JKA WF America Leadership
Nariman Afkhami
5th Dan
Chairman
Yasuaki Nagatomo
7th Dan
Chief Instructor
Kent Wang
6th Dan
Executive Director
Chuck Coburn
7th Dan
Executive Director
JKA WF America Regional Representatives
Central
Neeraj Dhawan
7th Dan
Instructor A
Judge A
Examiner B
Neeraj Dhawan is the founder and Chief Instructor of the JKA WF Chicago Karate Institute, established in 2008. Sensei Dhawan has extensive international competitive and coaching experience. He was a member of the Indian National Team at multiple JKA World Shotokan Karate-do Championships (Paris, Japan, Sydney, and Thailand) and a long-time national-level competitor in both kata and kumite, earning numerous national titles in India. He has also served as coach to national-level athletes, including Indian National Junior Team members and JKA USA National Team athletes. In addition to his instructional work, Sensei Dhawan has served as a judge at multiple JKA World Funakoshi Gichin Cup Championships and was appointed Head Coach of the JKA USA National Youth Team for the 16th JKA World Cup (2024, Japan). He is a Certified National Karate Coach and Referee with USA-NKF (USOC member) and a Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist (NASM). Through his teaching, coaching, and officiating, Sensei Dhawan has contributed extensively to the development of JKA karate in both national and international contexts.
Mountain
Albert Thiel
5th Dan
Pacific Northwest
Theodore Santos
4th Dan
Instructor C
Judge D
Theodore L. Santos began karate training at the age of 13 with the Baguio City YMCA JKA in 1977. He trained under Sensei Arsenio Bawingan Jr., a student of Shihan Kunio Sasaki, founder of the Philippine Traditional Karate Federation (PTKF), and earned the rank of 1st kyu (brown belt) before relocating to the United States. While stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, he joined JKA WF El Paso and earned his shodan under Master Shojiro Koyama. He later earned his nidan in 2011 and sandan in 2017, also under Master Koyama. In June 2023, he was promoted to yondan by Sensei Yasuaki Nagatomo. He currently holds JKA Instructor C and Judge D qualifications and is enrolled in the JKA WF Instructor Training Program.
South Atlantic
Kent Wang
6th Dan
Instructor B
Judge B
Examiner B
Kent Wang is a 6th Dan JKA karateka and serves as Executive Director for JKAWFA Communications and Operations. He is also President and Chief Instructor for the Southeastern Region (SAKA). He founded the UNC JKA Shotokan Karate Club at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in January 1997 and continues to serve as its Chief Instructor.
Sensei Wang began his karate training as a young teenager in Trinidad and Tobago. He received his shodan in 1973 from the late Master Takashina and was among Master Takashina’s earliest students following his arrival in the United States in the spring of 1972. Over the decades, Sensei Wang remained closely connected to Master Takashina, serving not only as a senior student but also as a trusted advisor on operational matters within the SAKA region until Master Takashina’s passing in 2013. Shortly thereafter, he was asked to provide similar support to the JKA-WFA organization. In addition to his work at UNC, Sensei Wang founded the first JKA club in Atlanta in 1982 and later taught in Hagerstown, Maryland (1984–1985). He served as the assistant head coach for the JKA USA National team in the 16th JKA World Cup (2024). Through his long-standing associations with Master Takashina and Sensei Yasuaki Nagatomo, Sensei Wang has extensive familiarity with the structure and operations of both JKA USA organizations and JKA Headquarters. His teaching strengths include kihon, footwork, and the development of speed, timing, and execution.
Texas
Julian Arruti
6th Dan
Instructor C
Judge D
Julian Arruti began his karate training in 1974 at the Oriental Zen Dojo in Chihuahua, Mexico, under Sensei Antonio Garcia, in a traditional Shotokan setting. After later moving to Monterrey, Mexico—where no Shotokan dojo was available at the time—he continued his training informally through individual practice and training with his older brother. In 1986, he relocated to El Paso, Texas, and in 1994 joined the JKA El Paso Dojo under Sensei Dean Vanmeter. At that time, he restarted his training from the beginning in accordance with the JKA program. Following Sensei Vanmeter’s retirement in 2005, Julian and a group of senior black belts continued operating the dojo under the technical direction of Sensei Shojiro Koyama. In 2007, the dojo was formally incorporated and has continued operating since then. Since 2018, the El Paso Dojo has been under the technical direction of Sensei Yasuaki Nagatomo. Julian currently holds the rank of 6th Dan and holds JKA Instructor C and Judge D qualifications.
Western
Chuck Coburn
7th Dan
Chuck Coburn has over five decades of experience in traditional Shotokan karate. He is the founder and Chief Instructor of JKA Arizona Traditional Karate, established in 1971, one of the longest continuously operating JKA-affiliated dojos in the United States. Sensei Coburn has an extensive competitive background at the national and international levels. He was a multiple-time U.S. National Team member and competed internationally in events including the JKA All Japan Championships and the World Shoto Cup. His tournament career includes numerous titles in kumite at major regional and national championships, as well as participation on U.S. teams in international competitions throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to his competitive career, Sensei Coburn has served as a judge at World Shoto Cup Championships in both the United States and Japan. Through his long-term leadership at JKA Arizona, he has played a significant role in the development and transmission of JKA Shotokan karate in the United States.