Our Staff

KKC instructors are individuals who, in addition to having achieved a high level of mastery in the martial arts, have received additional training and education in issues confronting children and families with a diagnosis of cancer. Topics include pediatric pain palliation, the medical, psychological and emotional aspects of a cancer diagnosis, end-of-life issues, hospice care, and support tools for grieving families. In addition to teaching group and individual classes, KKC instructors also accompany their students to difficult medical procedures to reinforce the techniques taught in class and to assist in focusing the child’s energies away from pain. KKC instructors routinely visit their students in the hospital and/or home, providing emotional support and one-on-one training for the child, siblings and parents. If a student requires a bone marrow transplant, KKC instructors will spend hospital time daily working with the child toward recovery.

Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg – Founder & National Director of Kids Kicking Cancer
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, who holds a First Degree Black Belt in the Korean art of Choi Kwon Do, first provided a therapeutic martial arts program at Camp Simcha, where he served as the Director from 1990 to 2002. Having lost his first child to leukemia at the age of 2 years, Rabbi Goldberg brings a wealth of personal experience and sensitivity to dealing with children and families facing life-threatening illness. His commitment to ease the pain of very sick children and his dream of bringing healing through the empowering focus of the martial arts resulted in the creation of the Kids Kicking Cancer organization in June, 1999. Rabbi Goldberg, was a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader’s Award (2004) and the McCarty Cancer Foundation’s Humanitarian of the Year Award (2004). He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Rabbi Goldberg received his BA from Yeshiva University, summa cum laude. Ordination and graduate training were also at Yeshiva University.

Cindy Cohen, MS, CCLS –
Michigan Program Director
Cindy Cohen holds a Master of Science in Child Life from Wheelock College in Boston, MA, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She is a Certified Child Life Specialist, and has worked in the field of pediatric healthcare for over 20 years, helping children and families understand and cope with illness, hospitalization and loss.

Angela Babin –
New York Program Director
Angela Babin has been training in Shotokan Karate of America (SKA) for 20 years. Babin currently holds the ranking of sandan (third-degree) blackbelt in her style. She co-founded and managed her own dojo (school) in New York City (NYCSKA) from 1996 – 1999. She has extensive teaching experience in SKA, and is currently is a senior blackbelt instructor at the SKA dojo at Columbia University. She studied Tai Chi for 2 years with William C.C. Chen in New York (Yang style) as well. Angela received her Master’s of Science in 1987 from Hunter College at CUNY, and her Baccalaureate from Barnard College, Columbia University in 1984

Michael J. Kniespeck-
Chief Finance Officer
Michael J. Kniespeck has a lifelong career in finance and accounting, ranging from nonprofits to publicly-traded corporations. He has been involved in nonprofit management for 16 years and currently holds Board positions for a number of nonprofit organizations.

Richard Plowden –
Chief Martial Arts Instructor
Master Plowden is a 6th degree Black Belt and a five-time martial arts world champion. He brings over 30 years of martial arts experience and teaching to the Kids Kicking Cancer family. Richard has a Bachelors’s degree in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and is the owner of Plowden’s Championship Martial Arts. He serves as well as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Michigan, Dearborn.

Peter Davenport –
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Peter Davenport holds a Bachelor of Psychology from The University of Michigan and has almost 15 years of martial arts experience. Not only is Peter presently an instructor at Kids Kicking Cancer, but he is also a Foster Care Case Manager at the Judson Center.

Khoury Johnson –
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Khoury brings over 20 years of martial arts experience to the Kids Kicking Cancer family. He also has 15 years of professional experience as a Supervisor at Comerica Bank. Khoury currently owns and operates Camouflage Karate while instructing at Kids Kicking Cancer.

Michael Billingsly –
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Michael Billingsley is a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He has been training in martial arts since the age of 3 years old, first with his father, Weyland Billingsley a third degree black belt under the Jhoon Rhee Institute. For the past two years, he has been studying Capoeira.

Michael is currently the head of the Movement Department and teaches Improvisational Movement at the Actors Studio MFA Program in New York. He graduated from Oglethorpe University (B.A.), the Actors Studio Drama School (M.F.A.), and has performed in theatre and films produced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York. Michael is a lifetime member of the Actors Studio.

Maggie Dubris –
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Maggie Dubris has studied the Internal Martial Arts of Ba Gua with Tom Bisio, as well as Wu Style Tai Chi with Edward Ware for over 10 years. She currently practices karate at Seido Honbu in Manhattan.

Maggie Dubris is a certified hypnotist, and did her IBS hypnosis training at the renowned Duke University program with Dr. Olafur Palsson and Dr. Peter Whorewell. Dubris is a published author.

Peter Gismondi-
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Peter Gismondi has trained and taught in Asia and the Americas. Gismondi was inducted into the Wide World Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Peter Gismondi has his own school for over a decade, and teaches children and adults both Kodokan Judo and Kokushi Ryu Jujitsu.

Gismondi js a member of the USJA, AFJ and UMMA organizations. His ranking in the United States Juijitsu Organization is Shichidan (7th degree blackbelt).

Robin Hardbattle-
Martial Arts Health Therapist
Robin Hardbattle is a sandan (third degree) blackbelt in Aikido. Hardbattle has been an instructor in Aikido since 1990. His teaching experience was honed at the Leicester Dojo, in Leicester, England from 1990-1994 where he both assisted in teaching and demonstrated at various regional events.

Additionally, Robin Hardbattle is a certified English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher, is a practitioner in Chi Gung, an advanced student of Acupuncture, and proficient in Japanese language.