Team

Erin Edson | Director of Strategic Initiatives

Erin

Erin Edson, born and raised in Buffalo, has been involved in the area of sports and coaching for most of her life. Growing up she played many sports including Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Ice Hockey and Soccer. Throughout high school and college she coached multiple lacrosse camps, clinics and local club teams. She attended Fredonia State University, and has her Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management with Minors in Athletic Coaching and Business Administration. While at Fredonia, she competed on their Division III Women’s Lacrosse Team for all 4 years. She then attended Daemen College and earned her Masters Degree in Executive Leadership and Change. While at Daemen, she worked as a Graduate Assistant in their Division II Athletic Department. She has over 8 years of administrative experience in the health care, higher education and athletic settings. 

Erin joined the Dr. Derek Health and Fitness team in 2020. 

She enjoys staying active, cooking and spending time with her family and friends!

Olivia Courtney | Client Experience Coordinator

Olivia

Olivia Courtney was born and raised on Long Island. She graduated from the University at Buffalo with a bachelors in Exercise Science and a minor in Nutrition. Olivia participated in cheerleading from a young age and continued throughout high school where she coached for three years.

When she’s not in the gym you can find her at the movie theater or reading in Delaware Park. She loves the outdoors and is an avid backpacker and hiker.

 

MEET THE TEAM


Jake KLUGE


JOSH BEITER


Carl Neuman


Eli lavarnway


Olivia Courtney


Tricia Calabrese


Diane Charsley

 


Dempsey mcgovern

 


Zach Biasillo

 

Jake Kluge | Head trainer

Jake

Jacob Kluge, born and raised in Buffalo, NY. Started playing sports at a very young age, participating in Ice Hockey, Gymnastics, and Football. He attended Kenmore East Highschool and continued to compete in sports such as hockey, football, soccer, and outdoor track & field. Jacob’s love for sports and his fascination with human performance is what led him to pursue an education in Sports Medicine.

Jacob recently graduated from Mercyhurst University, in Erie PA, with a BS degree in Exercise Science. During his time as a strength and conditioning intern at Mercyhurst, Jacob worked with many NCAA athletes as both an Athletic Training and Exercise Science major. Jacob also has several years of both personal and group training experience of various ages (7-75 years+) and populations (general fitness enthusiasts, athletes, tactical professionals, etc.). He has recently moved back to Buffalo to pursue a career as a personal trainer/ strength & conditioning specialist and plans to attend Chiropractic school next fall. 

In addition to Jacob’s experience as an Exercise Science professional, he also has experience coaching youth ice hockey, skill-skating clinics, children with disabilities and has hands-on experience performing emergency first aid, clinical injury evaluations, kinematic analyses, and body composition measurements. 

Josh Beiter | Assistant Head Trainer

Josh

Josh Beiter was born and raised in Pendleton, NY. After graduating from Starpoint High School he attended Bryan University for his degree in exercise science. Josh grew up playing ice hockey and has been around the sport as a player for 10 years and as a coach for 2 years. 

 

Josh’s love for the sport led him to his love of fitness his passions include music, comedy, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Buffalo Bills, and of course fitness. 

Carl Neuman | Trainer

Carl

Carl Neuman has been involved in the health and fitness field since 2003. Carl studied Physical Education at Niagara County Community College and has been a Personal Fitness Trainer since 2009. He also managed a Vitamin Shoppe for over 8 years and gained knowledge in nutrition and supplementation. 

Carl loves to workout, golf and spend time with his family. He is a huge Buffalo Bills fan and can talk about football all day. 

His passion for learning and helping others achieve their health and fitness goals has made him a key member of Dr. Derek’s team since 2014.

Eli LaVarnway | Trainer

Eli

Elijah (Eli) LaVarnway was born and raised in Cowlesville N.Y. and has been a part of the sports and fitness world since the day he could walk. Growing up he played many sports such as basketball, baseball, volleyball, swim team, cross country, indoor track, outdoor track, and soccer. He currently attends the University at Buffalo where he will receive his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Physiology. He also works at some of his father’s pharmacies where he gains additional knowledge of drugs and supplements, however he hopes to begin his career as a personal trainer soon.

 In his free time Eli is an avid outdoorsman and spends his free time hunting, fishing, and studying agriculture, as well as planting fields and raising animals. He also loves to play guitar, paintball, cheer on the Bills, and spend time with his friends and family. 

Eli’s passion for athletics, training, learning, and helping others has led to his internship with Dr. Alessi in 2022. He hopes to now learn from the best and perfect his own craft so that he will one day be able to help others with peak efficiency.

Tricia Calabrese | Trainer

Tricia 

Tricia originally hails from Buffalo, N.Y. A veteran fitness professional, her extensive background includes strength and cardiovascular training, yoga, pilates, aquafit, and zumba. With a passion for helping others achieve their health and fitness goals, she owned and operated her own fitness facility for 15 years. Trained and certified, she taught the Cleveland Clinic weight loss program.  

Outside work, Tricia enjoys spending time with family, reading, gardening, and cooking.

 

Diane Charsley | Trainer

Diane

Diane Charsley, born and raised in Tonawanda, NY. She has always been drawn to sports. She participated in little league baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball and skiing. However, after tearing her ACL playing competitive volleyball at age 30, she turned to golf and never looked back.

Diane graduated from SUNY at Buffalo with a BA degree in Communication. She recently retired from nearly 40 years of work with the Federal Government—including The Federal Reserve Bank, Department of Treasury and The Social Security Administration. Diane first began training with Dr. Derek in 1998-2000. She continued to follow him, and came back strong in 2014. Diane has enjoyed many years as a client of both personal and group training experience. She is looking forward to taking on the role of trainer and using her 12+ years as a client to provide an exceptional experience.

 

 

Dempsey McGovern | Trainer

Dempsey

Dempsey was born and raised in Goshen NY. At a young age he became passionate about lifting weights and staying healthy and active. As he got older he realized he wanted to help others do the same. After graduating Goshen High School, he moved to Buffalo in 2019 to attend University at Buffalo and graduated with a B.S. in exercise science with a concentration in applied exercise physiology in 2022. He then received his CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and has since worked with clients of all ages and backgrounds as a personal trainer and group trainer. 

Outside of work, Dempsey enjoys lifting weights, hiking, reading, and spending time with friends and family. 

 

Zach Biasillo | Trainer

Zach

Zach Biasillo was born and raised in Orchard Park, NY. He played a variety of sports growing up including soccer and football, but hockey was his true passion. He began playing hockey at 3 years old and it was a big part of his life.  He played for his high school hockey team, at Orchard Park and continued to play his first two years of college, while attending Erie Community College, playing on the Division II team. He graduated from Buffalo State with a Bachelors in Psychology and a minor in Chemistry.

Zach’s passion for sports and his undergrad education is where he learned about the human body, which led him to pursue a career as a personal trainer. In his free time he enjoys training, playing with his dogs, and talking sports.