ITBA Leadership

Grandmaster Tae Sun Kang

Grandmaster Hosun Kang

  • Maggie Messina is a true trailblazer in the martial arts. She has operated one of New York’s most well-regarded taekwondo schools since 1996, founded both the Swerve4Change and Female Fighters Matter Too movements, published two books, and has been recognized by dozens of professional and government organizations for her lifelong contributions.

  • Master Pascal has over 30 years of taekwondo experience and is the ITBA’s go-to resource for a no-nonsense approach towards practical training techniques. He is a strong advocate for lifelong continual learning and enjoys finding new ways to motivate and encourage his students.

  • Master Sterner is a 7th dan ITBA Black Belt mentored personally by Grandmaster Tae Sun Kang. Master Sterner founded his Northern Virginia academy over 20 years ago and is a past national champion as well as an inductee in the W.K.U. Hall of Fame.

  • Master San José has had the privilege of training an impressive diversity of students over his career with many choosing to go on to success in a variety of competitive arenas: sport karate, kickboxing, and of course taekwondo.

    Master San José is himself a highly decorated competitor, having won a significant number of major North American forms competitions over the past four decades.

  • Master Tu began his taekwondo journey 40 year ago and is honored to have dedicated his life to helping others realize their full potential. He has competed at the national level, at one point being ranked in the Top 3 for his creative approach to Open and Musical forms.

  • Dr. Jones has specialized in spreading the benefits of taekwondo to academic communities as well as exploring how new technologies might be used to bring the benefits of martial arts to communities who might otherwise not have access to this opportunity.

  • Mr. Lester began his martial arts journey in the 1980’s and while his path led to degrees from Johns Hopkins and Yale rather than time in the dojang, he has remained close to the taekwondo community over the decades. He is a strong advocate for the value of martial arts training across all areas of life.