Tina Maxbauer
President
Tina is currently a Senior Manager in information technology. She works for Trinity Health, the second largest Non-Profit Catholic Health Organization in the country. She has been with the Trinity Organization for the past 30 years holding a variety of positions, including but not limited to, Project Manager, Business/Data Analyst, and Resource Manager. She is organized, efficient, and well versed in budgets, public speaking, and managing people and situations.
Tina has been married to her husband, Paul for 20 years. They now enjoy their own activities after raising their blended family of 6 children, Tina and Paul have 9 grandchildren whom they love to spend time with and spoil!
Tina is a very active member at DSC. She has served on the DSC Board for 3 years, the past two as Board President. She is an adult skater who has competed in both singles and synchronized skating. She practices, on multiple sessions, 5 days a week in the early morning hours before work. She has acted as the chairperson for the coach hospitality for Skate Detroit as well as the backstage manager for the DSC Annual Ice Show.
Dr. Kim Bland
Vice-President
Kim is the Chief Academic Officer for a nonprofit organization specializing in charter school management with over twenty years of experience in education. Kim chaired the Nominating Committee, chaired the By-Laws Committee, and is currently the Board's Vice President and co-chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Kim understands the time and commitment it takes to support a scholar-athlete. Her son Ralph plays college basketball. Additionally, her daughter Kristina, a freshman at the University of Michigan, started skating in the Basic Skills program at DSC, spent three years competing with DSC's Evolution Synchronized Skating Teams, and is currently a part of Team USA for ice dance.
Biana Hamady
Treasurer
Biana lives in Waterford with her husband of 18 years, David, and daughter Isabella. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Oakland University and a Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University College of Law. She has practiced law for the last 18 years in various different capacities. She was a shareholder at a law firm for 15 years where she specialized in creditor’s rights. She now works as General Counsel for a conglomerate of companies owned by one family.
Biana has been part of the DSC family since the fall of 2011 when her daughter, Isabella, started skating at the age of 4. Biana has been involved in every ice show since 2012. She was generally in the locker room helping all the children as her passion is working with children and helping them enjoy their ice show experience. For the last several years she has been a numbers chair for multiple numbers and helps assist the parents and children in making sure they have the best ice show experience. She has also assisted the rink in a number of roles including assisting in Team Olympic, DSC Learn to Skate Open Houses, and Skate Detroit. Over the years she has also assisted DSC with several legal issues and concerns.
Biana’s daughter Isabella, has skated at DSC for the past 10 years, starting in Learn to Skate Basic Skills program, competing in the freestyle program, and now is competing in Solo Dance figure skating. Isabella has participated in over nine DSC Ice Shows, the Detroit Winter Blast, and the 2019 Geico U.S. Figure Skating Championship Opening Ceremony and sweeping the ice after the performers finished their program. Isabella loves younger children and has been an active volunteer as a teen assistant in the Learn to Skate program at DSC for several years.
Kati Becker
Secretary
Kati and her husband Tim, live in West Bloomfield with their daughter Claire and three dogs. Kati and her family have been part of the DSC family for over 10 years. Kati is a Registered Nurse who has worked at the University of Michigan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee, and Henry Ford Hospital. For the past eight years, she has run the health room at Claire’s elementary school (St. Hugo School), and she is currently working full time as the Covid Coordinator/office and health assist for St.Hugo.
Over the course of her years at DSC, Kati has been actively involved in many aspects of our club, regularly volunteering for many activities and events across many different areas and programs. She was the manager of the Evolution Synchronized Skating team for 6 years, during which time she not only handled the administrative aspects of the team but also helped with their annual auction and skating camp. She continued to assist Evolution with their competition forms and competition dresses even when her daughter did not skate for Evolution. Kati has been Chair of the Security Committee for the DSC Ice Show for the past 6 years. This position includes scheduling and managing all security and usher volunteers as well as handling all security-related issues arising during the performances and rehearsals. She also regularly assists with Ice Show tryouts and set-up. Her involvement with the Ice Show has given her the opportunity to meet and interact with parents and skaters at all levels of club involvement. Kati is also actively involved in Skate Detroit, and she has been the Chair of the Monitors/Runners Committee for the past 6 years. She served as Co-Chair of the DSC Monitors/Runners Committee for the upcoming 2019 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships.
Maria Pacis-Biederman
Officer
Maria joined the DSC board in 2020. Her children began skating in the Learn to Skate program at DSC in 2005. They have participated in Tier 2 and Tier 3 hockey programs, figure skating, synchronized skating and the Detroit Skating Club’s annual ice show.
