The vision of Urban Athlete began in June 2005 collectively by Jason C. Brown and Pamela MacElree.  Its conception was based around a style of training that didn’t fit inside a traditional gym setting.  In order to provide our clients with the best training style that produced the goals they were expecting from a gym setting, Urban Athlete opened its doors in beautiful Mt Airy, Philadelphia in January 2006.

Urban Athlete has always had a very unique feel not only its workouts and training but also because of the members that make up the community.  Please meet the staff below, who are a large part of the unique atmosphere that you will experience as a member of Urban Athlete.

Pamela MacElree, owner Urban Athlete, NASM-OPT

Pamela MacElree holds a Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University and a Masters of Science in Exercise Science from California University of Pennsylvania.  Pamela is owner of Urban Athlete.  Pamela holds the National Academy of Sports Medicine – Optimum Performance Training certification and the Level 1 International Youth Conditioning Specialist.

Additionally, she has worked as an independent contractor for one of North America’s largest pharmaceutical companies, supplying health and wellness education to its employees.  Recognizing the value in quality programs and their applications Pamela has also collaborated on delivering the most comprehensive Kettlebell training certification for Fitness Professionals in the United States and Germany.  She holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and spends the majority of her free time with her rescue dogs.  

Katie Griffin, Urban Athlete Coach, NASM-CPT

Katie is a National Association of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer.  She also holds a Level I Kettlebell certification from Kettlebell Athletics.  Originally a member of Urban Athlete, Katie started as a trainer in April 2009. Katie loves not only the challenging programming but also the supportive community at UA.  In her spare time, Katie enjoys spending time with her dogs and riding her horse.

Amanda has Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Masters degree in Education. A former Division III varsity lacrosse player and captain of her high school varsity lacrosse team, she has always enjoyed all aspects of team sports. Following her relocation to her hometown of Philadelphia from the Bay Area in 2008, Amanda became a client at Urban Athlete. Impressed by UA’s approach to training and fitness, she decided to dedicate herself more formally to the fitness industry by completing the Nation Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Training certification exam in 2009. She is motivated by the hard work and progress she sees in her clients at Urban Athlete. She also sees what a positive influence her role at Urban Athlete has had on her two young daughters as she sees them already beginning to work on their push ups and pull ups!

Dillon Kinsey, Urban Athlete Coach, NASM-CPT

Dillon is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and is a certified Kettlbell Coach through Kettlebell Athletics.  He played hockey for 16 years finishing out his career in the AJHL. He also enjoys lacrosse, downhill mountain biking, and swimming. Dillon has been a member of the Urban Athlete community since 2008 and a trainer since 2011.  In his spare time, he enjoys cooking healthy, reading, trying new things, and writing your workouts.

After many years as a dancer and mover of all kinds, Marisa came to the focused space of the yoga mat. Falling in love with the simplicity and depth of practice, in 2008 she became certified as a Vinyasa Yoga and Prenatal Yoga Teacher at Wake Up Yoga. As one who is drawn to challenges, and thrives in the context of a supportive community, she also found a home at Urban Athlete, and her perspective on fitness and her own strength radically transformed.  Passionate about teaching in all domains of her life, Marisa holds a B.A. in Identity Development and Children’s Literature, and puts this knowledge into practice as a preschool teacher. When she’s not teaching, she’s playing in the woods, cooking like crazypants, improvising craft projects, and reading.