Board of Directors - Inline Skating Lessons

MEET OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Karina Miller has 30 years of business and human resources leadership experience and a passion for empowering people’s dreams to come true. Since 2015, she has served as a Sr. HR Consultant supporting high-growth, entrepreneurial, and virtually located companies.

Karina currently lives the RV life, roaming around the country with her husband. She loves the Skate Journey’s mission and has been re-discovering her love of in-line skating since connecting with Skate Journeys.

Brian Long has been a skater for most of his life, putting on his first pair of skates at about 6 years old. He has also worked in the skate industry for over 10 years. Most of Brian’s skating background has been in ‘aggressive’ skating, and he has spent significant time practicing and enjoying all styles of skating.

Brian owns and operates the US online store and Seattle storefront for Shop Task skate shop. His involvement with Skate Journeys began when he moved to Seattle from Vancouver, BC to open the Shop Task storefront, which introduced him to Trish Alexander and the Skate Journeys community!

Whether it be through accessibility to the right products, teaching, or community building, Brian is passionate about providing experiences that help others enjoy skating to its fullest potential.

Takeshi Shimizu brings a unique blend of technical leadership, operational excellence, and deep enthusiasm for skating to the Skate Journeys Board of Directors. With a long career in software engineering and DevOps, Takeshi is passionate about building efficient, scalable systems and enabling organizations to thrive through thoughtful automation and streamlined operations.

Takeshi’s skating journey spans both inline skating and ice skating, with a particular love for inline slalom, where precision, flow, and creativity come together. He is an active outdoor enthusiast as well, often spending time kayaking throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond technology and skating, Takeshi is an avid coffee roaster, exploring origins, roasting styles, and the craft of producing fresh, expressive coffee. His curiosity, discipline, and maker‑mindset show up in everything he does—from engineering systems to perfecting a roast to mastering a new skating skill.

Takeshi is excited to support Skate Journeys’ mission by contributing his operational expertise, community‑focused mindset, and passion for helping people discover joy on wheels.

Xiaowen Lei brings a strong background in software engineering, data analytics, and quantitative research to the Skate Journeys Board of Directors. She currently works as a Software Engineer at Google, following previous roles as an Analytics Manager at Expedia and a researcher in High Energy Physics.

Xiaowen picked up inline skating during COVID as a summer counterpart to cross-country skiing, which she also started during the pandemic. Her passion for the sport quickly grew, leading her to become a certified Skate IA instructor. Outside of engineering and skating, she loves traveling and exploring new places around the world. As Treasurer, Xiaowen is excited to combine her analytical background with her love for the skating community to support Skate Journeys’ growth and mission.