Hombu Dojo Instructors

Sensei Scott Pillsbury joined JKFNW in 1994 and was promoted to Oregon Chief Instructor in 2019. He began training in Shito-Ryu karate in 1981 and earned his first black belt at the US Air Force Academy in 1988. He oversees classes at the Honbu dojo as well as other Oregon locations.   Besides karate, he and his family enjoy travel, fitness,  snow and water skiing.

Sensei Lisa has been training in the martial arts since the age of twelve. She earned her black belt in Shito Ryu in 1982 and joined JKFNW in 1992. She is currently a 4th degree black belt and has been excited to be teaching students via Zoom since the onset of COVID. Her teaching style is traditional with an emphasis on vigorous training and centered around developing strong foundational skills. She has been focused on heath and fitness throughout her life and enjoys sharing that interest with others. Lisa works with elementary school students and has three young adult children that she is very proud of. She met her husband through karate and they enjoy training together. Her interests include fast paced walks, hiking, gluten free cooking and reading.

Sensei Amie has been a member of JKFNW for over 30 years. She has been teaching on and off for 20 years including all levels, beginners to advanced (including black belts), has coached students wishing to attend tournaments at the national level, and has obtained an international referee license. She has been teaching at the Honbu Dojo for 7 years and became the co-head instructor in 2021. Amie works at Daimler Truck North America as a Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Engineer and is passionate about both her work and her martial arts. In her free time she enjoys dancing of almost any kind, completing jigsaw puzzles, and reading mystery novels. She also loves spending time with her family and snuggling with her cat Oliver.

Matt Scott, a practitioner of Shindo Jinen Ryu for over 9 years, is an instructor at JKFNW in Hillsboro, Oregon.  As a father of 3 children, Matt and his wife Shelly spent the majority of their life raising kids.  After their children “grew up” he pursued his childhood dream of practicing Karate.  In addition to teaching Karate, Matt has been an educator for over 30 years and enjoys the process of teaching.