Meet the Staff
The Zone’s talented team of coaches, instructors, and admin support personnel are simply the very best! Every team member, including owners and support personnel, is Safe Sport certified and has passed a USAG Sanctioned Criminal Background Check, giving you the peace of mind that your children are protected while in our care. All coaches and instructors, in addition to possessing the appropriate USAG teaching credentials, have successfully completed the American Heart Association Basic Life Support (CPR and AED) Program (certificates are on file).
Dan Howell
Owner
Dan purchased The Zone Athletics Center in August 2019. Dan has 30 years experience as a successful entrepreneur and small business owner in the Evansville Area. Dan’s love of gymnastics stems from his years as a “Gym Dad” watching his daughter, Kassidy, develop from a Pre-K gymnast to a senior on the University of Kentucky Women’s Gymnastics Team. His goal is to develop The Zone as a premier safe, family oriented training facility for boys and girls wanting to achieve basic skills or college scholarships in gymnastics, tumbling, trampoline or cheerleading.
Jill Howell
Owner
Jill is an Evansville native who attended Harrison High School and USI where she earned both a bachelors degree in Business Administration and in Nursing. She has worked for the last 20 years as a Registered Nurse and is currently a nurse at The Women’s Hospital. She shares Dan’s passion for gymnastics and although not involved in the day to day operations of the gym she manages the marketing side of the business. She and Dan are the proud parents of three children, Kassidy, Kane and Kyle.
Sammi Richards
Director of Operations
Sammi grew up in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, where she spent most of her time in the gym or the dance studio. She did gymnastics and competitive dance growing up, and by the time she was 15, she was helping to continue growing the girls’ competitive program at her mom’s gym.
She attended the University of Tennessee, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in International Business. During college, she coached at a local gym for five years and worked her way up to Assistant Recreational Director and Assistant Team Director. She also helped run and promote the Ozone Invitational for six years, gaining valuable experience in large-scale meet organization and event marketing.
After college, Sammi moved to China to coach for a company focused on bringing a more Western approach to Chinese gymnastics. After traveling through Southeast Asia and Europe, she settled in Utah and got back into coaching. Not long after, she became the Director and Head Coach of the Competitive Program. Each year, she had athletes qualify for and attend Regionals, including several athletes annually representing the state of Utah. While in Utah, she also helped run Winter Classic Invitational.
After five years in that role, she transitioned into Director of Operations, where she shifted her focus from coaching to supporting program growth and management from an operations perspective. Sammi takes a holistic, human-first approach to athlete development—believing mental health is a priority and that gymnastics lays a strong foundation in building confidence, discipline, and a strong work ethic that athletes carry into all areas of life.
In 2021, she co-created The Ultimate Goal Book, a mindset journal developed from her and her business partner’s combined coaching experience. It is designed to empower athletes and coaches; by utilizing tools for setting realistic goals, overcoming obstacles, and holding meaningful conversations rooted in empathy and understanding
Roland Vera
Head Coach
Boys Team Gymnastics
Kaitlyn Ewald
Head Coach
Girls Team Gymnastics
Kaitlyn graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in Kinesiology and a minor in Business. Kaitlyn was a student-athlete and represented the University of Illinois Women’s Gymnastics Team in competition all four years. She competed in every Big Ten Conference and Regionals Championships for the Illini.
Before attending Illinois, she was a competitive USAG gymnast for twelve years earning Indiana state titles and qualifying for Regionals, Eastern Nationals, and JO Nationals.
Kaitlyn has gained coaching experience through coaching summer camps while at Illinois. She hopes to use everything she has learned over the course of her gymnastics career to encourage and empower the gymnasts she has the opportunity to coach.
Picture is courtesy of the Univeristy of Illinois
Alishia Darrett
Instructor
Recreational Gymnastics
Alishia is currently a Senior at North High School. She plans to continue her education and study to become an Ultrasound Tech. Alishia was a gymnast for 9 years and competed up to level 7. She has coached with The Zone for 2 years and enjoys being in the gym coaching all ages. When Alishia is not in the gym she plays Basketball and runs Track. In her spare time she loves hanging out with her friends.
Abigail Berg
Instructor
Recreational Gymnastics
Abigail is currently a Senior at North High School. She plans to continuing her education at Cosmetology School. Abigail was a gymnast for 10 years and competed up to level 7. She has coached at The Zone for the past 3 years, and enjoys working with our Girls Gymnastics Recreational program. In her spare time she enjoys shopping and spending time with friends
Audrey McGee
Instructor
Recreational Gymnastics
Pre-K
Andy Brown
Instructor
Dryland Diving
Coach Andy Brown has been working with divers for over 15 years. He has coached divers from the elementary school age to the NCAA D-1 level. Over those 15 years he has had:
4 Middle School Conference Champs
2 Middle School State Qualifiers
9 High School Conference Champs
13 High School State Qualifiers
2 AAU National Qualifier
2 NCAA Conference Champs
5 NCAA Zone Qualifiers
1 NCAA Conference Coach of the Year
10 School Records broken
Molly Meyer
Instructor
Recreational Gymnastics
Molly is currently attending the University of Evansville, majoring in Exercise Science, Pre-Physical Therapy. Molly was a gymnast for 6 years and competed up to level 8. Molly adds a wealth of knowledge to our Coaching Staff and enjoys coaching all levels at The Zone. In her spare time, Molly enjoys playing pickleball and going on runs.
Audrey McGee
Instructor
Recreational Gymnastics
Pre-K
Audrey, is a 3rd grade teacher at Allendale CCSD #17 in Allendale, Illinois. Audrey was as gymnast and cheerleader when she was younger. She has experience coaching from when she was in highschool and has coached since then. She brings a great wealth of knowledge and experience to our recreational gymnastics and pre-k programs. When Audrey is not teaching or coaching, she enjoys spending her time reading and with her family, watching her kids play their sports.
Barb Garrett
Office Manager
Barb started her gym career in 1994 at another gym in Evansville. At this gym she taught gymnastics, dance and drove the ever popular tumble bus. In 1999 Barb moved to The Cheer Zone (the forerunner to The Zone Athletics Center). In support of The Cheer Zone she purchased and again drove the tumble bus and started taking over administrative duties. In August 2019 Barb accepted the position of Office Manager, when we adopted a completely new gym management software package. She immediately dove into this system and we are now starting to trust it and produce meaningful reports. In her spare time, Barb loves gardening, working in the yard and spending time making gymnastics and cheer outfits for her own business “Too Flippin Cute”.
Johna Wilmes
Pro Shop Manager
Johna has been at The Zone since 2020 She is our pro shop manager and works with accounts receivable. She is responsible for keeping our pro shop running smoothly and helps when needed with clients. She is a great asset to our staff, as she is positive and reliable. When she is not managing the pro shop, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren.