Team Members
Kirstin Kaines, Executive Director
Kirstin Kaines is the founder and executive director of KickStart Self-Defense. She earned her BS in Journalism and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kirstin and her husband moved to Fort Collins 25 years ago to start a dental practice and a family. While working part-time as a bookkeeper, she volunteered extensively with the Rocky Mountain XC (cross country) Club and Bauder Elementary, which grew her passion for non-profit endeavors. As a mom of four grown kids, her heart is to see youth thriving and safe. In addition to time with family and friends, Kirstin loves biking, running, photography, writing, listening to music, and cooking.
Judy Whitman, Board Chair
Judy Whitman contributes an extensive background in education and a passion for ensuring youth are safe, confident and prepared to make good choices in high school and beyond. She earned her BA in biology and education from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Judy retired after 31 years of teaching science at Poudre High School and overseas. She raised two college aged kids who attended Rocky and ran cross country. Her heart to serve extends to many fortunate organizations including Fort Collins Natural Areas, the Gardens at Spring Creek, and science tutoring. Her love of the outdoors is evidenced in her hobbies – Judy enjoys skiing, hiking and camping, and gardening in her free time. She loves to hone her cello skills with a small group of women, and traveling with her husband, Chris. Judy joined the KickStart team as one of our first training assistants before transitioning to a critical role on our board.
Alison Holloran, Board Chair
Alison Holloran is the executive director of Audubon Rockies and a vice president of the National Audubon Society. Before Audubon, Alison was a research scientist for the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming. She received her master's degree in zoology and physiology from the University of Wyoming and her B.S. in wildlife management from University of West Virginia. Alison enjoys any activity that takes her outdoors, including hiking, birdwatching, hunting, skiing, and running.
Amy Snider, Board Director
Amy Snider has lived in the Fort Collins community for over 25 years. After graduating from Cornell University in 1996, she moved to Fort Collins with her now husband, Matt. Amy's guiding principle in all her endeavors is: “Success is giving back to others.” Raised by educators, she holds a strong sense of how her work helps others to grow and achieve their dreams. In over 20 years in youth and women's sports, her job provided opportunities and platforms for others to rise up and find their true form. Now in the small business service industry, she provides a space for customers to feel a sense of belonging, while building strong ties with her employees and interns. As owner and operator of Cups Community Coffee, she offers employees a place to build skills and grow into serving others. Her husband and children, Summer (PHS 25) and Jackson, (CSU ‘25) work with her regularly at the shop. When she isn't running the cafe, Amy enjoys mountain biking, swimming and leatherwork.
Angie Goldfain, Board Chair & Instructor
Angie Goldfain serves as a board chair and instructor for Kick Start Self Defense. She earned her degree in microbiology and chemistry from Colorado State University and spent her college summers overseas as a camp counselor supporting youth at U.S. military bases. Her professional career centered on biotechnology instrumentation development for both small startups and large companies in Fort Collins. Now working as a part-time consultant, Angie is passionate about giving back to the community through KickStart and other local organizations. In her free time, Angie loves cooking, reading, spending time with her husband and family, and traveling- especially to Italy!
Mariah Saffa, Board Chair
Mariah Saffa Nelson is Senior Director of Consumer Marketing at Dairy MAX, bringing over a decade of consumer marketing experience to her work supporting farm families and the future of our food system. She previously led marketing for the Denver Nuggets at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and has since built a career holding director-level roles across multiple industries - from live entertainment to consumer goods.
Todd Ediger, Lead Instructor
Todd Ediger is a police detective specializing in sexual assault and violent crimes
investigations. He is the lead defensive tactics instructor for his agency and two Colorado Peace Officer Academies where he teaches defensive tactics to police cadets. A life long martial artist, Todd has trained in judo, boxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu and Krav Maga. Todd lends his invaluable experience as a qualified use of force expert and life long martial artist to KickStart. He plays an integral role in curriculum development and training of our KickStart Self-Defense team.
Andrew Beck, Lead Instructor
Andrew Beck is co-owner of Becks’ Martial Arts, along with his wife, Rebekah. Becks' Martial Arts is an award-winning martial arts school with locations in Fort Collins and Wellington, Colorado.
Andrew began his training in the 90’s and has devoted his life and career to the instruction of Taekwondo and the personal development of his students. Becks' Martial Arts has won the “Best of NoCo” award three years in a row. Andrew has earned Mastership status in Taekwondo in October of 2024, and he is a two time champion in Taekwondo. Instruction and mentorship are two of Mr. Beck's passions, and he shares them with patience and a generous spirit with KickStart Self-Defense.
The Becks believe that martial arts makes the world a safer and better place and strive to provide a community for everyone.
KickStart Self-Defense's instructing team offers a unique blend of martial arts experience!
Our dedicated team of instructors offer a broad range of experience in diverse disciplines of martial arts. We incorporate skills in taekwondo, judo, muay thai, jiu jitsu, grappling, and wrestling into our personal safety training. One of our lead instructors is a Master in Taekwondo, while another trains police cadets in de-escalation, self-defense and disarmament techniques. For our students, this expertise enhances the depth and flexibility of our curriculum. And with a balance of experienced martial artists and laypeople, we develop trainings that are accessible to students with no experience. We welcome and encourage a collaborative approach to self-defense problems, because no single approach is right or wrong. KickStart approaches personal safety from a very defensive posture - our goal is escaping to safety whenever possible. Our instructing team is well equipped to respond knowledgeably to questions to ensure your training exceeds your expectations.