Our Staff
Meet The Pilates Center Staff
The Pilates Center is staffed with the most experienced and highly trained instructors in the Williamsburg area.
Even our out-of-town clients are amazed at the quality of our instructors and facility. Our clients tell us they feel they receive good value for their Pilates dollars because of our level of knowledge, service, and variety of equipment. Our staff attends monthly trainings to keep up with cutting edge exercise and muscle protocols. Come see for yourself!
Mary-Jane Bell Amrein
Founder
Mary-Jane started in the fitness field in 1981 as a part-time aerobics instructor in the evenings after serving as an Extension Agent for Virginia Tech. She then left that career to devote full time to fitness and founded Aerobics Plus, a full service gym in 1986. She ran and expanded that business for 20 years introducing the area for the first time to step aerobics, water aerobics, spinning, and pilates. While owner of Aerobics Plus she was honored by the Williamsburg Area Chamber of Commerce as "Small Business Person of the Year". She sold the business to focus on pilates and created The Pilates Center starting with 2 reformers and expanding to its current location with 10 reformers, 4 Cadillacs and other various small pieces of pilates equipment to provide a complete pilates experience.
Certifications include:
- Stott Certified Instructor
- Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist
- Personal Trainer Certification for Dr. Ken Cooper's
- Aerobic Institute of Research in Dallas Texas
- American Council on Exercise (ACE), Gold Certified Aerobic Instructor
- Medical Exercise Specialist Certification
- B.S. and M.S. degrees from Virginia Tech
George Amrein
Instructor
George has been a Stott Pilates instructor since 2005 with advanced training in Injury and Special Populations , Rehabilitation, Balanced Body University Integrated Tower Pilates, and Muscle Activation Techniques Jump Start Program. As an avid golfer he has helped clients improve their golf game by understanding the movements of the game and the flexibility and strength it requires. He has also helped clients reduce pain and strengthen areas of the hip, knee back and core through the magic of pilates.
He has over 35 years of past experience in a traditional gym and is a good instructor for those transitioning from the gym to a core and spine-based pilates program.
George has a B.S. degree from the University of Maryland. As a former McDonald's franchisee owner he has discovered it is more fun to make people fit and healthy than fat!
Elizabeth Michael Faxon
Master Instructor
Elizabeth joined The Pilates Center’s team in 2004. She began instructing in 2005 after completing her STOTT Certification Training. She is a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Specialist and Certified in Pilates for Neurological Conditions. She has experience with clients who are interested in general fitness, as well as those who have had hip, shoulder, and knee replacements, spinal surgeries, stroke rehabilitation, pre and post natal women, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, brain injuries, multiple sclerosis, and various types of cancer.
Elizabeth also instructs our Bounce~A~Lot~eze Rebounder classes. Seeing her clients success through pilates exercise/rehabilitation is what keeps her excited about instructing and learning.
Megan Bowman
Instructor
Megan began studying and teaching yoga in her early thirties. She is certified in Iyengar, Ashtanga and Kundalini styles of Yoga and taught for 8 years in Austin ,Texas. She moved to Kauai in1999 and studied a vast array of movement and healing arts; somatic movement awareness, continuum movement,chi gong, tai chi, Taoist energy medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Lau lapaau (Hawaiian Herbology) Soundhealing, Lomi Lomi massage and Hula. Megan attended the University of Santa Monica in Spiritual Psychology. All of her background has created a holistic and comprehensive approach to fitness is holistic based on each individual 's fitness challenges, lifestyle and goals.
She moved to Williamsburg to be trained at The Pilates Center to provide equipment-based pilates helping clients with a variety of muscular issues.
Jo Chapman
Instructor
Jo has been a Pilates instructor and personal trainer since 2015, and taught in studios in Boston, New York, Arizona, Williamsburg, and virtually for students country wide. Jo has a lot of experience with injuries and athletes, with a sports focus on improving golfers’ game. As a cyclist, kitesurfer, paddle boarder, and wind surfer, she has a deep appreciation for the importance of a strong core in everything from sports to gardening.
Certifications include:
- Endurance Classical Reformer
- Endurance Classical Pilates Mat
- Endurance Classical Barre
- Endurance Classical Full Certification
- Romana Full Intermediate training
- National Academy of Sports Medicine personal training
- National Academy of Sports Medicine Nutrition
- 4 years of college nutrition from Cayuga College and Mass Boston