President Tanya Christopher

Tanya Christopher discovered Pole and Aerial at the age of 23 years old in the year 2007. Tanya was a competitive dancer and tumbler since the age of 4. She taught children dance and tumbling in over 20 schools and was also a contracted professional choreographer for over 10 years.

Tanya went to school for Business and Accounting and opened her studio, “Amorous Dance Pole and Fitness” on September 26th, 2011. Tanya is now going on over 12 years of strong, successful business and over 17 years of experience with teaching Pole and Aerial.

Tanya is the President of the US Aerial Federation. She focuses on the core functions of the organization to enable it to achieve its long-term vision. Areas of focus include strategy, finance, board management, fundraising, and program delivery.

Treasurer Thomas J Emig

Thomas is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and has over 40 years of experience in the field of accounting and finance. He has extensive experience working as an auditor, controller, and chief financial officer.

Working in both the private sector as well as with non-profits, Thomas has expertise in developing and managing successful Finance, Human Resources, IT, and Operational Departments such as payroll and management reporting.

Thomas will oversee the organization’s financial administration. This includes managing cash flow, paying and recording bills, maintaining a record of debt, selecting a bank, and reconciling statements.

Governance & Ethics Committee Chair JoAnn Galliano

JoAnn has had experience working with the pole association as an assistant to the judges. In this position, she was responsible for assisting the judges and ensuring the judges had the tools needed to fairly judge the completion. JoAnn had previous experience as president of a nonprofit in California and currently serves as an educational consultant to a California state board.

JoAnn will utilize her knowledge to oversee Board compliance with USAF Bylaws and Policies.

Events & Membership Chair Jill Atkinson

Jill Atkinson is our Events and Memberships Chair and is also on the Fundraising and Sponsorship committee as part of the USAF. 

Jill currently resides in South Florida and is a transplant from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has been dancing since 1979 in all genres of classic dance as well as discovering Pole and Aerial in 2016. She has been coaching, choreographing and teaching all ages since 1989. Additionally, she has been a competitive athlete and dancer since 1986. Once she discovered the art of Pole and Aerial in 2016, she found a new love and has been training, competing and coaching since! Jill is also a Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Aerial Instructor and specializes in training aerial athletes for performances and competition circuits throughout the USA. Jill is also co-owner of Cohesive Movement Center located as well in South Florida. Cohesive Movement Center is an aerial training facility with a mission to help athletes train effectively for their journey as well as providing cross training capabilities.

Jill has an extensive financial corporate background as well that will provide a positive addition to our board for her position as the Events and Memberships Chair for USAF. Her knowledge of coordinating successful gatherings and planning skills as it pertains to working with other professionals will provide smooth event experiences for all that attend. She will also be a great resource for the Fundraising and Sponsorship committee based on her financial skills.