-Jitsu and with Jorge Gurgel. He has competed in both BJJ and MMA. Over 20 years' time, Nate led three different schools to achieve their highest finishes in district wrestling tournaments. He progressed to the rank of Black Belt under Professor Tester and Vitor Ribeiro. Nate is as a teacher at Anderson High School facilitating the Teacher Academy program, an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University, and fronts a local cover band.

Ben Reardon

Ben's jiu-jitsu journey started in 2015 when he enrolled his daughter in the kids' class in response to her being pushed around on the soccer field. Her confidence and ability to push back grew immensely. He began to think it would be something he would enjoy as well, and enrolled a few months later. No longer an intimidated student merely watching techniques, Ben is a valued instructor for children and adults alike. Ben has also served 19 of his 22 years as a police officer in the Union Township PD. As departments train officers to rely more on their gear and trim down on personal defensive tactics, Ben sees an increasing need for outside training on the force and believes jiu-jitsu to be a powerful and effective tool for the job.