Course Listing - by Instructor

Name	Biography
Jane Addis	Jane Addis has been attending OLLI for several years. Her background is in manufacturing engineering and she has always enjoyed travel and history. Since retirement she has been able to delve into both of those subjects. She finds it thrilling to share what she has learned and interact with students.
Rita Ballejos	Rita Ballejos retired from the Army after serving 23 years. She has worked as a cook in Las Vegas at various hotels and retired as a master cook. In attending OLLI, the arts became a passion and carried over into the teaching of art in various forms.
Diane Benelli	Diane Benelli is a twelfth generation Manhattan native who has been published in the New York Genealogical & Biographical Record. She has also edited several books for publication, among them the United Nations Disarmament Yearbook.
Daniel Berman	Dr. Daniel Berman is the Founder and CEO of the Community Healthcare Innovations. In addition, he has been helping people later in life reinvent their life after retiring from their positions. He has been coaching and working with retired healthcare professionals and other professionals to find fulfillment in the next phase of their lives.
Richard Berman	As a teenager, Richard Berman would hang out on the corners of his Bronx neighborhood listening to the sounds of the birth of Rock and Roll. In this course, he shares those sounds via videos and provides the back stories of the pioneers of the genre. Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and Bill Haley are among the greats to be studied and enjoyed in this course. After retiring from teaching at UNLV, Richard began teaching for OLLI. He has instructed over 20 courses.
Niels Clyde	Niels Clyde has been a student of several disciplines of spiritual principles for many years. His interest in ancient sages and their teachings has enabled him to facilitate several study groups. Clyde added teaching ukulele in 2013. OLLI at UNLV has provided a unique opportunity for Clyde to share his experience in a multimedia environment.
Frank Davio	Frank Davio worked for Rheingold Brewery in Brooklyn, New York as a truck driver and for Southwest Airlines in Las Vegas as a ramp agent. He was raised in a social club culture and has been playing cards for recreation most of his life. Though he now occasionally plays cards online, Davio knows there is nothing that compares with the fun, entertainment, and excitement of playing cards in person.
Richard Davis	Dignity Health’s Richard Davis received his B.A. from the University of San Francisco in 1981. He excels in community outreach and is a requested conference speaker and a published writer on health care issues. Davis is a certified trainer and facilitator for Adult Mental Health First Aid Training. He assists in the promotion, implementation and delivery of all health self-management workshops in association with community partner organizations. Davis won the “Humankindness” award in 2019.
Alfred Drake	Alfred J. Drake grew up in Orange County, California, earned his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. (1989-1997) in English at the University of California, Irvine, and now lives in Las Vegas. He has taught English, American, classical and world literature at UC Irvine, Chapman University, and CSU Fullerton. He has edited works on the Frankfurt School and the American New Critics, and at present his main interests are in classical Greek and Latin literature, literary theory, and Shakespeare.
Linda Edgeworth	Linda Edgeworth's career field was election law and administration. After leaving Alaska as it's Deputy Director of Elections, she became a senior level consultant leading international observation missions, and providing direct assistance to election officials in 39 countries. Her most challenging assignment was rebuilding the voter rolls in war-torn Bosnia & Herzegovina and supervising all the country's national and local elections in compliance with the Dayton Peace Accords after the war.
Noell Everhart	Noell Everhart grew up in a funeral home in rural eastern Ohio and formed an interest in history after watching the 1988 mini series "Gore Vidal's Lincoln". Noell started with the Civil War but soon became interested in general history and extensively studied the Civil War, the Holocaust, and musicals, along with many other subjects. Noell discovered a love of musicals at Christmas in 1988 after borrowing the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack (from Mom). Noell has been fortunate to travel extensively and indulge in a love of culture, history and musicals. Noell moved to Las Vegas September 2021 and has been at OLLI since February 2023.
