FENCERS CLUB - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Master
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Alexey Cheremsky was born in Ukraine. He competed in epee internationally for Ukraine and Israel and has won World Cup medals. Alexey received his bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Masters degree in Sport Psychology from the Ukrainian State University of Physical Education and Sport. After coaching in Kiev, Alexey moved to Israel where he was the National Team coach from 2000-2005. Alexey moved to the United States in 2006 and since then, many of Alexey's students are continue to be nationally and internationally competitive. Among them are top-16 in Seniors and top-3 in Juniors world ranking fencers, NCAA champions, National champions, and numerous US Senior, Junior, and Cadet World Team members including two Olympic team members Tokyo 2020.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- JPMorgan Chase Bank, Vice President
Archil Lortkipanidze ("Achiko") is an Olympic-level fencer and internationally recognized fencing coach. He received his degree from the Tiblisi State University, Republic of Georgia.
As a fencer, Achiko is a five-time Georgian National Champion, a Soviet Union Cup Finalist, World Cup Finalist, and a member of the Georgian Olympic Fencing Team (1996 Atlanta Olympic Games). As a coach, he has over 25 years of experience as a Master Saber Coach for a variety of leading athletic Organizations and institutions, including the Georgian National Team, and Yale University Fencing Team.
Achiko has raised and coached numerous students onto national and international success in fencing. Several of his students became members of the National Saber Fencing Team, winning numerous medals at international competitions, including Cadet and Junior World Championships and World Cups.
His students have also gone on to win regional and national medals at the North American Cups, USA National Championships and Junior Olympics. Many of Achiko's fencers have been placed to fence Division One at top universities, including Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, Princeton, Notre Dame, Penn State, and the University of North Carolina.
Fencers Club does not discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion or age.
Contributions to Fencers Club are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Co - Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Vice President of the Executive Committee
A native of Russia, Dmitry has been one of the world's top sabre coaches for more than 30 years in a professional career spanning multiple continents. He is a two-time Olympic Coach and has coached both the Russian and Canadian Olympic Teams, in addition to coaching athletes at 19 Senior World Championships, 10 European Championships, 7 Pan-American Championships, and 5 Junior and Cadet World Championships.
Under his tutelage, Dmitry's students have won 10 gold medals at Senior World Championships, 12 gold medals at European Championships and 6 gold medals at Pan-American Championships and Games.
Since moving to New York in 2012, Dmitry has had similar success with his American students, including medals at Senior, Junior, Cadet and Youth North American Cups, Pan-American Championships, World Championships and World Cups. Below is a list of some of his students' accomplishments.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- NYU Langone Medical Hospital, Professor, 2004 Olympian
Guillermo Madrigal was born in Cuba. He competed in epee internationally for Cuba and has won many World Cup medals and Pan-American championships during his fencing career as an athlete. Guillermo earned his Masters degree in both Physical Education and Fencing at the Institute of Physical Education in La Havana, Cuba. His coaching career started as assistant coach for the Cuban team in 2008. Guillermo moved to Puerto Rico where he was the National coach from 2012-2015. Guillermo moved to the United States in 2015 and since then, many of Guillermo's students are and continue to be national and international champions. Among them are top-16 in Senior and Junior World Cup champions, including the recent Individual Gold medal and Bronze in Team events in the last world championship, Dubai 2022.
Guillermo's coaching style focuses on each student's individual skills, attention to detail and tactical discipline.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Master
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Irene Gershon, a former Regional and Collegiate Coach in Ukraine and assistant coach at St. John's University, received her degree in fencing with high honors from the Kiev Institute of Physical Education. Working closely with her husband Simon, she supervises several youth developmental groups in addition to training many top men and women foilists at Fencers Club, including 2012 Olympians Miles Chamley-Watson and Nicole Ross. Miles was also the first US man to win an individual foil World Championship in 2013.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- IBM Research
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Principal
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Scholastic Inc, . SVP Human Resources and Employee Services
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Co - Treasurer
Job Titles:
- Master Coach, 2008 Olympic Coach, U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame Member
Mikhail Petin earned his Masters degree in both Physical Education and fencing at the Institute of Physical Education in Lviv, Ukraine. He was a participant in international competitions as well as the Soviet Union and Ukraine Championships, winning medals there. Since his arrival from Ukraine to the United States, his top U.S. students have won a Silver Medal in Olympic Games ( Beijing, 2008), 9 Medals (including 4 Gold individual) at the Junior and Cadet World Championships, as well as numerous International, national and NCAA Titles. Mikhail is a former U.S. National Women's Foil Coach. He was a coach at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he was also awarded the 2003 Fencing Developmental Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee. Mikhail Petin was inducted into the U.S. Fencing Hall of Fame at the 2022 Summer National Championships in Minneapolis, MN.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary / Tiptree Inc., General Counsel
Oleg is a foil coach and master with 40 years of fencing experience.
He has masters degree in physical education and Fencing from Kiev Institute of physical culture.
Oleg is the former Soviet union medalist.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Peter Westbrook Foundation, Executive Director
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Executive Committee
- Chairman / Alston & Bird Law Firm, Partner
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- LinkedIn, Senior Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- AWL Industries, President
Sean McClain was a member of the US National Team, an individual NCAA champion, a silver medalist at the Pan American Championships and one of only three U.S. fencers to win a National Championship title in foil and epee. He has been coaching since 2003 and has consistently produced top-level national athletes and medalists at the Junior World Championships in both Men and Women's Foil.
Since 2013, Sean has run Empire United's decorated foil program. Sean prides himself on running a program that instills a strong work ethic and sense of self-sufficiency in its students that allows them to maximize their individual potential.
Job Titles:
- Master Coach, 1996 and 2012 Olympic Coach
Formerly a coach of both the Ukrainian Men's and Women's Foil Squad and the Soviet Union Women's Foil Team (Gold Medalists at the 1986 World Championships), Simon Gershon continues to develop students who achieve international results, including 2012 Olympians Miles Chamley-Watson and Nicole Ross. Gershon earned his Masters degree in fencing from the Kiev Institute of Physical Education. He was also a coach at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and has served as the US National Men's Foil Coach.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Principal
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- PAAMCO Prisma, Vice President of IT