The West Wind Team
Meet our team
Mr. Flint
Senior Chief Instructor
Mr. Flint is a tenth-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, a seventh-generation kung-fu master registered with the World Kung-Fu Headquarters and a second-degree black belt in Iaido. His daughter Katrina and son Jared are both black belts. Mr. Flint started at West Wind in 1977 and has been teaching with us for over thirty-five years. He was our founder Master Lee’s top personal student, and Chief Instructor Mr. Thompson’s personal teacher.
Mr. Thompson
Senior Chief Instructor
Mr. Thompson is a tenth-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate, a third-degree black belt in Iaido and a sixth-generation kung-fu master, the highest rank awarded by The World Kung-Fu Headquarters to any living martial artist outside of China. His wife, Mrs. Thompson, is a black belt and their triplet children are brown belts. Mr. Thompson earned his White Belt in 1986 and has spent the last three decades training and teaching at West Wind Schools.
Mr. Kohgadai
Chief Instructor
Mr. Kohgadai is a tenth-degree black belt in Kenpo Karate. He started at West Wind in 1993 and has been teaching for over twenty years. He tested for his Bok-Fu black belt in 1999 and broke all speed records, completing the three-hour long exam in only one hour and thirty-four minutes. Mr. Kohgadai became West Wind’s youngest head instructor ever when he took over the Alameda school at only 17 years old.
Ms. Delossantos
Assistant Chief Instructor
Ms. Delossantos is an ninth-degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt and West Wind’s first female Assistant Chief. She started at West Wind in 1994 with her dad and brother, and has been teaching for over fifteen years. During her Shodan test in December 2000, she broke both the age and speed records. She was the youngest person to test at 16 years and 2 months, and broke Mr. Kohgadai’s speed record by one minute, finishing the demanding three-hour format in only one hour thirty-three minutes. She is proud to be one of Mrs. Thompson’s students, and accredits many of her successes both on and off the mat to her teacher.
Mr. Shah
Senior Head Instructor
Mr. Shah is an eighth-degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt. One of the most enthusiastic and skilled instructors, he started in West Wind at six years old with Mr. Thompson and earned his black belt under Mr. Sheppard. Mr. Shah is currently one of two very proud students of Mrs. Thompson. He has been training in West Wind for three decades and teaching for two decades. Mr Shah is now Senior Head Instructor. He runs the entire instructor’s training program twice a year as well as oversees two schools and their success.
Mr. Baker
Senior Head Instructor
Mr. Baker is an eighth-degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt and The World Kung-Fu Headquarters Model of the Martial Arts. He started at West Wind in 2003 and has been teaching for over ten years. He tested for his Bok-Fu Black Belt in 2011, breaking all speed records by finishing the three-hour long test in 1 hour 30 minutes. He is ecstatic to see the system flourish and continue to grow under his teacher Mr. Kohgadai’s leadership.
Mr. Leon
Head Instructor
Mr. Leon began training at West Wind Schools in 2011 and shot through the system to earn his red belt; teacher status, two years later. He worked hard with his Sifu, Mr. Shah, and got his Black Belt in August 2016. He is now an 8th-degree Black Belt and the Head Instructor of the powerful Berkeley dojo.
Mr. Michel
Head Instructor
Mr. Michel is a seventh-degree Kenpo Karate Black Belt. He earned his black belt in December 2016. He is a strong charismatic teacher; looking to be the future Assistant Head Instructor of the Alameda Dojo.
Mrs. Thompson
Executive Instructor
Mrs. Thompson broke the mold as West Wind’s first female Head Instructor in 1995. She started at West Wind in 1994, earned her black belt in less than 5 years under Mr. Sheppard, and has been teaching for over twenty years. She is married to Mr. Thompson and their triplets are currently brown belts. Mrs. Thompson is now an adviser at West Wind and works with instructors on how to teach and run a school. Ms. Delossantos and Mr. Shah are her personal students — she takes great pride in that! Mrs. Thompson is a Love Coach and her strength is teaching passion.
