The head instructor for OKC San Francisco (est. 2005), Michele Elefante Sensei (she/her) holds the rank of Godan (5th-degree black belt) in Shobayashi Shorin-Ryu and Shudokan Karate. She began her formal study of martial arts in 1990. She joined OKC Dallas in 1999 under Ilene Smoger Sensei (7th Dan in Shudokan and Shobayashi Karate). She received her Shodan rank directly from Shimabukuro O’Sensei several years later. She has instructed numerous times at the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation (NWMAF) Special Training, the Pacific Association of Women Martial Artists (PAWMA) training and the Association of Women Martial Artists (AWMAI) conference; additionally she has hosted and instructed at the OKC national seminars. She continues to teach Self-defense workshops throughout the United States and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in California.