Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo - Instructors

Roy Wilkinson is currently in his 30th year of martial arts training in Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu, and is one of the senior-most Bujinkan Instructors and practitioners outside of Japan.   He began as a student of Bud Malmstrom's at the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo, and has continued to train with Bud, as well as with other Master Teachers from Japan and elsewhere, including the Grandmaster of the art, Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi.   When Mr. Malmstrom retired from active teaching, he passed on the responsibility for the training in Atlanta to Mr. Wilkinson.   He is honored to have been entrusted with this responsibility and is proud to carry on the tradition of the first authentic ninjutsu school in the Western Hemisphere.

After 10+ years in the art, Roy successfully passed the sakki test for Godan (5th degree Black Belt) & was awarded the title of Shidoshi (Teacher of the Warrior Ways of Enlightenment) by the Grandmaster.   He is also one of a limited number of recipients of the prestigious Bujinkan Gold Medal, awarded personally by the Grandmaster, for his outstanding contributions to the art.   Mr. Wilkinson is currently a 15th-degree Black Belt (Judan Kugyo) and is responsible for the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo.

Mr. Wilkinson has given numerous seminars around the United States and Europe over the years, both within the Bujinkan and for other martial arts schools, and continues to teach and train regularly at the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo, where he is the Chief Instructor.   He has trained current and former law enforcement, security, and military personnel, in addition to civilians from all walks of life.   Roy has presented self-protection and women's self-defense programs for both professional and collegiate audiences.   He has appeared in several European and American martial arts magazines, and has been interviewed for a national television special on ninjutsu.   He was also recently the subject of a documentary on the art, entitled "Heart, Sword and Perseverance".

Mr. Wilkinson is the former Manager of Security for an eCRM & ASP firm in the financial sector and is currently a Consultant in the Security, Protection, and Technology fields.   He is a Certified Anti-Terrorism Specialist, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, and is Certified in Homeland Security at Level 5, among other professional certifications.   Mr. Wilkinson is a member of the Georgia Security Professionals Speakers Group and an adjunct instructor for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.   Mr. Wilkinson was also invited to Athens, Greece, where he was Senior Security Consultant for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Sean Gerety started training at the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo in 1989, and continued training at the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo.   He treasures his relationship with Bud and Roy, forged over the years.   He would not be where he is today had he not started training in Ninjutsu - not only the physical aspects, but also the non-physical aspects, such as sanmitsu.   Currently a 6th degree black belt, Sean has the distinction of being the only person to take the Godan test in Bud's living room.   He has enjoyed getting to know Hatsumi Sensei & the Shihan while helping with 5 TaiKais held in Atlanta.   He now works in the software industry in the financial sector.

Justin Felker has been training in the Bujinkan for 18 years.   Justin began his martial arts experience as a student of the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo.   Justin currently holds the rank of Yondan (4th degree Black Belt) and provides assistance in instructing new and advanced students alike at the dojo.   Justin continues to further his training by attending various training groups and seminars hosted by Instructors from around the country.

Matt Kent began his training at the age of fourteen under the tutelage of Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo chief instructor Bud Malmstrom.   When Matt received the rank of Shodan (Black Belt) he was the youngest at the Atlanta Dojo to do so.   He now holds a YonDan in the Bujinkan System and continues his training with Roy Wilkinson.   While attending the University of Georgia, Matt founded the Athens Bujinkan Shibu and continued training in Atlanta until 1996, when he was hired by the internationally renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre.   He toured internationally with Pilobolus for ten years creating and performing.   Matt still performs and teaches around the globe for Pilobolus, but now is the artistic director for Pickleshoes, a touring family theatre.

Sebastian Nye has been training in Bujinkan Ninpo Taijutsu for nine years.   He began his studies at the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo, and has continued his training at the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo under the guidance and instruction of Roy Wilkinson.   After 3.5 years in the art, Sebastian was promoted to Shodan, and is currently a 3rd degree Black Belt.   Sebastian is currently employed in the private sector where is specializes in the areas of Process Engineering, Process Automation, ISO, & QA Controlled Product Testing.

Mike Reddick began his study of martial arts with Tae Kwon Do and Judo in the early 1990's.   After discovering Ninjutsu at the Atlanta Dojo in 1993, Mr. Reddick devoted his training to Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu.   Currently holding the rank of Sandan (3rd degree Black Belt), Mr. Reddick has trained in the United States, England, and Japan with top instructors from around the world, including Grandmaster Masaaki Hatsumi.   Other areas of study include defensive firearm tactics, outdoor and survival skills, Buddhism, philosophy, and Japanese language.   Mr. Reddick is a Recording Engineer / Producer, and he owns and operates a music production company, Kinon Music.   Mike's interests include Backpacking, Amateur Radio, and Motorcycling.

David Clifford holds the rank of Nidan and began studying taijutsu in October 1994.   David took leave from the dojo to serve in US Army Special Forces with 3rd Special Forces Group.   From summer 2002 through summer 2007 his training was limited to the times he could make it to the dojo and seminars here in Atlanta, though he continued training with a small group of black belts in the Fort Bragg area when time permitted.   His training in taijutsu has helped him tremendously during two combat tours in Afghanistan.   David now looks towards taijutsu again to focus his intentions on the less aggressive side of life and open up new possibilities in the environment around him.

Tom Reilly has been training since 1999, and is currently a Nidan (2nd degree Black Belt).   He has trained at and visited dojos around the southeast and participated in TaiKais in Atlanta as a student and a staff member.   Tom lives in the Atlanta area and is a network engineer providing systems management solutions in Information Technology.   He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with friends and family and aspires to through-hike the Appalachian Trail.

Bret McKee is 29 years old and has been training off and on for about 13 years, solidly for the last 3 1/2, and is currently a German Major at Georgia State University, in addition to holding the rank of Nidan.   Bret is also a Certified Facilitator and Instructor for Recreational/Technical Tree Climbing.   He has a love for foreign languages and is currently studying at the Potsdam University in Germany towards a fluency in German.   Other interests include outdoor survival, philosophy, and music.

John Rusca was first introduced to Ninjutsu as one of the original youth class members of the Bujinkan Atlanta Dojo in 1984.   He trained under Bud Malmstrom's and Roy Wilkinson's supervision for two and a half years until life interfered, causing him to drop training for a 12 year period.   In 1998, John made a point to come back to the art that he loved so much and has been training continuously ever since.   He is currently a Shodan (1st degree black belt) as well as Shusho (administrative role) for the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo.

Thomas Daugherty currently studies Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu at the Atlanta Bujinkan Dojo under the guidance of Roy Wilkinson.   He currently holds the rank of Shodan (1st degree Black Belt).   His martial studies began in 1983 and includes various arts until he found Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu in 1995 in Columbus, GA.   Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu has since become the focus of his martial studies.   Thomas is also currently involved in the study of Mandarin Chinese and working toward TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification.