Doreen DiRienzo began her Martial Arts training in April of 1973, and she attained the rank of 1st Degree Black Belt in April of 1977. Currently Doreen holds the rank of 10th Degree Black Belt in Ed Parker’s American Kenpo Karate. She is the highest ranked female Ed Parker Black Belt in the world. Doreen was also a personal student of Senior Grandmaster Edmund Parker until he passed away in 1990. Currently she is a student of Grandmaster Gilbert Velez. She is one of three co-founders of Kenpo International, an organization that has schools and members all over the world. Doreen has also taught seminars and workshops throughout Europe, Canada, Mexico, and Chile. Furthermore, she has organized International Karate Championships in many countries.
Doreen was an active tournament fighter for many years. She was one of eight women selected for the Atlantic World Karate Team – the first professional team which included women.
She received her B.S. in Physical Education from Northeastern University in June of 1979. Unable to find a teaching job, she opened a small karate studio – Revere Karate Academy – on Squire Road in Revere, Massachusetts, on February 4, 1980. The karate studio enrollment grew so rapidly that by the end of the first year, Revere Karate Academy had to find a bigger home. To date, Revere Karate Academy has taught over 35,000 students. Doreen has also earned a Masters of Education in Physical Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership. Although Doreen is still actively teaching, her son Anthony Cogliandro, who is a 6th Degree Black Belt, has now taken over as the Head Instructor of Revere Karate Academy.
Since the Revere Karate Academy began servicing Revere and the surrounding communities, she has been dedicated to excellence and commitment, as well as to maintaining the highest level of integrity in teaching the American Kenpo Karate curriculum throughout her years of educating martial arts students. Now in her 6th decade of teaching, Doreen has continued to maintain the same level of commitment to her students, families, and the community.