Course Listing - by Instructor
| Name | Biography |
|---|---|
| Benjamin Ackerman | Jamie Ackerman has been playing guitar for 62 years and has been studying music for just as long. He has been a member of OLLI for five years. |
| Mike Agron | Mike Agron grew up in LA, the heart of the recording and entertainment industry. He loved music so much he wanted to become a recording engineer. Fate had different plans, and he ended up with a successful career in hi-tech, including founding a webinar marketing agency. He has fulfilled his musical and entertainment passions by offering his varied and uniquely popular seminars to learners across the country. |
| Randy Anaya | |
| Stephanie Arne | Stephanie Arne is an international wildlife conservationist, expedition guide, and storyteller. She is the former host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and has appeared on Animal Planet, The Weather Channel, The Harry Connick Jr. Show, and The Drew Barrymore Show. Arne’s expertise in wildlife conservation has earned her a seat on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Lion SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) committee and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Education and Communication Commission. |
| Alfredo Arroyo | Alfredo Arroyo is a graduate of The Citadel and of the DEA/FBI Academy and other police, military, and intelligence schools. His career includes numerous domestic and foreign assignments with INTERPOL and in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. |
| Ben Avalos | |
| Raafat Ayoub | Raafat Maximos graduated from Cairo University with a law degree and later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. After moving to the United States in 1980, Maximos pursued a graphic arts degree in Chicago and then worked as an art director at an advertising firm for many years. His passion led him to open gallery locations in Austin and El Paso, Texas. |
| Steve Barowsky | Steve Barowsky is a teacher in T'ai Chi and related Taoist mind-body arts. He has pursued this path both traditionally and innovatively for almost thirty years, and has developed a philosophical understanding of the skills involved in both the practice and teaching of these arts. He has attended workshops and classes with many notable masters and teachers, and trained extensively in private lessons with Master Kuo Chun Mao in Chen-style t'ai chi solo form, two-person practices, chi gung, and meditation. |
| Aleen Bayard | Dr. Aleen Bayard has been a long-time adjunct faculty member at Northwestern University, teaching courses in leadership and change management in the School of Professional Studies (SPS) as well as Kellogg's Center for Nonprofit Management. Dr. Bayard served as the primary faculty member in Northwestern's partnership with Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership to develop the curriculum for the Certificate in Jewish Leadership and taught in the program for several years. She holds degrees from Stanford University, Columbia University and Northwestern University and earned her doctorate from the Center in Values Driven Leadership at Benedictine University where she studied peacebuilding. Dr. Bayard is the Vice Chair of the Leadership for Peace group of the International Leadership Association and has published two book chapters on peacebuilding. In addition to her academic credentials, Dr. Bayard works with organizations through her consulting practice developing programs on leadership, culture, employee engagement and team performance. Information about her professional background can be found on her website (www.aleenbayard.com) and LinkedIn profile (www.linkedin.com/in/aleenbayard). |
| Mary Benanti | Mary Benanti is writer and a retired associate professor in interdisciplinary studies. As a journalist, Benanti covered politics and government in El Paso, Washington D.C., and Colorado. She was also the Editorial Page Editor at The El Paso Times 2003-2004. She continues to teach classes at New Mexico State Univesity in women, politics, and gender studies. Her interests are politics, government, and the U.S. Mexico border culture. |
| Kevin Blain | Kevin Blain is an avid athlete and sports fan with a background in personal training, coaching, youth sports development, and managing sports leagues. He is passionate about health and wellness, and strives to educate others in building and maintaining an active, healthy lifestyle. Kevin is a family man who volunteers with senior olympics, and is currently developing a non-profit organization seeking to build an adaptive youth sports league and develop enrichment programs for charter schools. |
