Joe Lilly is a Gracie Certified Instructor as well as the head instructor and owner of Berwyn Heights BJJ. He has been involved in grappling and the martial arts for over 25 years, training and competing in several disciplines including Brazilian and Japanese Jiu Jitsu, kickboxing and wrestling. He holds a Master’s Degree in teaching, and incorporates many universal learning strategies into his BJJ classes to maximize his student’s progress and knowledge retention.

Rob Defibaugh is a Gracie Certified Instructor, an Army veteran and has been a police officer since 2004. During his career as a police officer he has been a member of various specialty units including SWAT and K-9. In addition to his Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Certification, he holds instructor certifications from the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission in various disciplines including Taser and Defense Tactics.

Vivian Cooper is our Gracie Women Empowered® Instructor, Vivian has been training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since 2017 in addition to serving as a local Animal Control Officer, part-time Veterinarian Technician, and working towards her Associates Degree in veterinarian technology. Vivian was the second graduate of the Women Empowered® curriculum at Berwyn Heights BJJ and the first Women Empowered 2.0® curriculum graduate at the school.

Randy Haywardy completed the Gracie Instructor Certification Program in 2021 to become a member of our Gracie Certified Instructor team! His first experience with BJJ was a Rener Gracie seminar in Washington, DC followed by a Ryron Gracie seminar in Richmond, and the rest is history. He has been training at Berwyn Heights BJJ since 2019 and is certified to teach the Gracie Bullyproof® and Gracie Combatives® programs at our school.

Jodie Hayward is a Gracie Certified Instructor is a 2021 graduate of both the Gracie Instructor Certification Program and the Women Empowered Instructor Certification Program, which makes her one of only a handful of women in the country to accomplish both simultaneously! She first tried out BJJ at a seminar with her husband as a birthday gift, but then fell in love with the art. She currently teaches classes in Combatives® and Women Empowered®, and is certified in the Bullyproof® program as well.

Michael Balagtas came to Berwyn Heights BJJ in 2019 with a background in wrestling, taekwondo, and law enforcement. Soon after, the whole family started training as well! He soon decided that he wanted to pursue instructorship as well, and he graduated the Gracie Instructor Certification Program ® in 2021. He is certified to teach both our Gracie Combatives® and Gracie Bullyproof® classes.