As a member of our school, you are guaranteed to be taught by qualified instructors. All Black Belt certification comes directly from the Kukkiwon, the official World Tae Kwon Do Federation (WTF) Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.
Master Nam Nguyen
Master Nam Nguyen is the Head Instructor of Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do and has over 40 years of martial arts experience including Aikido, Judo, Karate, Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and Weaponry.
A Burnsville resident of 30 years Master Nam began his martial arts in karate at the age of 7 at National Karate School and earned his 1st Degree Black Belt in 1987. During that time he also joined National Treasure Kung-Fu School in 1986 and earned his Level VII Black Sash in 1994. In 1992, Master Nam joined Lee’s Tae Kwon Do School in Burnsville under Master David Lee. He earned his 5th Dan Black Belt in 2019.
While completing his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science at the University of Minnesota he took over as head instructor of Lee’s Tae Kwon Do of Burnsville in March of 1998.
Aside from teaching, Master Nam enjoys competing as well as coaching his students at local, state and national tournaments. He has won numerous medals and trophies from all over the Midwest.
Achievements:
- 2011 U.S. Tournament of Champions Forms Grand Champion
- 2009 U.S. Tournament of Champions Forms Grand Champion
- 2006 World Chang Moo Kwan Tae Kwon Do Championships (1st Place)
- 2003 Minnesota State Tae Kwon Do Championships Forms Gold Medalist
- 1999 Red River Traditional Tae Kwon Do Forms Grand Champion
Hobbies: Martial arts, fishing, running, traveling, & watching sports
E-mail: nam.d.nguyen@namtkd.com
Master An Nguyen
Master An Nguyen is a Master Instructor of the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do and has over 35 years of martial arts experience including Acrobatics, Aikido, Judo, Shorin Ryu Karate, Northern Shaolin Kung-Fu, Tae Kwon Do, and Weaponry. He is the current Team Captain of our Competition and Demonstration Teams.
Master An began his martial arts in Shorin Ryu Karate at a local karate club. A few years later he joined his brother training in kung-fu at National Treasure Kung-Fu School under SiFu Al Lam. In 1992, Master An joined Lee’s Tae Kwon Do School in Burnsville under Master David Lee. He earned his 4th Dan Black Belt in 2016.
During his spare time Master An works on his phenomenal aerial kicking. He truly enjoys the sport aspect of the martial arts as well as the traditional methods. Master An has won numerous martial arts tournaments and continues his quest to be elite among the best.
Achievements:
- 2013 U.S. Tournament of Champions Weapons Grand Champion
- 2012 U.S. Tournament of Champions Weapons Grand Champion
- 2011 U.S. Tournament of Champions Weapons Grand Champion
- 2010 U.S. Tournament of Champions Forms Grand Champion
- 2007 Fargo Open Martial Arts Grand Champion
- 2006 Owatonna Martial Arts Open Forms Grand Champion
- 2004 Diamond Nationals Team Challenge Competitor
- 2002 Summers Martial Arts Tae Kwon Do Championships Grand Champion
Mr. Davey Steinman
Mr. Davey Steinman is a Kukkiwon certified 2nd Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Mr. Davey earned his 2nd Dan in 2009 training under Master Nam Nguyen, while earning a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from the University of Minnesota. Before that, he had earned his 1st Dan Black Belt in 2005 training under Master Jon Anderson in Willmar, MN.
After living the previous two years in Mexico with a Fulbright Fellowship to direct performing arts, in 2021 Mr. Davey moved back to Minnesota and is a Visiting Professor of Theater at Macalester College in Saint Paul.
Currently Mr. Davey is also the Artistic Co-Director of Paradox Teatro, where he enjoys creating multimedia performances combining music, puppetry, and video projection.
Mr. Davey is the proud stepdad of Iñaki, who started training in Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do starting in 2022.
Mr. Eric Nguyen
Mr. Eric Nguyen is a Kukkiwon certified 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Mr. Eric began training at the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do in 2008 and earned his 1st Dan Black Belt in 2011. In 2014, Mr. Eric went on to pursue further education at the University of Washington (where he continued training with the Husky Taekwondo Club) and completed his degree at the University of Minnesota. He currently holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Statistics with a minor in Computer Science in 2018. After completing his degree at the University of Minnesota, he resumed teaching at the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do.
