MEET THE TEAM
KYOSHI RANDY MCELWEE
FOUNDER/ DIRECTOR/ CHIEF INSTRUCTOR
Randy McElwee, the creator of SAFE, is a retired Master Sergeant and decorated Special Forces combat veteran. He has almost twenty years Special Operations experience. Awarded the Legion of Merit for service that included action as the senior NCO responsible for the planning, direction, and execution of a Joint Chief of Staff directed special category classified project. He has been training and teaching Martial Arts for 22 years. He is exceptionally qualified having a GRACIE® Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Professor Pedro Sauer and a recognized KEYSI Affiliate Instructor under Justo Diguez.
His unique instructional experience includes; appearing as a featured author in Black Belt Magazine and featured Instructor in the Special Operations Combatives Instructional Video / DVD Series. McElwee first thought of designing a course for women's self defense when he was teaching self-defense based martial arts at the University of Georgia. One of his female students told him that a technique she learned in class saved her from assault, and he was inspired to pass on his vast knowledge of self defense to more women.
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LINDSEY FIELDS
SAFE PROGRAM COORDINATOR/ INSTRUCTOR
Lindsey, is our program coordinator at SAFE. Lindsey hails from Boston, Massachusetts and has lived in the Athens area since 2014. She is an accomplished scientist and engineer, and holds both a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. Lindsey is a Purple Belt in Authentic GRACIE Jiu Jitsu under Master Pedro Sauer, and in addition to leading the marketing, recruiting, and social media at SAFE, she is a Personal Fitness Coach.
Working alongside S.A.F.E. Director Randy McElwee she has taught jiu-jitsu-based self-defense courses to hundreds of women in the Athens, GA area with a focus on recognizing and escaping dangerous situations. Most recently, she has worked with Randy to create an online library of self-defense techniques as part of the S.A.F.E. Online Training Academy, which serves as an excellent at-home reference when practicing techniques. Off the mats, Lindsey enjoys travelling, boating, SCUBA Diving, and fitness.
Together with her Fiancée; Andy Bryant they own and operate GRACIE Jiu Jitsu Commerce.
ANDY BRYANT
GRACIE JIU JITSU BLACK BELT INSTRUCTOR
Andy, together with his Fiancée; Dr Lindsey Fields (PHD), owns and operates GRACIE Jiu Jitsu Commerce​. He has been studying martial arts since 2006. He is a GRACIE Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under Master Pedro Sauer, and a Certified Pedro Sauer Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Association Level 1 Certified Instructor, a Black Belt in Japanese Jiu Jitsu, and Blue Belt in Martial Arts (Okawa Te Bujutsu Kai), and a Purple Belt in Tae Kwon Do. His goal is to supplement his training with Judo. He studied Mixed Martial Arts since 2010, including 3 amateur fights with a 2-1 record, 2 wins by submission, 1 loss by decision. He promoted MMA fights in Athens and surrounding areas from 2012 - 2013 and is still sought after by many of Georgia fighters for ground training and fight preparation. When not doing martial arts, he enjoys scuba diving, wakeboarding, boating, motorcycles, and Georgia football.
Andy’s is also Owner and Electrical Contractor at Arnold Electric of Athens Inc.
