Brian Hill began studying aikido in 1996.  Brian also studied karate
and tae kwon do in his youth.  He was promoted to sandan (third
degree black belt) in October of 2005.   Brian has participated in the
uchi deshi programs under Pat Hendricks sensei in San Leandro,
CA, and Hitohiro Saito sensei in Iwama, Japan.  Brian began
teaching aikido at the Downtown Campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds
Community College in the fall of 2001, and began calling his dojo
River City Aikido in the Spring of 2005.  

Brian is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has practiced
psychotherapy with children, adolescents, and their families. He
currently supervises substance abuse therapist at the Bon Air
Juvenile Correctional Center.  He holds a bachelor's degree in
psychology from Virginia Wesleyan College and a master's degree
in clinical social work from Virginia Commonwealth University.  
Julie Linker started practicing aikido in 2003 with J. Sargeant
Reynolds Community College, before Brian sensei officially started
River City Aikido.  She currently hold the rank of nikyu, and has been
assisting with kids classes since they started in 2005.  Julie was also a
co-therapist with Brian sensei at the Virginia Treatment Center for
Children, where they le the Therapeutic Martial Arts Program groups
with the children and adolescents placed in the Residential Program.  
This was a program designed to serve children with emotional and
behavioral challenges, in which practical self-defense is key, but also
where self-discipline, self-control, coping strategies, and safe
emotional expression is fostered.

Julie is a Licenced Child Psychologist, and the Associate Director of
the Center for Child and Family Studies at the Virginia Treatment
Center for Children where she facilitates and actively pursues her own
research in the field of child and family mental health.  She also
provides individual and family psychotherapy for patients, and
provides clinical supervision and training within the psychology
training curriculum at VTCC.
Aikido Kids Instructors