Master, Chief Instructor Laurie Heeley is a registered 5th Degree Black Belt in Kung Fu with the United Martial Arts Association of America. Silver Coin.
Chief Instructor Heeley was born and raised in the Chicago area. She went to school to become a CPA, worked in the industry and decided she liked people better than numbers. She moved into Marketing and never looked back. Chief Instructor Heeley worked most of her professional career in Client/Project Management for International Design and Manufacturing companies with some of the biggest development companies in the world. After being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2008, she left the business world behind for a more simplified, family oriented and healthy lifestyle. Real estate was a hobby she enjoyed since 1982, so she decided to invest in and sell residential real estate. As part of her healthy lifestyle, she started training at United Kung Fu in 2012.
Chief Instructor Heeley earned her First Degree Black Belt in Northern Shaolin Long Fist in 2014 and her Second Degree Black Belt in Southern Shaolin Tiger & Crane in 2016. She earned her 3rd Degree in Wing Tsun and Xing Yi in 2018, 4th Degree in Bagua in 2020, and 5th Degree in Yang Tai Chi in 2023.