| Heather Brown | Dr. Heather Brown has a PhD in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Maryland, College Park, a Master of Arts in English from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing from Hollins University, in Roanoke, Virginia. She's been designing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses since 2004, including those in academic writing, English literature, language and linguistics, women's literature, feminist theory and criticism, and rhetorical theory and criticism. In 2013, Dr. Brown transitioned from teaching courses face-to-face to hybrid and online delivery. She liked it so much that she wanted to learn how to design for eLearning, so she began working as a Learning Designer primarily serving graduate and professional studies programs in not-for-profit higher education institutions and library training organizations, and most recently the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies Office of Distance Learning. Since 2013, Dr. Brown has been an Adjunct Associate Professor of Academic Writing at the University of Maryland Global Campus, one of the largest distance-learning institutions in the world, where over a third of the students are Black and African-American and the University serves more than 55,000 military-affiliated students worldwide. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Professor of English at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey from 2010-2013, where she served as the Associate Director of Academic Writing and Co-Director of the Gender Studies Program. |
| Cristina Bueno Gorena | Cristina Bueno Gorena holds a Master's degree in Education Management from Universidad Pedagógica Nacional del Estado de Chihuahua and a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Science from Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. She is currently a Professor in the Education Program at Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, instructing the art of Andragogy and Development use of teaching materials. She has 22 years' experience in teaching, from middle school to college levels, in a variety of institutions teaching Spanish language reading and writing, Oral Expression and Research Methodology at the Colegio Latino Americano and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey She has also served as a middle school Principal for 4 years. |
| Walter Carlson | Bernard (Bernie) Carlson is Vaughan Professor Emeritus of Humanities at the University of Virginia and an expert on invention, entrepreneurship, and the role of technology in society. He has received the Sally Hacker Prize from the Society for the History of Technology and the William Middleton Prize from the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Carlson has also filmed Understanding the Inventions that Changed the World. Now based in Ireland, he directs the MS program in AgInnovation at the University of Galway, where he trains adult learners in product development, startups, and sustainable farming. |
| Wolf Carter | Wolf was originally introduced to the art of Tai Chi while finishing his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at UTEP. He is a certified instructor with the Texas School of Tai Chi & Healing, and he has been teaching Tai Chi classes and workshops in El Paso and the Southwest since 2003. He has also had the good fortune to teach with a number of organizations in the area, such as the El Paso Fire Department (2007-present), Housing Authority City of El Paso (2007-17), UTEP Miners football players (2013-14), White Acres Retirement Community, and the Mescalero Apache Tribe. In 2007 Wolf was the winner of the U.S. National Championship, earning three gold medals in Tai Chi form and push hands competition. In 2014 he was formally inducted as a 7th Generation Lineage Instructor of Imperial Yang Style Tai Chi in Beijing, China. Tai Chi offers all students a great opportunity for improvement in health & fitness, stress relief, balance, coordination, and energy in a fun and interesting way. It can be done at whatever level of ability and exertion is comfortable for the individual student. Relaxation of mind and body is a primary goal. |
| Nicolas Cooper | Nicolas (Nico) Antuna Cooper is a Renaissance man and university instructor with experience as a professional writer, artist and musician. He received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at El Paso, specializing in poetry and multimedia design. He has traveled around the world, spending time in Spain and completing the Camino de Santiago among other travels. His teaching style revolves around his love and enthusiasm for the arts. |
| Jacqueline Cordova | Jacqueline Cordova is a certified health nutrition coach from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York, and the Living Foods Institute in Georgia. She has three years' experience coaching clients individually, as well as seven years' experience teaching workshops and classes. Cordova majored in Computer Information Systems from the Universidad Autonóma de Guadalajara, Jalisco in 1994, and owns Green Ingredient Express, a health-conscious restaurant located in west El Paso. She has been a guest speaker for various local events including the Wise Latinas Summit, El Paso Museum of History: Healthy Thanksgiving Workshop, Rio Grande Cancer Foundation: Keep on Dancing, Femfessionals El Paso, El Paso Community Foundation: Cultivate Forum, and the Autism Society of El Paso. She has also participated in nutrition and food preparation workshops at EPCC and the Downtown Artist and Farmers Market. |
| Everett Dague | Everett Dague received his bachelor's and master's degrees in History from the University of South Carolina and his Ph.D. at Florida State University. He has taught at Benedictine College in Kansas and Southern New Hampshire University. He is also the Command Historian for the U.S. Army's Sergeants Major Academy and NCO Leadership Center of Excellence. |
