Board of Directors

Lisa Branic

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board Central and Mountain Representative, Board Chair

Lisa received her BS in Industrial Engineering and her MBA from Rutgers University.  After a decade of providing business and technology consulting services with Computer Sciences Corporation, she held leadership positions with Rosetta Stone as Director of the Global Project Management Office and thereafter with the University of Maryland Global Campus as Vice President of the Project Management Office.  In these roles, Lisa developed project management capabilities, aligned the vision and strategy of the organization to projects and operational initiatives, facilitated enterprise prioritization of these projects, and then provided delivery oversight. 

Lisa has deep experience working in commercial, non-profit, and educational sectors.  She has played pivotal roles in advancing organizational strategy and moving these organizations forward and is adept at navigating state and federal regulations.   All of this experience, combined with her experience as a Rolfer^™, make her an asset to the DIRI Board of Directors. 

As a certified coach with the International Coach Federation, Lisa still maintains a part-time consulting and corporate coaching business working with public health and Fortune 500 companies.  Lisa is also a certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists.  She practices Rolfing^®, Rolf Movement^®, Coaching and Consulting in Northern Virginia where she lives with her husband Mitch and her cat Shadow.

Jessica Dillard

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board Eastern Representative, Board Secretary

Jessica Dillard is a Certified Advanced Rolfer™ and the founder of Open Potential Bodywork, a private Rolfing® practice in Cleveland, Ohio. Since graduating from the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in 2014, she has spent over a decade walking alongside clients as they rediscover ease, alignment, and a deeper relationship with their bodies. With continuing education in Scarwork, Visceral Manipulation, Rolf Movement—and a deep respect for the body’s capacity to heal—Jessica creates space for lasting change, one session at a time.

In 2024, she earned her Advanced Rolfing Certification and also completed a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business, bringing a grounded, practical lens to her practice and to her service on the Institute’s Board of Directors. She’s passionate about seeing Rolfing flourish in the wider world—not only through increased recognition and demand, but by ensuring new graduates are equipped with the business support they need to thrive. For Jessica, fostering a vibrant, connected Rolfing community is essential to the growth and resilience of the work we all share.

Beyond her practice, Jessica finds joy in the natural rhythms of life—hiking forest trails, dancing salsa with abandon, and experimenting with new flavors in the kitchen. Each summer, she lovingly tends to the tomato plants on her back porch, finding magic in their scent, their slow unfurling growth, and the simple pleasure of homemade pizza sauce shared with friends.

Kayla Ann McGowan

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board Western Representative, Board Treasurer

Kayla Ann McGowan is in Burlington VT and has been a member of The Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® in Boulder, Colorado since 2016, and a Rolf Movement^® practitioner since 2021.

She worked as a Rolfer^™ in private practice in Denver for five years. She married a Vermont native and moved to Vermont. Currently lives and practices Rolfing^® SI, Reflexology, and Reiki in Burlington VT with her husband and cat Hobbs.

Kayla Ann teaches events and training in fascial anatomy, yoga teacher training, and anatomy physiology education online. Her passion lies in the framework as a teacher and mover of this world. She strives in the world of imagery and sensation with clients and students. Holding space for the subtle, and true movements of an organism. Allowing the language of life’s sensations and anatomy to be more fluid.

Juan David Velez

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board Faculty Representative

Juan David Vélez has been practicing as a Rolfer^™ and Rolf Movement^® Practitioner since 1995, first in his native Colombia, and for the last 15 years in Portland, Oregon. Juan David is guided by the belief that mastery is the place where logic, knowledge, and intuition converge.

As a practitioner, he combines a rigorous scientific understanding of the discipline with an open-minded, intuitive approach.

As a teacher, he builds a strong framework of the science, theory, and philosophy of Rolfing^® Structural Integration, and encourages students to investigate and master these concepts through play and personal exploration. Juan David has a particular interest in neuroplasticity, the seemingly limitless ability of the brain to change the body and to respond to the body by changing itself.

In his spare time, Juan David enjoys painting and ecstatic dance, a good cup of tea, and a serious game of chess.

Brett Linder

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board Faculty Representative

Brett Thomson Linder is a Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® Faculty Member, Certified Advanced Rolfer™, Certified Rolf Movement Practitioner®, and Licensed Massage Therapist. Brett has multiple practices that include his private practice as well as working at Alpine Urgent Care and Sports Medicine and Studio One Pilates. 

Brett stumbled across Rolfing^® in an effort to evolve beyond his own story and traumas. His experience with the Rolfing Ten-Series™ of Structural Integration changed his life. So much so that Brett quit his job in Behavioral Health and pursued Rolfing as a vocation. He is continuously grateful to still be on this path of wonder.

Brett's teaching, as well as his practices, are influenced and supported by his previous life experiences and education. His occupational history includes Nonprofit Management, Event Planning, Fundraising, Academia, Behavioral Health, Team Building, K-12 Education, his Rolfing practices, Myo-Fascial Technique Classes, and the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute^®.

Florian Thomas

Certified Advanced Rolfer^®
DIRI Board European Representative

Florian Thomas trained in Rolfing^® at the ERA in Munich and became a Certified Rolfer^® in 2018. Immediately after graduating he started working from two private offices in London and in Oxford, UK where he currently lives with his wife.

Florian was born in Austria and studied law, musicology and singing. He became a professional opera singer and joined the chorus at the Vienna State Opera before becoming a freelance singer in 2016. Given his background, he is particularly interested in everything related to the human voice and he has attended several specialist workshops in different fields of manual therapy. 

Ayman Ragab

Certified Rolfer^®
DIRI Board International Representative

Ayman Ragab is a Certified Rolfer® and Movement Integration Practitioner practicing between Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Giza, Egypt. He holds a master’s degree in Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy, and his work is rooted in the classical principles of Rolfing® Structural Integration with a deep respect for the lineage and teachings of Dr. Ida Rolf. He is interested in how do we evolve through Rolfing and how does Rolfing evolve through us.

Growing up in Egypt sparked a lifelong curiosity about the geometry, balance, and enduring presence of Ancient Egyptian architecture. Years later, through Rolfing, he found that same expression of order in the relationship between the human body and the gravitational field of the Earth. This perspective continues to shape his work and his understanding of human structure.

Ayman is honored to serve as the International Representative on the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® Board of Directors, supporting to bring Rolfing Structural Integration to the world and the continued advancement of the profession.

Jenny Rock

Certified Advanced Rolfer^™
DIRI Board At-Large Seat

Jenny Rock has always been passionate about helping people become the next best version of themselves.

Jenny has substantial experience in the massage and bodywork industry. In addition to 20 years of practical experience as a full-time Rolfer^™, she was an LMT for 13 years before attending the DIRI. She has practiced bodywork in four states and started practices in all of them, involving collaboration and teamwork.

Jenny served on the Oregon Board of Massage Practical Exam Task Force (2013-2014), where they recommended that the Board of Massage eliminate the practical exam for all licensees, which includes Rolfers^™ and other SI practitioners.

Jenny received her BA in Psychology from the University of Central Florida, trained as a life coach, and taught personal development workshops.