Our People

Executive Director Ryan Libel discovered Thousand Waves in 2004, having just relocated with his now-husband from Kansas with a desire to meet people and expand his fitness horizons.  He quickly fell in love with Seido Karate and embraced the community he found here as his own.  In 2009, he completed a Masters Degree in Linguistics, and began working in service of immigrants learning English and navigating the citizenship process at a community center.  Ryan’s combination of passion for Thousand Waves programs and Board service as well as his not-for-profit management experience caused the leadership of Thousand Waves to ask him to join the organization as our Director of Operations in 2010.  In 2016, the Board undertook a search to replace our founding Executive Directors so they could begin to transition toward retirement, and the body hired Ryan to carry on the work. Upon the retirement of Nancy Lanoue in 2018, he also became our World Seido Karate Branch Chief.  Along with his administrative duties, he continues to actively train and teach in our Seido Karate and Empowerment Self-Defense Programs.  He earned his Seido Karate Yondan (4^th Degree Black Belt) in 2021.

Board of Directors

Peggy Scanlan – Chair
Mark Hubert –Treasurer
Alice Hollowed – Secretary
Abby Rogers
Elsie Lejano
Heather Polewski
Lisa May Simpson
Marla Cohen
Selene Stewart

Council of Senior Leaders

Shuseki Shihan Nancy Lanoue
Kyoshi Jean Petersen
Sensei Ryan Libel
Senpai Todd Scales
Senpai Arturo Jauregui
Senpai Andrew Schuetz
Olivia Mulcahy
Steph Maieritsch

Email the council at council@thousandwaves.org