Maria has served on the Communications, Fundraising, Building and Membership committees for the rink. She also serves in a volunteer capacity on the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association district 4 council and on the Executive Committee for Adat Shalom Synagogue.
Amy Francis
Officer
Amy lives in Southfield with her husband Darin and their two teen-aged sons, Gabe and Oscar. Gabe started in the DSC LTS program, competed in synchro with Evolution, is a three-time national competitor and two-time national medalist in ice dance, and is currently on tour with Disney on Ice. Oscar also learned to skate at DSC before turning his attention to music and theater. Amy has volunteered for many ice shows, Skate Detroit, and for Nationals. Both Amy and Darin are life-long Michiganders with a love of the outdoors. They have been married for 25 years.
Valerie Knoelk
Officer
Valerie lives in West Bloomfield. She has been in the Healthcare and Information Technology field for many years. She has been very active in various volunteer roles during many events at DSC for over several years, including announcer, Coaches and Judges Hospitality, and many other positions too numerous to mention. In addition, she served as a member of the Nominating Committee for DSC Board of Directors and as Locker Room Committee Chair for numerous years including during the 2019 Geico U.S. Figure Skating Championships at Little Caesars Arena.
Valerie is a competitive skater and has had the opportunity to travel to many competitions over the years and meet amazing people from all over the world who have a passion for the sport. She had the honor of skating in 2019 Geico U.S. Figure Skating Championship Opening Ceremony. She enjoys skating and sharing that passion with other people. Her passion for skating was recognized and she was asked to teach at camps for Figure Skating in Detroit.
Pine Kopka-Ross
Officer
Pine has been a Resident member of the Detroit Skating Club for the past 16 years. Originally from Traverse City, Pine moved to Ann Arbor in 2005 to study at the University of Michigan and train at DSC. He was an active national-level competitor through 2009, participated in numerous DSC ice shows, and has served as an official of Skate Detroit since he retired from competitive skating in 2010. In 2014, Pine moved to the west coast to pursue his MBA and he now lives in Seattle, WA. Pine is a Strategy & Consulting Senior Manager (Junior Partner) at Accenture where he helps some of world’s largest companies reimagine their business functions and help them to be more resilient.
Pine has remained active in the skating community since his retirement and has a vested interest in ensuring DSC’s future. He holds national-level appointments as a Judge and Technical Panel Member, serves on multiple U.S. Figure Skating committees as both regional and sectional vice chairs, and is an active official at competitions and U.S. Figure Skating events across the US. Pine also served on the Strategic Planning Committee for the U.S. Figure Skating Board of Directors and created the latest 4-year strategic plan. Finally, Pine keeps strong ties to the Midwest and serves as the Chief Referee for annual Ann Arbor Springtime Invitational, among other competitions in Colorado, California, Oregon, Ohio, etc.
DSC was Pine’s home away from home when he was learning who he was and where he wanted to be in his life. Many of his life-long friends are from the skating community and from his time at DSC – he hopes that this is the case for many generations to come.
Paula Techlin
Officer
Paula lives in Bloomfield Hills with her husband, Tim, and daughter Hope. She has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Electrical (BSEEE) from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Engineering, Technical Japanese (METJ) from the University of Wisconsin. She has worked in the engineering field for 30 years, holding various technical and project leadership positions in both Washington DC and Southeast Michigan. Her current role as Operations Support Engineer for the General Motors Aerodynamics Laboratory focuses her efforts on efficiency and customer support. She also is a Master Black Belt in Design for Six Sigma, an industry-recognized engineering and business management program.
When her daughter's enthusiasm for skating grew, Paula's involvement at DSC grew as well. She has been the Chair for Quick Change for the Ice Show for the past 5 years, and was on Costume and Charity Table committees as well. She also volunteered in several different roles for Skate Detroit over the past years, from selling programs, to Ice Monitor, and helping in the Volunteer Hospitality room. She also assisted for several days at the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Paula ran the Used Skate and Apparel sale for two years. She also assists with DSC Learn to Skate Open Houses.
Paula has been a member of The Village Club of Bloomfield Hills Membership Committee, as well as Chair of the Bourbon Club. She has participated in organizing and hosting several Village Club events as well.
Additionally, Paula has participated in the Adult Learn to Skate program over the past three years. She enjoys skating and is enthused with the number of different skating programs DSC offers to all ages and skill sets.