Our People
Elizabeth Lilla – Founder
Elizabeth has been involved in gymnastics for nearly her entire life. After retiring from competition while in high school, Liz caught the coaching bug and never looked back! She coached at a local gymnastics club all through college. Upon earning her doctorate in occupational therapy from Creighton University, Liz decided to chase her dream of opening a gymnastics club, where she could share her love of the sport with as many children as possible. In January of 2007, she founded Metro Stars Gymnastics with a total of 5 students. Things picked up from there, and by the year’s end, Liz had a growing program. She was named the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association’s “Practitioner of the Year” for developing the Special Stars Program here at Metro Stars Gymnastics. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her four children, Katie, Juliette, Samantha, and Charlie, as well as reading, and running.
Erik Lilla – Founder
Erik began his gymnastics career shortly after completing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Nebraska. Invited by Elizabeth to do running drills with some compulsory gymnasts, he quickly fell in love with the sport of gymnastics. Shortly after that, Erik served as the Nebraska State TOPs Manager and had the opportunity to take his athletes to the national TOPs test at the Olympic Training Center in Houston, TX. Armed with a passion for sharing the sport of gymnastics with as many children as possible, Erik founded Metro Stars Gymnastics in late January 2006 with five students. In 2015 Erik was selected by the Midlands Business Journal as one of their 40 Under 40 entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals for his role in the growth and development of Metro Stars Gymnastics. Erik holds the prestigious Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (C.S.C.S.) credential offered by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (N.S.C.A.). In his free time, Erik enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, Katie, Juliette, Samantha, and Charlie.
Ashlee Emerson – General Manager
Ashlee joined the Metro Stars Guest Services team in 2018, became General Manager in 2021 and moved to the Maple location in 2023. She brought 11 years of customer service and 7 years of leadership to her role, and works hard to keep the cogs turning with our team. Ashlee spends much of her time outside of the gym traveling or planning her next trip. She is a self-professed nut about penguins and the color purple, which may have been a deciding factor in her move to Maple.
Julianne FitzPatrick – Developmental Director
For 40 years, Julianne has coached recreational and competitive gymnastics, which means she must have started when she was one year old. Among her many achievements with the sport was starting the first Rhythmic Gymnastics program in Nebraska 28 years ago. Julianne has brought her expertise and experience to Metro Stars since 2010. She claims she was very shy as a kid, though you can’t tell at the gym!
Amy Williams – Marketing Director
Amy has a degree in Visual Communications, 20 years of experience in product and graphic design, as well as 6 years of experience in marketing. She shares her creative influence through the cool graphics and images that show up on Metro Stars signs, printed materials, and apparel. Amy has taken the Metro Stars image from ‘middle school art project’ to a cohesive and recognizable aesthetic that helps to illustrate that we at Metro Stars take fun pretty seriously – and boy are we proud of how she makes us look! Outside of Metro Stars, Amy and her husband, Jeff, have two teenagers at home so please comfort her when you see her.