Bruce Ewing	Bruce Ewing is a native of Suffern, NY and is a graduate of the Hartt School of Music, Hartford, CT. He most recently toured the country in The Phat Pack (winner of Best Of Vegas: Best All-Around Performers). Ewing co-created The Phat Pack while appearing in Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian. Before Phantom, he appeared as Jinx in Forever Plaid at the Gold Coast, as well as four years as Jinx and Sparky in Forever Plaid at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino. Before Vegas, Ewing worked all over the country with credits including national tours of Forever Plaid (Jinx/Frankie Sparky), City of Angels (Jimmy Powers), Grand Hotel (Erik and understudy for the Baron), and Ziegfeld: A Night at the Follies (production tenor). Ewing has recorded four solo CDs and recently retired as music director for Community Lutheran Church of Las Vegas.
Vincent Farese	Vince Farese is a UNLV Alumni and has 18 years of providing instruction to K-12 and adults as a NV Licensed Educator. He was an Assistant Coach for Basketball and Golf, held Corporate Senior Marketing Management Positions and was a Business owner for 20 years. Vince is bringing a class to OLLI based upon the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. Remember "rich" has many meanings.
Nancy Faye	Nancy Faye is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, trained in multiple treatments for anxiety, depression and trauma. Most recently she was certified as an iRest Level 1 Teacher. She wants to share, learn and grow with other OLLI students who are interested in meditation.
Mercedes Foster	Mercedes Dorothea Foster is 79 years young and a retired Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. She is a show producer, choreographer, Egyptian Belly Dance instructor and Afro-Brazilian Samba Dance instructor from Brooklyn, NY. She has been belly dancing since May 1989 and has performed professionally around the world. She taught belly dance for eleven years in Honolulu, Hawaii and at the historic Doolittle Community Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada for ten years. Mercedes was invited to dance and then, subsequently, taught various dance forms for two years at the Speeding Theater Over 55, in Las Vegas. Her dance style is described as Egyptian Style Belly Dance and Afro-Brazilian style Samba. She has been teaching dance techniques, combinations, and choreography off and on since 1998. Mercedes teaches various forms of dance because it is lots of fun and it keeps her physically fit.
Marvin Gawryn	Marvin Gawryn considers himself incredibly lucky. More than fifty years ago, when he was seventeen and barely sentient, at his high school job at one of the first metaphysical book shops in Los Angeles, he stumbled upon The Urantia Book. It has shaped his entire adult life from that day forward. Marvin is the author of “Reaching High: The Psychology of Spiritual Living”, and has presented workshops at many conferences. He is semi-retired after 30 years in practice as a Family Therapist, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Interfaith Council of Southern Nevada. He completed a two-year Certificate of Theological Studies in 1988 from the Graduate Theological Union in the history and sociology of religion.
Donna Gould	Donna Gould, MS, RD, LD, is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian based in Las Vegas. Donna specializes in weight management, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease for adults 65 years and older. Donna also teaches at UNLV for the School of Integrated Health Sciences and has a private practice that specializes in 1-1 nutrition counseling.
Ellen Halperin-Royer	Ellen Royer is in her third year teaching courses in theater history and dramatic literature for OLLI. She loves talking about theater to anyone who will listen, and is thrilled to have a captive audience of learners who are interested in the material she presents! Always fascinated by the intersections between theater and society, she is excited to delve into this exquisite vein of American culture. Ellen received her doctorate in theater from the University of Oregon in 1988 and has taught at universities in Oregon, Nebraska, New Jersey and Texas.
Danielle Hartnett	Danielle Hartnett holds a degree in film from USC, where she worked with renowned film scholar Drew Casper and several blacklisted filmmakers. While on work study in the film library, she looked for any opportunity to steal a moment in the Warner Bros Special Collections, where she would linger over publicity stills of James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. She spent a brief time working in Hollywood before pursuing a master’s degree in English literature. Hartnett is a published film reviewer. She has taught several classes at OLLI at UNLV, including classes on the Hollywood Blacklist, the History of the Early Gangster Film, and the Films of the Cold War.
Gail Knapp	Gail Knapp retired after teaching psychology for 38 years in a Michigan Community College. She has a B.A. from Stony Brook University; an M.A. from Hofstra University and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She earned a J.D. from Cooley Law School at age 62 and has a PRP credential as a parliamentarian. She has taught for OLLI every semester for the past 11 years, served two terms on the Steering Council as its secretary, and was recently honored with a lifetime membership.
