Kathy Cook
Director
Kathy has been a devoted and active member of the Detroit Skating Club (DSC or the Club)—and U.S. Figure Skating (USFS)—for multiple decades. Each of Kathy’s three daughters were enrolled in DSC’s LTS program in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Her daughters pursued different aspects of the sport, including her oldest in freestyle, collegiate skating, and a member of Team USA in synchronized skating; her second as a competitive ice dancer; and her third as a recreational skater. Kathy also pursued skating as an adult skater while her girls trained at DSC. Kathy’s involvement in skating has extended to other generations—her granddaughter and grandson currently skate at DSC; and her daughter has served as a volunteer at Skate Detroit and as Co-Chair of Skate Detroit, and on multiple USFS committees.
Kathy has been heavily involved in volunteerism at the Club. She is a former Board Member and Secretary—serving from1991 to 2001, during which time the Club sent multiple athletes to national, world, and Olympic championships. Kathy represented DSC at Detroit Metro Council and served as Marketing and Publicity Chair of the LOC for the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. She has also held key LOC positions at such events as Skate America, a Junior Grand Prix, and two U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships. Additionally, Kathy has volunteered for Skate Detroit in registration and judges’ hospitality and most recently as Co-Chair. Notably, Kathy and her husband, Roger (who works as an attorney), worked closely with the club to secure its 501(c)(3) designation prompting other clubs to do the same. The 1994 USFS Championships LOC was also designated a 501(c)(3), which gave the club funds for the lobby, offices, and C rink. As a result of their service and continued dedication to DSC, Kathy and Roger were designated Life Members in 2022.
Kathy is also active in USFS. As a DSC Board Member, she has represented the Club at Governing Council on numerous occasions. She has served on the Collegiate Programs Committee, Sanctions and Eligibility Committee, and Competitions Committee. Kathy is currently a USFS national accountant, (now called Scoring Official) and served as Midwest Sectional Vice Chair for Accountants, National Vice Chair for Accountants (Event Management Officials Sub-Committee) and as a member of Domestic Officials Recruitment and Management Committee. As a USFS accountant, Kathy has been assigned to numerous non-qualifying and qualifying events, including as chief accountant at Skate Detroit, assistant accountant at the 2019 USFS Championships (held in Detroit), as chief accountant for the 2020 USFS Championships, and as chief accountant for USFS Synchronized Skating Championships.
Kathy is thrilled to have this opportunity to continue to serve, give back to the Club, and help it pursue its mission and vision—both as a business and as a safe and inclusive space that enables all ice sport participants to achieve their goals. Her experience and leadership will bring added depth and perspective if elected to serve on the DSC Board of Directors.
Kathy holds a BS from Wayne State University and a MA from Oakland University. She lives with her husband (and dog Pepper) in West Bloomfield and Naples, Florida.
Paul Margolis
Director
Paul has been a member of the Detroit Skating Club since moving to Michigan in 2018 when his now 16-year-old daughter Nora switched to skating at the rink.She has continued throughout that time and now teaches Learn to Skate classes and participated in Detroit Theatre on Ice.He and his family regularly spend a significant amount of time at the rink and actively support and participate in activities.Paul volunteers as an announcer while his wife Caroline leads support for events such as the annual Ice Show and Skate Detroit.
Paul is a practicing attorney with more than 25 years of experience dealing with commercial and property contracts and disputes.Currently, Paul is General Counsel for the IS business unit at Aptiv, a large automotive Tier-1 supplier.Prior to working in the automotive industry, Paul was a Litigation Partner at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago.Outside of the rink, Paul served as the Board attorney for a large non-profit for many years and currently volunteers in the Launch program.
Paul lives in Bloomfield Township and values the opportunity to engage with DSC members and leaders to support and grow this ice rink and community.
Matthew Mason
Director
Matthew Mason, now retired, was an Assistant Director of a large prepaid legal services plan for over thirty years. Matt is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and remains a member of the Michigan Bar having specialized in bankruptcy and consumer law. Matt has served on the boards of nonprofit organizations over the years and is currently an officer and director of the National Consumer Bankruptcy Rights Center which specializes in appellate advocacy on behalf of consumer debtors. Matt has been a member of the DSC family for over 30 years as an adult skater, primarily as an ice dancer. He believes that he has taken ice dance lessons from every DSC coach who was willing to take him on as a project. Matt has volunteered for Skate Detroit for many years as well as at both National championships held in Detroit. Matt is currently working with DSC staff to raise funds through grant applications and private donations. Matt supports DSC’s mission to foster a fun and inclusive community of skaters and to instill a commitment to excellence on and off the ice. As a board member Matt would look forward to the opportunity to use his experience in nonprofit governance to support the club and help it continue to grow and thrive.
Tina Maxbauer
Director
Tina Maxbauer 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 34 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 24 years. They now enjoy their own activities after raising their blended family of 6 children, Tina and Paul have 12 grandchildren whom they love to spend time with and spoil!
Tina is a very active member of DSC. She served on the DSC Board for 6 years, five as Board President, and currently participates on the board as the ex-officio (non-voting) member. 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.
Aya Takai
Director
Since joining the Detroit Skating Club in 2012, Aya Takai has had the honor of representing DSC on the international level as a Team USA pair skater and most recently, on the national level as an Ice Dance Judge at the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. As a skater from Missouri, the opportunity to move to Michigan and train at DSC changed the trajectory of her skating career. As a member of the Board, Aya is committed to ensuring the next generation of DSC athletes have the same support and opportunities to strive for excellence.
Off the ice, Aya has held senior leadership roles in both the public and private sectors. She currently serves as the Senior Advisor to the Massachusetts Insurance Commissioner, the state regulatory authority which monitors the financial solvency of insurers and safeguards consumer protections. Previously, she served as Policy Advisor to the Governor of Michigan and Director of State Policy and Advocacy at Commonwealth Care Alliance, a nonprofit mission-driven health services organization, now part of CareSource. She is experienced in advising public leaders, nonprofits, and VC-backed startups around leveraging smart policy and responsible government funding to expand business and economic opportunities.
Since retiring from competition, Aya has served on various U.S. Figure Skating Committees and is active as a National Ice Dance Judge, Sectional Singles and Pairs Judge, and Sectional Referee. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and lives in Royal Oak and Boston.