Mr. Morris
Senior West Wind Instructor
Mr. Morris is a Bok-Fu Black Belt, and a 5th degree in Chinese Kung Fu. His martial arts training began in 1963, during his youth in Itazuke, Japan. He studied various martial arts systems, and transitioned to West-Wind in 1981 to study under Mr Flint. Mr Morris is Mr. Flint’s first Black Belt student and remains one of his personal students today. A proud member of the first-place demonstration team at the World Kung Fu Championships in 1987, Mr. Morris has been fortunate to train, compete, teach, and demonstrate at domestic and international venues in support of West Wind Schools.
Mr. Sheppard
Senior West Wind Instructor
Mr. Sheppard started training at West Wind in 1992. After retiring as Assistant Chief Instructor to pursue a career in law enforcement, Mr. Sheppard can still be seen teaching during off-duty hours at the Berkeley Dojo. In over two decades of teaching he has developed over 30 personal Bok-Fu Black Belt students (including Mrs. Thompson!), far more than any other teacher in West Wind history.
Mr. Kohgadai
Senior West Wind Instructor
Omar Kohgadai started martial arts at West Wind Academy in 2008. He is the second member of the Kohgadai family to earn the Bok-Fu Black Belt, and is proud to represent as Mr. Baker’s first-ever Black Belt student. His younger siblings are also students at West Wind.
Mr. Carter
Senior West Wind Instructor
Mr. Carter started at West Wind in 2005. After several injury setbacks, he finally achieved his first-degree black belt in 2016. In 2017 alone, Mr. Carter has brought 6 student to their black belts, 2 of which achieved the highly-esteemed “Best of Test”. A highly sought-after, skilled senior instructor, Mr. Carter has been teaching at the Alameda dojo since 2008.
Ms. Rachal
Senior West Wind Instructor
Ms. Rachal is a sixth-degree black belt who started her training in 2001. She tested with her older daughter for the Bok-Fu black belt in 2011, West Wind’s first-ever mother/daughter Black Belt team. Ms. Rachal has been teaching with us since 2011. Her commitment to the arts and to her students have earned a total of five “Best of Tests” during the August 2017-2018 testing. Ms. Rachal’s greatest achievement is seeing her students excel in their Bok-Fu craft—both physically and mentally–and learning how to successfully apply their new-found knowledge and skill to everyday life.
Mr. Dalli
West Wind Instructor
“To keep our faces free of change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeated.” – Helen Keller Hello, my name is Mr. Dalli and I have been training with West Wind since 2012. I first started my training up at Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind in Napa, where Senior Chief Instructor Mr. Thompson volunteers every summer. I became the first and only West Wind student ever to earn my orange belt after only four weeks of training. I earned my Red Belt in December 2016 after 5 months of training and I hope to create the most confident students. I will continue fighting towards earning my own Bok-Fu Black Belt. I am a long way from that goal, however, I get closer every day and with the help of a strong teacher and a powerful team to both help and inspire me, I know I will get there soon. Outside of the dojo, my hobbies include hanging out with friends, staying in shape and seeing new places. “Wherever you go, seek out experiences that truly challenge you, force yourself to grow, never be satisfied. Let every success sharpen your body and mind.”
Mr. Simpson
West Wind Instructor
Mr. Simpson joined West Wind in 2014 following his eldest son who started a year earlier. He has collected two best of tests and the student of the year awards. Mr. Simpson finds the balance and focus of practicing martial arts beneficial physically, mentally and emotionally. When he is not teaching he works for a major IT company and has enjoyed a career in this field for over 20 years. Mr. Simpson has visited 13 countries, over half of the U.S. and has published a fictional novel.
Ms. Amato
West Wind Instructor
Ms. Amato is a 3rd Degree Black Belt. She studied under Ms. Delossantos, Assistant Chief of West Wind, who got Ms. Amato all the way to her black belt. She completed two Black Belt degrees in less than a year, an act that usually takes 2-3 years earning herself a triple crown. When Ms. Amato is not in the dojo she loves traveling, spending time with family and hiking.
Mr. Campbell
West Wind Instructor
Mr. Campbell began training at West Wind in January 2018 while on academic hiatus from U.C. Berkeley, where he majors in molecular and cell biology. Mr. Campbell earned his green belt and red belt in 16 months! He is a delight to have as a teacher.