Tori Kolinski	Tori Kolinski has been chasing Vitis Vinifera since 1983. She received her formal wine education through the International Sommelier Guild. However, she has gained a more informal wine education during extensive travel to many of the world's greatest wine regions and learning directly from Viticulturists and Vintners. Tori has been a wine educator since 2010 and believes that wine is made in the vineyard. She has extensive knowledge and a passion for wine and enjoys sharing her knowledge with others.
Larry Kuperman	Larry Kuperman has been teaching about Jewish history and culture for over 20 years. He has taught for both the JCS and JCC of Ann Arbor, and at Congregation Ner Tamid and Temple Sinai here in Las Vegas. He currently works as the VP of Business Development for Nightdive Studios, a division of Atari. He has been featured in articles about the portrayal of the Holocaust in video games. He is a graduate of New York University and holds a Masters degree in business from the University of Detroit Mercy.
Johnny Law	Johnny Law has been an OLLI Art Instructor for almost 10 years now with an ever-morphing Beginner Drawing Class with an emphasis on creativity, and is probably why so many "OLLI Art Community" artists often return to Johnny’s class over and over again! He never really did anything artsy before his first OLLI drawing class 10 years ago that struck gold. Which is why his class is successfully based on his own journey, as a self-proclaimed 5X7 refrigerator magnet and forever beginner ARTEEST!
Rob Levrant	Rob Levrant has been the director of OLLI at UNLV since 2015. Prior, Levrant had an extensive career in higher education administration and community engagement. From 1996-2003 he served as Director of Housing and Residence Life at Rocky Mountain College where he taught an undergraduate leadership course, and led community education efforts aimed at improving student experience, public safety, and quality of life on campus and throughout the community.
Mark Love	Mark Love retired to Las Vegas in 2017 after teaching the children of Air Force members in the Azores for 6 years, and in England for 28 years. He co-taught a course on Modern Board Games for OLLI at UNLV in the Spring of 2020. Mark majored in political science and was an active campaign volunteer for a Presidentail candidate in the 2020 Nevada caucus. He has enjoyed co-facilitating "Soapbox" for the past several semesters.
Theresa Malburg	Teri Malburg came to OLLI in 2019. Her first class was "American Sign Language", then a class to down-sizing her life (yeah, right!). The first class she presented was called "Why This Psalm", then "Tea Time Movies" with a spin about different makings of the movies. Now she has been presenting classroom time for the OLLI Art Community in all three semesters each year. She says OLLI is addicting!
Susan Merritt	After earning degrees in computer science and math from Cornell and UC San Diego, Susan Merritt spent the majority of her career in the world of technology as a data scientist helping biotech scientists manage their laboratory data. Far from being a tech geek dwelling in the cyber world, Merritt has a love of nature and a drive to explore. In her free time, she has traveled to remote locations all over the globe, on all seven continents.
Paul Michael, MD	Paul Michael, MD is a Retired Hematologist/Medical Oncologist in Las Vegas from 1985-2018. Founding partner in Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada. Raised in Oklahoma, worked in hospitals in high school and under-grad college. Attended University of Texas Medical Branch Medical School 1976-1980. Long time board member on American Cancer Society and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Clinical faculty member at UNLV Kerkorian School of Medicine since Inception in 2017. He has a long time interest in Integrative Therapies.
Barbara Miller	Barbara Miller is an avid reader and shares her insightful constructive criticism. She moved to Las Vegas from New York where she ran an orthopedic office for eighteen years. She now has the time to pursue her passion for writing.
Ken Moser	Ken Moser is a certified executive chef and has worked as a chef for over 40 years. He has owned and operated many restaurants and catering companies. He was Vice President of Food and Beverage for major corporations, having a long and award winning career. He wants to help with better nutrition, and better food options for seniors.
Dan Mysliborski	Dan Mysliborski retired from Ocean Spray Manufacturing in 2011. He has been a Las Vegas resident since 1992 and a student at OLLI at UNLV since 2013. He graduated from DeSales University in 1980 with an accounting degree. Mysliborski is a fan of television from the 50s and 60s and has enjoyed Twilight Zone since its original broadcast in 1959.