| Annmarie De La Rosa | Annmarie De La Rosa is a proud UTEP alumna and a recent graduate with a doctorate in Occupational Therapy. With over five years of experience in alternative healing practices and one year specifically in sound healing, Annmarie integrates holistic approaches to support the wellness and potential of others. Her passion lies in empowering individuals to achieve balance in mind, body, and spirit through therapeutic sound and intentional care. |
| Noelia De la Rosa | Noelia de la Rosa is a 3rd year Occupational Therapy doctoral student at UTEP and graduate of the NMSU Dance Program. For over 9 years, Noelia has been teaching various dance styles in Las Cruces and El Paso to students of all ages. Over the years, she's become curious about how dance improves people's lives. This course is designed to measure participant's progress in fall prevention knowledge and mobility/balance. |
| Cherry Duke | Cherry Duke, AD, Applied Voice, Director of Opera UTEP Cherry Duke joined UTEP's music faculty in 2015. She directs UTEP's Opera Workshop ("Opera UTEP") and teaches applied voice. A regular performer of concert, opera, and new music, Duke has appeared in premieres and workshops of several 20th and 21st century operas. She is a regular soloist with El Paso Opera, having appeared in the last several seasons. Ms. Duke graduated with from Texas Woman's University and received her graduate degree in Opera Performance from The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. |
| Fred Eiland | Fred Eiland is a real estate broker by trade who has always had a love affair with photography. He has led the Photography Club of El Paso for the past two and a half years and has exhibited his photographs here in El Paso, TX, England, and North Wales. His photos were displayed previously at the International Museum of Art at the "Eye of the Camera" Exhibit. Fred is also a long-time OLLI member and recently exhibited his photos in the OLLI 2019 Vision Exhibit at the Student Union Gallery. Hiss award-winning photo Racing the Wind was featured on the cover of the OLLI 2021 Fall Catalog. |
| Bernard Epps | Bernard (Butch) Epps earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University, graduating cum laude as an award-winning film production major. He received his MFA from the UCLA School of Film and Television’s graduate Producers Program, where he specialized in story development and working with screenwriters. At UCLA, he served as academic liaison to the MFA Producers Program faculty, including studio heads, development executives, and industry professionals. Epps has taught film appreciation courses with a strong emphasis on story analysis. |
| Veronica Frescas | Veronica Frescas is an experienced community advocate passionate about empowering others through practical education and heartfelt communication. Known for her strategic leadership in community programs, and impactful storytelling, Veronica creates dynamic, interactive learning experiences. Her hands-on expertise spans health advocacy, financial empowerment, technology, and compassionate animal care. Dedicated to fostering resilience and informed action, Veronica brings warmth, authenticity, and enthusiasm to every session, inspiring others to confidently navigate life's complexities |
| Wayne Gardner | Wayne Gardner is a Certified Yoga Instructor (RYS 200 Casa de Yoga) and has been teaching yoga/fitness classes for over 7 years. He is also a Certified Nutrition Coach (National Academy of Sports Medicine 2020). A life-long runner, he had a personal record at the Paavo Nurmi Marathon in August 2024. He has a daily meditation practice which he has found beneficial. Additionally, he has a love for helping others improve their physical and mental well-being and is excited about this opportunity to teach through the OLLI program. |
| Keith Giles | Keith Giles is a native El Pasoan who graduated from the University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in Creative Writing/Philosophy. Today, he is a full-time author and an award-winning creative copywriter with over fifteen years of professional writing experience. He has appeared on CNN with Anderson Cooper, Fox News, and other outlets. He co-hosts three nationally known podcasts. |
| Monica Gomez | Mónica E. Gómez has made her living with words as a writer, songwriter, teacher, broadcast journalist, and voice talent. Her writing appears in numerous anthologies including Red Boots & Attitude: The Spirit of Texas Women Writers and The New York Times 2020 on-line edition. In her hometown of El Paso, Texas, she hosted NPR’s State of the Arts and moderated National Issues Forums for the local PBS station. As a performing songwriter she released three CDs and presented performances and workshops through the Texas Commission on the Arts and other state and regional arts agencies. Distilled from years of work with diverse populations, Gómez’s creative writing workbook, EXPRESSERCIZE: Write Answers contains more than 100 exercises in expression and self-discovery. Gómez’s workshops integrate diverse forms of inspiration and highlight the literal creative power of writing. |
