Studio BE Pilates
 

Meet the Instructors

All of our instructors are certified through nationally recognized, comprehensive certification programs. All are members of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), and most have a lifetime of movement experience, either in dance, fitness, and/or personal training. Our apprentices are currently engaged in the Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program, offered jointly through Harmony Pilates Studio and Studio BE Pilates.

 

carla

Carla Vercoe, Owner

Carla has a BA from the George Washington University and after a 25 year career in a professional industry, transitioned into a career in Pilates.  After discovering Pilates she realized that it offered a more balanced and less stressful lifestyle. She has always been active in the fitness industry and is a certified Spinning Instructor. Carla received a mat certification through PowerHouse Pilates and after years of personal practice realized that the Pilates Method was the most successful way to achieve overall health and fitness.  She realized that she wanted to share the Method with others and aspired to teach the full Pilates Method. She then undertook her teacher training of over 600 hours under Michele Larsson’s internationally renowned program, Core Dynamics in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  She has been teaching Pilates since 2004 and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Carla is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™.

 

 

Deneen

Deneen Buckley

Deneen received her BA in Economics from the College of William and Mary. While attending William and Mary, she completed her 13th year of competitive gymnastics. Deneen has over 10 years of experience as a fitness instructor. Deneen earned her Pilates Mat certification from the Physical Mind Institute and her comprehensive Pilates Certification through Core Dynamics Pilates. Additionally, she has earned an aerobics certification from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Deneen is a member in good standing of the Pilates Method Alliance. Deneen is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™.

 

 

 

 

Joy

Joy Hirsch

Joy began Pilates in 2000 and accrued over 1,000 hours of personal practice before beginning the certification process in October of 2005.  She completed comprehensive certification through Core Dynamics Pilates of Santa Fe and is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance.  Her movement experience includes ballet and jazz dance, and cross country running.  She finds that Pilates is the most effective system in overall body fitness and stress reduction, as well as being appropriate for people of all ages.  Joy was previously employed in international accounting and finance for a Fortune 10 corporation, and worked overseas as a financial consultant. Joy is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™.

 

 

 

Diane

Diane Cowen

Diane has completed 250 hours of Pilates mat certification through The Professional Health and Fitness Institute and well over 450 hours of training with Core Dynamics for her comprehensive certification. She is currently studying for her certification test with the Pilates Method Alliance. She has 21 years of experience as a Physical Therapy Assistant after earning an Associate's Degree in Physical Therapy. She has practiced dance for 19 years and was a gymnast for 7 years. Diane works full time at an out-patient orthopedic sports medicine clinic. She utilizes the practice of Pilates every day in the treatment of patients in physical therapy, as well as her teaching at Studio BE. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and IDEA. Diane is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™.

 

 

 

Mary

Mary Johlfs

Mary began practicing Pilates in 2001 as a complement to marathon training. With a regular practice, she began to enjoy the benefits that Pilates training brought to her running: increased flexibility and strength, better balance and alignment, and injury prevention. She completed her comprehensive certification through Harmony Pilates/ Studio BE Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program and is a PMA-Certified Pilates Teacher. An accomplished runner, Mary has completed 25 marathons and ultra-marathons. She is also an avid cyclist, certified Spinning instructor, and a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher. She is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance and IDEA. Mary is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™. Additionally, she has experience teaching yoga for cancer patients at Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital.

 

 

 

lisa

Lisa Whelan

After 15 years in the legal industry and after 2 years of practicing Pilates, Lisa began a full-time career teaching Pilates in 2008.  She is a certified Pilates instructor, having completed the Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program under Dilla Mastrangelo, MA in Pittsburgh, PA.  The curriculum includes instruction, personal practice, apprentice teaching, and self-study. Lisa is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance.  She also has a BA in Marketing from VA Tech. 

Lisa believes in training hard while having fun and in integrating Pilates into a balanced lifestyle. 

 

 

 

 

nancy

Nancy Bright

Nancy has been a certified Pilates instructor since 2007, upon completion of a comprehensive 450 hour teacher training program offered through Core Dynamics of Santa Fe.  She began her personal practice of Pilates in 2000.  Nancy continues to enhance her professional training with participation in workshops, seminars, and practicum.  Nancy is an enthusiastic proponent of Pilates because she believes it is the most efficient form of exercise and can be practiced by people of all ages.  A competitive swimmer in high school and college, she had a career as an executive in a local homebuilding firm before leaving, upon the arrival of twins, to devote time to her family. Nancy is also a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™.

 

 

 

 

sherri

Sherri Reed

Pilates became a part of Sherri’s life in 2006, after grueling hours of cardio and years of competitive weight lifting started to take its toll on her back.  Pilates made her pain subside--she was able to lift her legs without shooting pain in her low back and hip, and the numbness in her hands subsided.  She was able to do activities she had not done in years, giving her a new lease on life.  She was finally focused physically and mentally and knew that she wanted to be able to bring all that Pilates has to offer into other people’s lives.  She began her teacher training certification program at Studio BE Pilates October of 2007. She received her certification in January 2009. 
Sherri sees Pilates as a journey.  The body is ever changing and Pilates is always challenging.  Wellness and movement are a large part of her life, and she  proud to have the ability to share this journey with others.  Sherri is a true believer in Pilates and how it can enhance, and if need be, change your life. 

 

 

 

 

julieJulie L. Roegge

Julie is a life-long fitness practitioner and 15-year fitness professional who earned her first Pilates certification in 1998.  She now has  Pilates mat certifications through the Physical Mind Institute (2001), Quantum Pilates (2001), and Body Arts and Science International (BASI) (2006), and has also holds comprehensive Pilates apparatus certifications through Quantum Pilates (2002) and BASI (2006).  Julie is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance, is certified in CPR, is a Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, certified by the Pink Ribbon Program™, and has studied extensively with SmartSpineTM inventor Marie-Jose Blom.
Julie finds joy in all forms of movement and related education, and her personal commitment is to never stop learning and experiencing more.  She has enthusiastically sought to learn from a wide-variety of sources so as to be able to find the best way to help every individual client. She has had success helping clients seeking relief from pain as well as those seeking improved fitness.

 

 

Erika Surma

Erika is a certified Pilates mat instructor through the Physical Mind Institute and is currently completing her comprehensive hours through Studio Be Pilates.  She has also trained in Pilates apparatus with Mike Wright of the Body College in Washington, DC and completed a six week Pilates mat course with Linda Tarnay at the American Dance Festival.  As a professional modern dancer, Erika has great knowledge of the body and injury and applies her unique experiences to her Pilates instruction.  Outside of Pilates, Erika is co-Artistic Director of the Fairfax based and Metro DC Dance Award winning Next Reflex Dance Collective and teaches dance at Marymount University and Northern Virginia Community College.  Additionally, she received a BA in dance from The University of Maryland, College Park in 1999 and an MFA in dance from George Mason University in 2006.

 

 

 

Suite 215 | 4211 Fairfax Corner East Ave., Fairfax, VA 22030 | Phone: 703-222-0122 | Email Us