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Officers and Board Members

President

Maestro Ramón Martínez

Maestro Ramón Martínez is a teacher of classical and historical fencing and the director of Martinez Academy of Arms. He received the rank of fencing master from Maître Frederick Rohdes in the traditional manner, through years of apprenticeship. In addition to Maestro Martínez' expertise in the French and Italian schools, he has spent more than two decades in the reconstruction of the Spanish school of rapier fence, La Verdadera Destreza. Today he is recognized as the world's foremost authority on the Spanish School.

In 1999 he, along with some of the other Board members, was instrumental in founding the AHF. Maestro Martínez is a founding member of the International Masters at Arms Federation, the author of numerous monographs on the Spanish school, and a member of the council of Advisors of Swordplay Symposium International (SSI). He is associated with the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica, and an advisor to the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts (AEMMA).

Vice President

Maestro de Armas Jeannette Acosta-Martínez

Jeannette Acosta-Martínez is a professional restorer of antique furniture who specializes in works of the 17th and 18th centuries. This, together with her interest in antique weapons, led her to the study of fencing. Maestro Acosta-Martínez is a teacher of classical and historical fencing and the manager for the Martinez Academy of Arms. She was instrumental in orchestrating a historical exposition at St. Peter's College, New Jersey in January 1999, which had international participation and featured demonstrations not seen in public for more than 100 years.

In May of 2000, she received her Master's certification from the International Masters at Arms Federation and a second certification from the Martinez Academy of Arms the following November, thus becoming the only other Master certified to teach the Rohdes system of classical fencing and the Martínez system of Spanish rapier fence. Maestro Acosta-Martínez is also a founding member of the International Masters at Arms Federation. She is one of the founders of the AHF.

Second Vice President

Fawzi Al-Nawal

Fawzi Al-Nawal is a charter member of the AHF and brings over 25 years of operations management and business development experience to various activities of the association. He chaired the organizing committee for the Western Martial Arts Workshop in New York City in 2001 and Amsterdam, NY in 2004. He has a BA in Social Sciences from New York University and an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Secretary

Christine Martin

Christine Martin earned her B.S. in Athletic Administration from St. John's University and worked in promotions for both Minor and Major League Baseball. She currently works in Property Management. This has provided her with a solid foundation for administrative skills, event coordinating, budget planning and the essential art of working with a multitude of personalities. She became interested in Western Martial arts and began training in boxing and fencing in 2003. She became a member of the AHF and assisted in organizing the complex logistics of the WMAW 2004 held in Amsterdam, New York.

Treasurer

Nivaldo Hernandez

Nivaldo Hernandez brings over 20 years of experience in finance to the AHF. He currently holds the post of ExecutiveDirector of World Markets for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. His expertise, including experience in Big Six public accounting firms and three major money center banks, makes him the ideal Treasurer for our newly-created organization. Mr. Hernandez' career has seen him acting as a financial, tax, and EDP auditor; regulatory reporter; financial controller; business manager; and global technology project manager. A graduate of New York University's prestigious Stern School of Business, Mr. Hernandez is also familiar with the needs of nonprofit organizations.

Board Members

Martin Reznick

Martin Reznick has a wide range of experiences, from professional political activism to a rigorous education in Medieval History and Classics. He hopes to employ both grassroots organizational skills and scholastic training in the service of the AHF. His training in modern and ancient languages ideally suit the international and historical natures of the Association.

David M. Cvet

David Cvet is the founder and president of the Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts (AEMMA), an organization dedicated to the resurrection and formalization of medieval martial arts training systems. He trained in Italy with steel weapons in longsword technique and has participated in various organizations dedicated to studying the Middle Ages. In addition David has studied some Asian combat arts. His background and experience having fired his desire to pursue a formal medieval martial arts training program, he founded AEMMA in mid-1998. In Oct, 2000 David received his appointment of Free Scholar within (AEMMA) and the "Acknowledged Instructor" (AI) designation for armoured longsword instruction from the International Masters at Arms Federation (IMAF). As an instructor he is working on the development of training curriculums that include armoured and unarmoured training systems.