| Eugenia Gonzalez-Nicholson | Genie Nicholson has been in the wellness industry as a national certified instructor thru the American Council on Exercise (certification no. F28990) and Silversneakers. She has multiple certifications in wellness including: adaptive fitness, senior fitness specialist, and fitness nutrition specialist. She has taught group fitness classes more than 23 years throughout the city. |
| Vicki Harder | Dr. Vicki Harder is a recently retired geology professor from the University of Texas @ El Paso. She has also taught forensic science, environmental science, and general science for UTEP, NMSU, WNMU, and EPCC. She has also been an educational consultant for the Mineralogical Society of America (mineralogy4kids.org) and author of numerous laboratory manuals. |
| Johnnie Hendrickson | Dr. Johnnie Hendrickson is a Teaching Professor in the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University; he holds a PhD in chemistry, and is the author of the textbook Chemistry in the World. His academic work focuses on science communication, the reciprocal relationship between science and society. |
| Taeko Hiroi | Anna Miki Genna-Hiroi is a figure skater and coach. She is a US Figure Skating Double Gold Medalist. Jacob Teng is a figure skater. Taeko Hiroi holds a USFS coach certification. Anna and Jacob are Coronado High School students. Taeko Hiroi is a Professor of Political Science at UTEP. They are members of the El Paso Blades Skating Academy. |
| Paul Hyder | |
| Matt Jennings | Matt Jennings joined the Macon State College (now Middle Georgia State University) faculty in 2007, after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. His research interests include Native American history, early American history, and the history of violence. He is currently studying the relationship between Native American peoples and the mounds at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and the intertwined history of tourism and archaeology at the site, as well as homeland-oriented displays in tribal museums in Oklahoma. Matt has also studied Thomas Paine’s interactions with Native Americans and the roots of John Brown’s ideas about violence. His current research includes work with the Acme Brewing Historical Society and Georgia and a study of the Ocmulgee River region during the War of 1812, as well as side trips into pop culture history. He has presented numerous papers, and published several books, including _New Worlds of Violence_, _The Flower Hunter and the People_, and _Ocmulgee National Monument: A Concise History with Field Notes_. |
| Eric Kappus | Dr. Eric Kappus is a Biology/Geology Professor at Southwest University at El Paso. He is also a Research Associate Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso, a research Paleontologist for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, and president of the 501 (c)(3) Celebration of our Mountains. Dr. Kappus researches trace fossils in the El Paso region, where he has reported over 35 different types, including dinosaur footprints. |
| Rachel Keller | Dr. Rachel D Keller is an educator with a strong background in literacy instruction and a passion for supporting diverse learners. Her doctoral dissertation focused on literacy development for adult language learners. At the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), she teaches pre-service teachers about evidence-based literacy practices and consults on professional development for educators throughout the United States. She is currently pursuing a second master's degree in Reading Science to further specialize in the science of reading with a focus on Dyslexia. |
| Kathleen Key | Kathleen Key graduated from UTEP with an English Literature and History degree. She has a master's degree in Art History from University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. Key has taught art history and history of fashion since 1986. She and her husband, Bill, lived in Cairo, Egypt for 20 years before moving to the Mesilla, New Mexico area. She has taught the Entering Student Program at UTEP for five years and has been an OLLI instructor for two years. |
| William Key | Education: BSME UTEP 1970; MSME Acoustics, U of H 1988. William "Bill" Key served in the U.S. Army until 1971, then worked as an engineer in the oil and gas industry in Houston for engineering and maufacturing firms. In 1995 he was reassigned to Egypt as a facility engineer for a major indepedent firm where he worked for 20 years until retirement. Bill also has a "good-working" knowledge of Arabic. |
| John Kuberka | With over 20 years of teaching experience, John Kuberka has taught yoga to people of all age groups and physical abilities. This includes nine years serving as a movement therapist for the Warrior Resilience Center, a clinic on Ft. Bliss that focuses on treating active duty soldiers with PTSD, TBI, and various physical limitations. |
| John Langelier | John Langellier has spent decades researching African Americans in the US military, beginning in the 1960s. His work includes articles and books such as More Work Than Glory: Buffalo Soldiers in the United States Army, 1866–1916 and Buffalo Soldiers in Arizona, and an extensive National Park Service study on Buffalo Soldiers from the Eastern Seaboard to Hawaii. He has consulted and produced documentaries on African Americans in the armed forces for A&E and PBS, curated museum exhibits, developed curricula, and delivered programs across the US and Europe. |
