Meet Our Instructors

Betsy O'Donnell
Dojo-cho, ASU Godan

O’Donnell Sensei began her Aikido training in 1989 at Aikido Eastside in Bellevue WA, where George Ledyard was Chief Instructor and Lee Crawford was assistant Instructor. Then from 1992-1997 she trained at Emerald City Aikido under Joanne Veneziano, a direct student of Mary Heiny Sensei, where she tested Shodan and Nidan.

From 1997-2001 she assisted Lee Crawford at Aikido Northshore teaching both children and adults. From 2001 to 2009 she continued to train and teach at Aikido Northshore.

From 1997-2001 O’Donnell Sensei was chief instructor of the Bastyr Aikido Club. Bastyr is a nationally accredited naturopathic and oriental medicine university.

In 2009 she relocated to Cleveland Ohio where she assisted with teaching at Cleveland Aikikai. In 2013 O’Donnell began her own dojo, Lakeshore Aikido (also in Cleveland) where she remained Chief Instructor until 2022.

O’Donnell Sensei thinks of the dojo as a place to authenticate her values. For her, it’s a place where students put their belief systems on the line and work to become better people. Movement with a partner gives immediate feedback and can be an extremely personal and productive practice. If they pay attention, they learn to respond to an attack in a way that is consistent with their ethics. She sees studying the art of Aikido as a way of making sense of the universe and our place in it, a way of making sense of her life.

More than 34 years of experience studying with top level Aikido instructors, as well as her study of Karate, has allowed her to come to a deep understanding of the balance between a solid martial background and the true purpose of Aikido: to generate peace in one’s self and ultimately help generate peace in the world.

She is deeply grateful to have received ukemi and instruction from these teachers:

Mitsugi and Patty Saotome, Motomichi Anno, Mary Heiny, Wendy Whited, Hiroshi Ikeda, Raso Hultgren, Linda Holliday, Tom Read, Jan Nevelius and of course Lee Crawford.

George Cannon

3rd Dan, Children's & Adult Classes

George started Aikido in 1993 with Craig Fife Sensei in Portland Oregon to accompany her seven-year-old son who wanted to learn martial arts. She was awed by the joy Sensei and his students expressed as they trained. Since then, George has spread that love and joy to her students. Lee Crawford Sensei introduced her to the spirals that are an integral part of Aikido, and these have been the focus of her attention for the last 17 years as she developed precision that worked its way into a gentleness that she continues to cultivate.

Her experience as a mother furthermore instilled in her a desire to help children learn to protect themselves without fighting and also to share the love and joy that can be experienced in Aikido practice.

Warren Schramm

2nd Dan, Adult Classes

When Warren started training in 2007, his main goal was to get some exercise and meet new people. The more he trained, the more intriguing to him the idea of redirecting an attacker's energy became. Now, every time Warren trains or teaches, he learns something new, even with techniques he has done for years.

All these years later, the dojo community has been for him a tremendous influence creating many rich friendships.

Andy Weng

1st Dan, Adult Classes

Andy Weng started his aikido training under Terry Gettling Sensei while he was a chemical engineering student at Brigham Young University in 1996. During that time, he also had the opportunity to train under Frank Doran Shihan and Michael Friedl Shihan. After he moved to Seattle, Washington in 2006, he continued his aikido training under Darren Mckee Sensei and Lee Crawford Sensei. Through both excellent Aikido teachers, Andy had the opportunity to meet and train under the direction of Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan until the present.

Over the years, Andy's aikido has been tremendously influenced by Jan Nevelius Shihan, Christian Tissier Shihan, Endo Shihan, and Haruo Matsuoka sensei. Andy's aikido focuses on crisp and precise movements while maintaining relaxation and connection. He also brings his years of training in Wing Chun and its principles into his aikido which focuses on structure and sensitivity.

Roger Harwood

1st Dan, Adult Classes

Roger has been training consistently at Aikido Northshore for the last eleven years. His time with the dojo has been transformative. What began as a pursuit of self defense, quickly became a wondrous journey of learning, guided by exceptional senior instructors. While teaching, he encourages curiosity, and includes an emphasis on understanding the underlying principles while studying the various techniques.

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