Sensei William Baxter

⊕ ⊕ At the behest of his friend and future Sensei, Borko Jovanović, Sensei William Baxter began his martial arts journey at Mercoeur Dojo in Paris, in January 1987. Master Tetsuji Murakami died that same month, and Baxter attended the funeral as the emissary of Sensei Jovanović.

Upon returning to the United States, he began his long and still ongoing training under the guidance of Sensei Jovanović. This practice started in in Amherst, Massachusetts, and later moved to Chicago Illinois. Despite stretches of living at a long distances from the Sensei, Baxter sustained his practice, finally moving to Chicago in 1995.

After several years as assistant with the club at University of Illinois Chicago, he earned a First Dan. Soon thereafter he became the lead instructor for the UIC club.

A career opportunity took Baxter to New York City, where he founded a club in 2001, and led it through 2011. In 2015 another career opportunity took Baxter to Austin Texas where he now resides. He continues to practice with the Chicago club via video, a technique they developed during the course of the Covid period.

View the full Shoto-Kai CV for William Baxter here .

Outside of the dojo, Baxter works in high-level technology leadership roles for software-based product companies.