| Anna Lardinois | Anna Lardinois is an author, storyteller, and history enthusiast with a passion for uncovering dramatic and often chilling tales from the past. She is the author of Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes: Tragedies and Legacies from the Inland Seas (2021) and more than a dozen books on history, folklore, and ghostly legends. Lardinois founded an award-winning tour company specializing in haunted history and previously served as the Pfister Hotel Narrator, chronicling stories from Milwaukee’s most historic hotel. She has hosted the radio show Haunted Heartland and currently leads an online publication focused on entrepreneurship in Wisconsin. |
| Stephen Ledesma | Stephen has a B.S. in Interior Design with a Teaching Credential in Language Arts. His main career was as an interior designer for the Department of Veterans Affairs where writing was an integral part of his work. Stephen also taught at Atchinson High School in Atchinson, Kansas for 2 years, teaching American Literature, Journalism and Speech. Five years ago, retired after 32 years, Stephen moved to El Paso for the climate, cost of living, cousins, and Mexican food. He no longer has to write lengthy and dull government memorandums. Instead, he writes for the love of language. |
| Soyeon Lee | Dr. Sodyean Lee is an Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Writing Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso. Her research interests include transnational environmental rhetorics, user experience studies, and decolonial and community-based approaches to technical communication. She earned her Ph.D. degree, with focus on rhetoric, composition, and pedagogy, from the University of Houston and Graduate Certificate in Teaching Technical Communication at Texas Tech University. |
| Young Lee | Young Lee is an award-winning photographer in photography competitions. He has completed Nikon USA photography courses and is currently a Photography Instructor at UTEP P3 and EPCC C/E. He earned his Visual Design certification at Adobe with Photoshop and enjoys teaching to become a photographer who inspires creativity and dreams in people. He teaches you how to maximize the efficiency of your camera and use it with confidence. |
| Ronald Leiman | Ronald Leiman is an active community member who has served, consulted and held positions in several organization in El Paso, including the Texas Retired Teachers Association as president and historian, the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame and the El Paso County Historcal Commission. He currently serves as the vice-president of the Board of Directors for the El Paso Railroad and Transportation Museum. He is recognized as an El Paso historian and ha been giving presentations and walking tours in the border region since 2009. |
| Kien Lim | Dr. Kien Lim is an associate professor at UTEP. He applies the teachings of the Buddha to his work as a math educator. He has published two articles: Using Equations to Think about Karma and Blending Mathematics Teaching with Kindness. He started an informal group for UTEP faculty and staff to meet regularly to cultivate kindness. He has been volunteering since 2015 at the Otero County Prison Facility to help inmates cultivate kindness and mindfulness. |
| Jean-Claude Linossi | Jean-Claude Linossi, a native of Strasbourg, Alsace, France, has lived in the United States since 1973. He lived in Asheville, North Carolina before moving to El Paso, Texas, in 2010 as a retiree. He has been an active volunteer in El Paso by teaching conversational French at the Judge Marquez Library, teaching French to children at the EPCC NW Campus, assisting at the Chihuahuan Desert Garden, and serving as president of the El Paso Cactus and Rock Club. |
| Marie Livingston | Marie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from UTEP, is a former docent at the El Paso Museum of Art, and instructor of Art History with OLLI. She the past chair and current voluteer for OLLI, has been a long-time resident of El Paso, and an avid art lover. |
| Aurolyn Luykx | Dr. Luykx is a cultural anthropologist whose interests include questions of sustainability and culture change in late capitalism/post-industrial societies. Her previous OLLI courses included "Documentaries and Discussion", "Endangered Languages", and "How to Think About Weird Things". |
| Charles Martin | Charles Martin, Ph.D. is a recently retired history professor from UTEP. His studies emphasize civil rights history, Texas history, sport history, and American history. |
| Prince McKenzie | Prince McKenzie is a descendent of a pioneer family who built the first railroad across Texas. He retired as curator with the City of El Paso Department of Museums in 2001. He is the co-founder and executive director of the Railorad and Transportation Museum of El Paso. In 2018, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the El Paso Archaeological Society and has seved on the County Historical Commission for five years. |
| Davinia Miraval | Davinia Miraval studied Graphic Communications at Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México (UNAM) in 1998. That same year, she came to the United States and continued her studies. In 2005, she received a B.F.A. with a concentration in metals at UTEP. She has since received several awards including Best Painting Award of Excellence in Metals and the Student Scholarship from the Women's Jewelry Association, Inc. In 2007, she received her Master of Arts in Metals and Painting. |