He is a member of the advisory board of the Swordplay Symposium International (SSI), a new interdisciplinary colloquium of historical fencing specialists dedicated to promoting and advancing the study of Western swordsmanship. Working with representatives of other martial arts disciplines, David has contributed to creation of the Electronic Journals of Martial Arts and Sciences (EJMAS), an online journal dedicated to promoting scholarship in various martial endeavors. He is the executive editor of the "Journal of Western Martial Art," one of the journals that comprise EJMAS. David is also engaged with the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in an advisory/consultant capacity for matters related to medieval history as it pertains to military history, arms and armour.

Cecil Longino

From an early age Cecil Longino has had an interest in martial arts, beginning his studies with Tae Kwon Do with MasterTiger Cho. After exploring various Eastern arts he became captivated with the notion of historical fencing while living in Germany. In 1994, he received his Bachelor of Arts in Drama with a focus on Elizabethan stagecraft from the University of North Florida. As the founder of the Elizabethan reenactment troupe, Blood, Love & Rhetoric , Cecil has spent many years researching various aspects of Elizabethan society and Culture: literature, philosophy, dance and fence. He started the Academia della Spada in 1998 with a focus on the rapier play of Vincentio Saviolo. He strives in his teaching to connect the art of fencing back to the greater mindset from which it was developed, because it is crucial to keep in mind that every martial art is a child of the specific culture that gave it birth. Therefore it should adhere to a particular ideal esthetic in its form, movement, and manner inherited from its parent culture.

He and the Academia della Spada have successfully organized yearly tournaments and also host the highly successful 4W workshop.

Jeff Richardson

Jeff Richardson began studying martial arts in 1982, first studying traditional Shotokan Karate and later Tae Kwon Do Colledge. In 1986, he began studying modern fencing under former Olympians Gay Jacobsen-D'Asaro and Michael D'Asaro. From 1992 to 1998, while also training with and assisting Sifu Tom Spellman in Daimon Ryu JuiJitsu, he served as an assistant instructor for The American Karate Academy in Ashland, Oregon, helping run and promote the local school as well as working as the local tournament promoter and as the publicist for American Karate Academies National Association. In 1995 he earned his black belt under Shihan Jerry Piddington in American Open Style Karate.

Though Jeff has been doing rapier and epee stage choreography for local theatres and independent film projects since the late 1980s, he first began studying historical fencing in the early '90s and has pursued it avidly ever since, presenting this art to the public in classes and demonstrations. He has also served as apprentice armorer to Ironcastle Armories. His primary focus on the study of rapier led him to organize and hold the first seminar on the subject of Spanish rapier in the spring of 2001 with Maestro Ramon Martinez and John Michael Greer.

He is one of the founders of the Northwest Historical Fencing Alliance and currently teaches rapier and longsword at his school, the Academia Duellatoria in Medford, Oregon. Jeff brings years of experience in promotion and publicity to assist the AHF in furthering its goals.

Honorary Board Members

Maestro d'Armi Andrea Lupo Sinclair

Maestro Andrea Lupo Sinclair of Milan, Italy, is the founder and President of the Associazione Triskell, a group dedicated to reviving the true systems of ancient fencing, training and use. Maestro Lupo Sinclair is also the founder of the Italian Federation for Ancient and Historical Fencing (Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica). He is associated with the British Association for Historical Swordplay and is a founding member of the International Masters at Arms Federation.

Maestro Paul Macdonald

Maestro Paul Macdonald of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a professional swordmaker and proprietor of MacDonald Armouries. He is a founding member of the Dawn Duellists Society whose mission is to revive and teach forms of historical swordsmanship, from late medieval through the nineteenth century. He is also a founding member of the British Federation for Historical Swordplay, International Masters at Arms Federation, and is associated with the Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica.