Meet the Team

  • A smiling young woman with light brown hair in a braid, wearing a white karate gi, standing outdoors near the coast at sunset.

    Margaret Izotov

    FOUNDER

    Margaret founded Maitera in 2020. She is a 3rd degree black belt in Shotokan karate, a blue-belt in jiu jitsu under Richie Martinez, and has a Master’s in Science in Child and Family Development, where she developed a raining for sport coaches to better support neurodiverse youth in her programs.

    Fun Fact: She is also a dancer, and loves to go bachata dancing!

  • A young woman with red hair smiling outdoors in front of plants and buildings. She is wearing a navy blue shirt with a white undershirt, and a name tag that says 'Maitera'.

    Natalie Cordero

    DIRECTOR

    Natalie has been training in martial arts for the past 3 ½ years, and has worked with students of all abilities for the past 7 years. Previously a SPED teacher in the Grossmont Union School District, her love of martial arts, working with students, and connecting others to the sport of jiu jitsu has been her main focus and passion.

    Fun Fact: She runs the podcast Hang Loose MMA.

  • A smiling man with a beard and mustache wearing a navy T-shirt stands outdoors on a sunny day, with a building in the background.

    Chris Franke

    REGIONAL MANAGER

    Chris has been training in both jiu jitsu and kickboxing for the past 6 years. He is currently a brown belt under Richie Martinez. He currently teaches striking and grappling classes for kids and adults from ages 4 and above. He loves martial arts because because it gives him goals to work towards and accomplish while learning self defense and getting regular exercise.

    Fun Fact: He is a certified dog trainer!

  • A smiling man with a beard and styled hair standing in front of a bush with purple flowers, wearing a light gray t-shirt with the text 'MAI•TERA' on it.

    Diallo Taylor

    COACH & OFFICE MANAGER

    Diallo has been training in martial arts for the past 10 years and is currently ranked as a brown belt in jiu jitsu. For Diallo, grappling has taught him about what accountability truly entails - dedication, discipline, persistence, and resilience. It also provided him with a creative outlet to express himself.

    Fun fact: He was a former federal law enforcement officer and is a new parent!

  • Smiling man with dark, spiked hair wearing a light blue hoodie outdoors

    Joshua Kirby

    COACH

  • A young woman with glasses and dark hair tied up in a bun, smiling, standing in front of a large tree.

    Nancy Quidachay

    COACH

    Nancy is a life-long martial artist! She started training in wrestling when she was 12, and she currently holds a black belt in judo, and is an active MMA fighter. Nancy currently teaches judo at SDSU, coaches women’s wrestling at Lincoln High School, and is a part of the USA Sumo Team!

    Fun Fact: She is multilingual (English, Spanish, French) and she can play the flute.

  • Young man with curly dark hair smiling outdoors, standing in front of a tree.

    Alex Nesovic

    COACH

    Alex started doing martial arts around 6-7 years ago. He started his training in judo and jiu jitsu, and now he practices a variety of martial arts, including Filipino stick-fighting. Martial arts has given him an awesome community to be a part of.

    Fun Fact: He mostly practices knife-fighting and Eskrima.

  • A smiling man with dark hair and facial hair stands outdoors in front of trees, wearing a black T-shirt with a white logo that says 'MAITERA' inside a circle, under a clear blue sky.

    Ezra Lopez

    COACH

    Ezra started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in 2018, but decided to branch out during Covid because many gyms weren’t open. Since then, he’s been practicing Muay Thai, however he enjoys all martial arts and always look for opportunities to cross train! Martial arts has been a great avenue for him to make friends.

    Fun Fact: He is currently getting his degree from SDSU in PR & Journalism.

  • Smiling young man in a gray T-shirt standing outside a school building.

    Leo Ilagan

    COACH

    Leo started martial arts when he was 14. He started with taekwondo and after 5 years he got his second degree black belt. He then transitioned over to kickboxing, and have been doing that since. Martial arts gave him a huge outlet when he was a teen, and created a lot of healthy habits for him. Martial arts has always been something that he can turn to, and now he loves the privilege of sharing it with others.

    Fun fact: He has been snowboarding for 17 years.