NWMAF October Newsletter

Board Updates

In October, we were thrilled to welcome Corinne Lagermasini to the board as Treasurer, and to learn about our upcoming website refresh.

Board meetings are held on the 3rd Sunday of each month at 3pm Eastern/2pm Central and all members are welcome to attend. The next meeting will be Sunday, November 16th. Click here for the Zoom registration link for 2025 meetings!

Meet the Board Member!

Three cheers for our new Treasurer, Corinne Lagermasini, who is stepping into the “big shoes” recently vacated by longtime Treasurer Cheryl VanHoosen. In her statement to the NWMAF Board, Corinne shared:

I am a current member of NWMAF and have attended several Special Trainings/Conferences over the last decade. I am an experienced non-profit management and public health professional, most recently having worked as the Executive Director of South Philly East Health and Wellness, a community health center providing primary care to refugees and immigrants. Prior to that I was the Executive Director of Women In Transition, a Philadelphia Domestic Violence counseling agency.  

I have benefited tremendously as an ESD Instructor from my time attending NWMAF Special Trainings/Conferences and would like to give back and help ensure NWMAF’s ongoing sustainability. I studied Tae Kwon Do and ESD with Sensei Carol Middleton in Washington, DC in the early 90s.  When I moved to Philadelphia, PA in 1999, I started teaching ESD with the non-profit Women’s Anti-Violence Education (WAVE).  I love teaching students to use their voice, body and attitude to set boundaries and am passionate about helping create a world where everyone feels safe at home, in their communities, and in their relationships.

Vote Here for Youth Coordinator!

We are so grateful to the three members who have stepped forward to express interest in the Youth Coordinator position: Emma Thornton, Deanna Larsen, and Stacey Legg.

Here is a link to the ballot which contains each candidate’s statement. Please enter your vote by November 9th, 2025. Note: the form will limit responses to one vote per member. Please let us know if you have any trouble accessing the form, or need us to get it to you in a different way.

Website Refresh Coming Soon

Keep an eye out in late November as we will announce the refresh of the NWMAF website. There will be new features, including a public, searchable, opt-in instructor directory for instructors in the Martial Arts, ESD, and Healing Arts; more resources, and access to previous newsletters. Many, many thanks to Amy Eckert who has done a tremendous amount of work on the site so far!

Events and Marketing Coordinators Needed!

Please consider whether you might be able to join us as a Marketing Coordinator or Events Coordinator.

If you’re interested but nervous about taking on either role, know that you would have a great, experienced team, behind you every step of the way. Please reach out ASAP to find out what the job entails if you think you might possibly be a good fit. Will we get heroes stepping forward to save the day? Our fingers are crossed!

Join Us on WhatsApp!

Just a reminder that, by request, we now have a permanent (not just conference-related) NWMAF WhatsApp group. Join us for news, announcements, and discussion!

Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) News

A huge thank you to Donna Chaiet of Prepare Inc. in New York City who presented this month on ESD in the Context of Human Trafficking, and shared her decades-long work with Safe Harbor, a program within Children’s Village (the largest social service agency in NYS). Safe Harbor youth have either experienced trafficking/exploitation or are vulnerable to trafficking/exploitation and more recent work with The Sanctuary, the only 24-hour youth shelter in Westchester County, NY.

On November 10th at 4pm EST, we’ll be joined by Natalie DeMaioribus of Chimera Self Defense who led the very popular Goldilocks Approach to Vetting Self Defense Techniques session at the 2025 NWMAF Stronger Together Conference. Natalie will speak to her experience running an ESD program within a sexual violence resource center in Madison, Wisconsin. Everyone previously registered will received the link prior to the session. Here is the Zoom Registration link for new attendees.

Our monthly ESD Community Meetings (open to all – not just NWMAF members) are held the 2nd Monday of every month, generally from 4 to 5pm (EST). These sessions are open to everyone interested in Empowerment Self Defense. You do not need to be an instructor or NWMAF member to attend.  Zoom registration link

Martial Arts Update: Upcoming Online Training

COMING UP NOVEMBER 9TH, 3:00PM EST! Food Science for Nutrition Defense in Martial Arts with Sensei Dr. Cheryl Rock. Click here to register! The nutritional status of a Martial Arts practitioner significantly impacts how they perform. In this interactive workshop, “The Bagua Plate” will show participants how to elevate their performance and overall wellness through Food Science for health, strength, fitness, injury prevention and more!

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update

From DEI Coordinator Shay Mooster: The objective of DEI meetings is to build trust by getting to know each other, sharing knowledge, and practicing our learning mindset. I have a list of questions to prompt conversations if needed, but for now I am planning to leave the agenda open. I want to know:

• What do you want to discuss in this venue?

• What topics would you like to learn more about?

• Are there topics you feel passionately about that you would like to lead a discussion about, or would you prefer me to lead a discussion?

I’m available to meet with folks individually and chat. I love the topic of equity and love learning about other people’s perspectives. Reach out to me directly via email or join us in November! Zoom link here.

Here are the remaining DEI meetings for 2025:

Member-Submitted News

We love hearing from you! Do you have news related to your practice in one of our three strands — Martial Arts, Healing Arts, or Self Defense? As an NWMAF member, you can submit material to be featured in our newsletter and/or on our social media pages! We love to share member news, photos, events, and brags! To contribute material to future newsletters, please send details to Tasca Shadix (secretary@nwmaf.org).

The requirements are: (1) Items must be member news/announcements, and be consistent with NWMAF mission and values. (2) Items that could be considered promotions of goods or services for sale (e.g. books, paid workshops, etc), are limited to 2 posts and/or newsletter items per member per year. (3) NWMAF cannot “endorse” member products or services.