| Lynn Neakrase | Dr. Neakrase currently works for the NASA Planetary Data System Atmospheres Node at the NMSU Astronomy Department, where he works to archive atmospheric data from across the Solar System. Lynn is a geologist by trade with specialization in aeolian (wind-blown) processes and has published research on Earth, Mars, and Venus. His Ph.D. dissertation was on a lab-driven study of dust devil dynamics under Earth and Mars conditions. He has been a member of two Mars Missions (failed Mars Polar Lander mission (1999), and the highly successful Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit & Opportunity; 2004-2009). |
| Liliana Oaxaca | Lily Oaxaca is the Program Director for the Alzheimer's Association West Texas Chapter. She came to Alzheimer's Association from UTEP where she managed the Professional Continuing Education programs with Professional and Public Programs. Her focus with the Association is to provide valuable information to the community on the impact of Alzheimer's disease and the resources that will help guide and prepare for the future. |
| Faith Ogungbe | Faith Ogungbe is a doctoral candidate in Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University in anthropology and biotechnology. Ogungbe is deeply committed to health equity and passionate about addressing issues that promote the overall health and well-being of all individuals. Her research interests include maternal and child health, and female reproductive health. |
| Asya Pereltsvaig | Asya M Pereltsvaig received a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University and has taught at Yale, Cornell, and Stanford, as well as in several other universities. Her expertise is in language and history, and the relationship between them. Her most recent book, Languages of the World: An Introduction, 4th edition (2023) is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. Asya is a popular instructor for several Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes across the country and was the faculty host for the Osher trip to the Baltic countries and her native city, St. Petersburg Russia in July 2017. |
| Rosario Ponte | Rosario Ponte is an El Paso artist who is originally from Venezuela. She specializes in portraiture, landscapes and still life. A graduate of the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, Ponte completed advanced studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She has studied under nationally acclaimed artists Aleksander Titovets and Daniel Greene. Ponte has been painting for over 25 years and has won prizes for her oil paintings, which have been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has taught art classes for OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) for two years. |
| Silvia Portillo-Koch | Sylvia Portillo was born in Argentina of Italian immigrants and learned the Italian language at an early age. She continued her education in languages in Argentina, Brazil, and Italy. She worked as a translator and interpreter for the USAF in Italy, Germany, and in the U.S. |
| Phyllis Price | Phyllis Price has been a certified ashtanga yoga teacher since 1981. She has studied and taught various styles of yoga including vigorous ashtanga, vinyasa, chair, pregnancy, and cancer-survivor practices. She offers her classes at The University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico State University, various El Paso clubs and studios, and also offers private classes. She is a registered E-RYT 200 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance) and LifeForce Yoga for Depression and Anxiety (LFYT) teacher, and has been an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) instructor since 2010. |
| Lynn Provenzano | Lynn Provenzano has facilitated personal and professional deveolpment for more than 25 years in corporate, community, and no-profit groups. She has worldwide cross-cultural experience, and specializes in interpersonal skills, creative energy work, meditation, and motivation. Provenzano is a MCKS Panic Healing practitioner/facilitator and devotee of T'ai Chi and qigong. She is co-founder of the nonprofit Lotus Integrated Group for Health and Transformation (L.I.G.H.T.) and presides over the nonprofit El Paso Society for Musicians of the Future. |
| Rev. Lenae Rasmussen | Reverand Rasmussen holds a BS from Illinois State University, an MA from the Luther Seminary and a STM from the Insitute of Lutheran Theology. She has been the pastor at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of El Paso since 2007. She teaches and is completing her PhD program at the Institute of Lutheran Theology. She is member of the History Honor Society (Phi Alpha Theta), the Alpha Chi Honor Society, and loves to teach topics in the Renaiassance and the Reformation eras. |
