Our Team
Instructor Pat
Black Belt - Training since 2001
Pat is the Founder of Mission First. He is a former Navy SEAL (BUD/s Class 207 graduate) and member of SEAL Team 8. Instructor Pat did multiple deployments overseas and he was Close Quarters Combat (CQC) Instructor, Physical Fitness Instructor, and Hand to Hand Combat Instructor for SEAL Team 8.
After the Navy Pat accepted a full-time staff position with the C.I.A. (Central Intelligence Agency). Pat served as a Special Agent, Team Leader for the Global Response Staff (GRS), and many other roles as a staff employee for the Agency.
Pat brings his 20 years of training and real-world operational experience and a SEAL Teamwork ethic/mindset into the Mission First classes. Instructor Pat was the first person to receive a Black Belt from Professor Abmar Barbosa.
Instructor Marcos
Black Belt - Training since 2011
Instructor Marcos is a Black Belt at Mission First Jiu-Jitsu. After moving from Hawaii to Rhode Island, Marcos began his Jiu-Jitsu journey in 2011. He has a Bachelors's Degree in Chemistry. Marcos works in Chemical Manufacturing at Agilent Technologies.
Instructor Tom
Black Belt - Training since 2009
Instructor Tom is a native Rhode Islander and a self-proclaimed nerd. He has been training in martial arts for 15 years, starting in the striking arts and then transitioning into the grappling arts during adulthood. He spent several years training BJJ at 50/50 BJJ and Renzo Gracie's NYC. However, from a BJJ perspective, nothing was more satisfying than coming home to Rhode Island and receiving his black belt at Mission First. He has competed in the Gi and No-Gi events and is passionate about how the game is evolving. Outside of BJJ, he works in the cloud security, and enjoys spending time with his young family. He is also an avid reader of The Economist.
Instructor Peter
Black Belt - Training since 2012
Instructor Peter is civilian supporting the US Navy as a Logistics Analyst. Born and raised in Middletown RI, he started his Jiu-Jitsu journey here at Mission First in 2012. Following appearances at the IBJJF Boston Open in 2012, 13, and 14, he earned his Brown Belt in 2018. A devotee to keeping things simple, Peter leads our “Fundamentals Class”, where new students and seasoned practitioners alike can review the foundational elements of our art.
Instructor Sean
Black Belt - Training since 2009
Instructor Sean is a Black Belt, one of the lead trainers of the Kids Program at Mission First Jiu-Jitsu, and the proud father of children who both train at the Academy.
Prior to joining Mission First, Sean was a teacher and coach at the Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Instructor Sean is an avid competitor and took 1st place, earning a Gold Medal in the 2015 IBJJF Boston Open.
Instructor Chris
Black Belt - Training since 2015
Born and raised on Aquidneck Island, Instructor Chris has enjoyed living on the island as a lifelong surfer and athlete. From an early age, Chris has been instilled with a strong family and team mindset. Growing up with a natural knack for athletics, he excelled in sports earning him titles as a tri-captain in high school and a two-sport elite athlete in college.
Chris developed a love for the “process in training” in his college years, so after completing university, Chris sought to fill for the void. He found his way to BJJ through an ad in the local surf shop which brought him to Mission First in 2015.
Instructor Chad
Purple Belt - Training since 2017
Instructor Chad is a Purple Belt at Mission First, and the father of two children whom both train at the school. Atkins started out on the sidelines watching his kids learn and enjoy self-defense training through Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before giving it a go himself in 2017.
Before diving into BJJ at the academy, Atkins spent most of his spare time on the water competing in small boat sailing. Chad still competes during the winter months ice-boating and has spent the last 20-years in the marine industry, optimizing projects for competition.
Instructor Connor
Blue Belt - Training since 2018
Instructor Conor has been training at Mission First Jiu-Jitsu since March 2018. He is an assistant in the kids’ classes where his two daughters have been training for the last 5 years. His whole family is part of our training program. Conor grew up in Newport and has lived on Aquidneck Island his whole life. He is a graduate of Rogers High School and studied art at Salve Regina University. Conor has worked in the manufacturing industry for 26 years and currently holds a position as a production planning supervisor for a local naval shipbuilder.
Instructor Michelle
Browne Belt - Training since 2016
Instructor Michelle is a Brown Belt at Mission First BJJ. When she is not in the gym, Michelle teaches in the Strategy & Policy Department at the US Naval War College. She grew up in Los Angeles and earned a Ph.D. in History at the University of Texas at Austin. She has written a book about the Cuban Missile Crisis and is currently working on a book about the War on Drugs.
Instructor Julianne
Purple Belt - Training since 2018
Julianne is a purple belt and proud mother of two daughters who participate in the kids’ class and junior instructor program at Mission First. Julianne grew up in Auburn, Massachusetts, but Rhode Island has been her home for over 25 years.
Julianne is currently working towards her 200-hour yoga teaching certification and will be teaching beginner classes at Mission First that are geared towards stamina, strength, and recovery in BJJ. Like many others, Julianne has experienced the way in which the two sports complement each other on a physical and mental level. Outside of the gym, Julianne works full time for a Yacht Management Company and spends as much time at the beach as possible.