Aside from teaching, Mr. Eric enjoys playing chess, playing volleyball with friends, and exploring new foods to try.
Achievements:
- 1st Place in Forms – 2010 Farmington Open Tae Kwon Do Championships
- 2010, 2011, and 2012 Tae Kwon Do Role Model of the Year
- 2019 Instructor of the Year
Mr. Jim Mai
Mr. Jim Mai is a color belt assistant instructor.
Mr. Jim began Tae Kwon Do in 2011 when he was 10 years old. He graduated from Burnsville High School in 2020. He is currently a student at Normandale Community College, majoring in Nursing and will be continuing his education down in Mankato.
Mr. Jim really enjoys teaching and studying Tae Kwon Do. He gets to learn something new every day from the kids and from his peers. He is also trained in first aid.
Some of his hobbies include spending time with his family, long boarding in the summertime and coming to Tae Kwon Do where he gets to spend time with other people in the community. He always looking forward to meeting new faces in class!
Recent Black Belt Promotions
Mr. Brian Waters
Mr. Brian Waters is a 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
A resident of Burnsville with his wife and 3 daughters, Mr. Brian has been training at the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do since 2015 and is passionate about Tae Kwon Do. He also enjoys being a member the incredible community built by Master Nam and Master An, resulting in lifetime friendships.
Mr. Brian is a local Special Education Teacher for ISD 917 who holds a Master’s of Education from the University of Minnesota. His passion for teaching extends beyond the classroom, and he looks forward to continuing to contribute to the development of Tae Kwon Do at the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do.
When he’s not in the classroom or at Tae Kwon Do, you will find Mr. Brian spending valuable time with his incredible family, running ultramarathons, or playing guitar. He also enjoys reading and is always looking for book recommendations.
Achievements:
- 2019 Tae Kwon Do Role Model of the Year
Ms. Gabriella Angeles
Ms. Gabriella Angeles is a 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Ms. Gabriella has been training with the Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do since 2016 when she was only in sixth grade. Now a junior in high school, she tackles college applications and preparations for senior year. She first joined another dochang when she was seven years old, where she practiced for about two years and then took a break from it. During her years spent training at our school, she earned the first double belt promotion given to a girl when she advanced from purple belt immediately to brown.
She also achieved many scholarly advancements including obtaining the academic letter award and the top decile award her whole high school career, taking advanced college-level courses, and being active in her community by being the vice president of earth corps, being a member of the National Honor Society, and participating in many other clubs offered. She eventually earned her black belt in 2022.
Aside from Tae Kwon Do, Ms. Gabriella enjoys hanging out with friends and family, reading, baking, reconnecting with her Hispanic heritage, and traveling.
Achievements:
- 2017 Tae Kwon Do Spirit Award
Mr. Michael Reitz
Mr. Michael Reitz is a 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Mr. Michael began his training in Tae Kwon Do in October 2017 and earned his 1st Dan in April 2022.
His hobbies include blacksmithing, backpacking, skiing (water or snow), and running.
Achievements: 2017 Tae Kwon Do Family of the Year
Ms. Rachel Countryman
Ms. Rachel Countryman is a 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Ms. Rachel has been in Taekwondo for 7 years. She started when she was in 2nd grade and has been training ever since. She has attended multiple tournaments and has received medals in forms & sparring.
Ms. Rachel is headed off to high school after a successful three years in middle school. She has been part of the WEB Leader Program at Nicollet Middle School, plays French horn in band, is in the National Junior Honors Society, and is also on the A-Honor Roll.
Hobbies: She plays softball, loves to read fantasy novels, has been on the chess team for 3 years, and also enjoys baking.
Achievements:
- 2016 Tae Kwon Do Spirit Award
Mr. Mike Kretz
Mr. Mike Kretz is a 1st Dan Black Belt Instructor.
Achievements:
- 2018 Tae Kwon Do Role Model of the Year
Nguyen School of Tae Kwon Do 