THE FOUNDERS
Anne Ruder & Caroline Riley
Best friends turned co-founders, Anne & Caroline are the duo behind Holy Mahj. After learning American Mahjong, they instantly fell in love with every part of the game—the competition, the beauty of the tiles (thanks to @themahjongline), the rich history, and most of all, the time spent around the table with friends.
CHARLESTON TEACHER
Cara Stein
Cara learned Mahjong in 2020 from her grandmother and has been hooked ever since! When she’s not sharing her love of the game, she works as a speech therapist for Charleston County Schools. She also leads our Under 30 Club, teaching the next generation of Mahjong players.
CHARLESTON TEACHER
Debbie Engel
After almost 45 years of practicing law, Debbie has retired! One of her last jobs was as the Federal Security Director for the State of South Carolina. The high stress of the job led her to her weekly mahjong game which she has been playing for over 14 years. Debbie loves seeing the world and playing mahjong with her family and friends!
CHARLESTON TEACHER
Ashley O'Brien
Ashley is a lover of community at her core. When she’s not teaching mahjong, she’s selling real estate or teaching pure barre and always looking for ways to bring people together. If she’s not playing mahj in her free time, she’s spending time at the South Carolina Aquarium or traveling somewhere fun!
CHICAGO TEACHER
Ashley Reed
Ashley learned to play mahjong in 2023 with Anne and fell in love with the game. She quickly started sharing her love of mahjong around Chicago and the western burbs and loves the building the mahjong community. As a practicing lawyer and mom of three she loves that mahjong provides a perfect way relax and carve out time with the ever growing number of mahjong loving friends.
CHICAGO TEACHER
Adey Hannis
Adey joined the Holy Mahj family in 2024 as a Chicago based instructor. After learning the game from Anne, a childhood friend, she was quickly hooked and began spending as much of her spare time playing as possible. As a former elementary school teacher, the shift into teaching the game felt natural as she brings a fun and patient approach to her instruction. When she is not teaching or obsessing over tiles she can be found on a tennis or padel court, needlepointing, or spending time with her family.
CHARLESTON
Karli Keilitz
From content creation to helping manage the Under 30 Club, Karli keeps things running smoothly behind the scenes. Her love for hosting and building community first drew her to Holy Mahj and now her love for Mahjong has basically become her entire personality!