| Luis Carlos Rodriguez | Luis Carlos Rodriguez is originally from Roswell, NM, but has spent the better part of the past 25 years living, working and traveling abroad. In addition to being a part-time ESL instructor at UTEP, he is also a part-time philosophy instructor at El Paso Community College, where he has taught for the past two years. Before moving to El Paso three years ago, Rodriguez was an ESL lecturer at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic for eight years. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Philosophy from San Francisco State University and taught Intro to Philosophy and Religion, Ethics and Critical Thinking during his last two years there. He also has a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CTESOL and Advanced CTESOL). His interests include traveling, trying different types of food and drink, running and power yoga, watching movies and documentaries, and studying philosophical and religious texts. |
| Steve Schiller | Steve Schiller is currently the second trumpet of the Las Cruces Symphony. He is a former member of the Cleveland Symphony, National Ballet of Canada, the Springfield Massachusetts Symphony, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has performed with the Boston Symphony, Metropolitan Opera, and in New York City Broadway musicals. Schiller is also a former faculty member at the New England Conservatory of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Westfield (MA) State College. |
| Eleanor Schrader | Eleanor Schrader is an award-winning educator, lecturer, and author. She lectures and leads tours worldwide on art and architectural history. She has been named a distinguished instructor at UCLA Extension, where she teaches history of architecture, interior design, furniture, and decorative arts. Schrader is a Professor Emerita of art and architectural history at Santa Monica College. She has completed graduate work in fine and decorative arts at Sotheby's Institute in London and New York. She has served as a design review commissioner for the City of Beverly Hills and currently serves on the board of directors of the John Lautner Foundation. |
| Marc Seifer | Marc Seifer, PhD is the author of more than 100 articles and a dozen books, including the acclaimed Wizard: The Life & Times of Nikola Tesla, Ozone Therapy for the Treatment of Viruses, and Tesla: Wizard at War. A frequent speaker on Tesla and technological history, Seifer has lectured at every International Tesla Conference and has presented at institutions including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, West Point Military Academy, and the United Nations. His work has been featured in many major publications and has appeared on the BBC, NPR, and in The Tesla Files, a five-part History Channel series which has aired in 40 countries. |
| Linda Shubeck | Linda Shubeck's mother taught her to knit when she was seven, She taught herself how to crochet at age ten and has been crocheting for at least 40 years. |
| Eric Simon | Eric Simon, professor of Biology at New England College, received his PhD in biochemistry from Harvard University. An avid traveler and award-winning nature photographer, Eric leads educational international trips to destinations including Belize, the Galapagos, Tanzania, Cuba, the Amazon River, and Patagonia. Simon is the author of a widely used series of college biology textbooks with over 2 million books in print that help teach biology to students in over 40 countries. |
| Charles Smith | Charles W. Smith Jr. is an innovator, creator, and risk-taker. Currently, he is a 5-time published author and a transformational speaker, delivering a powerful message titled “Reboot My way of Thinking.” He is also actively involved in the El paso, TX community and has achieved significant success as a 6-time award-winning business owner of Gentleman Boutique by Gon. |
| Eric Smith | |
| Jay Stratton | Professor Jay Stratton is a teacher of numerous summer Shakespeare courses including last summer's Much Ado About… Something, He comes to UTEP after 17 years as a professional actor in New York City. He has taught at colleges nationally and internationally and loves working with OLLI! |
| Virtual Admin | |
| Leanne Von Mittenwald | Leanne Von Mittenwald has over 30 years of experience teaching theatrical arts and education. Her approachable and encouraging attitude compels her students to let go and explore their inner child. She is a published playwright who has directed over 30 plays, and has a true passion for teaching and learning. |
| Lauren Weingarden | Lauren Weingarden is professor emerita of art history at Florida State University. Weingarden’s publications explore the interrelations between literature and visual arts in 19th century cultural contexts. She is the author of several scholarly books and articles on the American architect Louis Sullivan and on French art and literature, particularly Charles Baudelaire and Édouard Manet. Her interdisciplinary work includes developing an embodied aesthetic model through which art viewers re-experience artists’ immersive encounters with modernity’s fragmentation and nature’s transience—a perspective that deeply informs her teachings on Impressionism. |
| Geoffrey Woglom | Geof Woglom, PhD is professor emeritus of economics at Amherst College, where he taught for over 40 years. He has held visiting positions at Cambridge, Harvard, and the London School of Economics. Woglom was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town and at Nanjing University. Over his career, he has served as an economic consultant for the International Monetary Fund, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. |