Judy Nelson	Judy Nelson has lived in Las Vegas since 1989. She is a retired Department of Defense employee and spent 20 years working at Nellis AFB. Her interest in ukulele began at age nine when she found an old ukulele book in her dad's garage and taught herself some chords on a $6 ukulele. She moved on to learn guitar a few years later, playing from books. Nelson didn't play ukulele again until 2010, when she joined the Ukulele Club of Las Vegas. She is currently the organizer of UCLV and the Ninth Isle Ukulele Club.
Renee Newry	Renee Newry is a retired librarian with a master's degree in library science. She devoted thirty years to teaching in public education. She has served as an AARP volunteer with their Disrupt Aging Classroom outreach program for colleges. Locally, with Nevada AARP, Renee is an ambassador for the Speakers' Bureau, presenting on Fraud Watch, Online Safety, and ID Protection for older adults. In addition to her work with AARP, she serves in various other volunteer roles within the community.
Denise Rose	Dr. Denise Rose (PhD) is an enthusiastic educator about Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) nutrition and has been teaching classes for several years. Denise, along with her husband, Georgie Campas, have a social media presence on both YouTube and Facebook under the name Happy Vegan Couple where they share cooking videos for WFPB recipes and more.
Christina Salinas	Chris Salinas is a 42-year resident of Las Vegas working at the Nevada Test Site and Clark County School District and raising a family here. Volunteer work included Boy/Girl Scout leader/camp staff, CCD Teacher, PTA, Red Cross, USO & LV Natural History Museum. She enjoys travel, museum visits, crafting, and shooting sports. Chris begins her 3rd year as an OLLI instructor and 10th year as a member. Chris has a love of reading, especially history, and this has led her to develop classes based upon "The Great Courses".
Salley Sawyer	Salley Sawyer has a B.S. in Art Education and a Ph.D. in Instructional Design. She has taught classes on basket making and ceramics and bookmaking as well as baker-dough craft. Sawyer is passionate about printmaking and studied printmaking with Anne Hoff at the College of Southern Nevada. Both Sawyer and her husband Stephen grew up in Maine and return to the rock-bound coast at least once each summer.
Fran Smith	Fran Smith holds a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in international relations. Her first career was on Capitol Hill as a Congressional aide. Her second was in housing development in Honolulu. And her third was nonprofit management. After retiring, she returned to her love of learning through OLLI at UNLV. Although she has no professional art experience, she minored in art history and has pursued her love of art all her adult life through travel.
Doug Verb	With 40 years’ experience in all facets of the sports industry, Doug Verb is one of the country’s most successful executives for new sports and league “start-ups.” With expertise in strategic organization, media, promotion, event creation/management, mediation, and staff building, he served as a consultant to many sports organizations, agencies, and venues. As founder of ACTION Sports America, he developed and managed sales promotions with all the major pro leagues and college conferences and owns international proprietary products. Verb was part of groups that started three pro sports leagues, was president of pro soccer’s Chicago Sting, and spent 10 years as a TV executive and sportswriter.
Susan Waldman	Susan Waldman moved here from New York City in 2006. She started OLLI in 2010 and has been part of the Educational Programming Committee, the Volunteer Committee and is also an active Olli Ambassador. She learned to play American and Asian Mahjong in 2008 and has been enjoying and playing ever since.
Jo Wilkins	Jo Wilkins, Chief Executive Officer and Acquisitions Editor for Mystic Publishers, Inc., runs the companies Ink & Quill Publishers (general genres) and NewLink Publishing (Horror, Sci-Fi and Fantasy), and Vision Novels, for authors who want to self-publish without a vanity press. She co-authors, the Tyranny Series (Sci-Fi) and one murder mystery. She has published in over 20 anthologies and essays, and on KNPR's "Making NV Home". She taught beginning and intermediate writing for the City of Henderson.
Les Wimmer	Les Wimmer has a BS degree, in Business Management, from the University of Maryland's European Division. He also holds two associate degrees in technology. Les is a retiree of the air force reserve and a retired civilian employee, of the same. He has worked in financial services. He also enjoys researching the history of companies, and their financial operations.
Carolyn Yucha	Dr. Carolyn Yucha is both a nurse and a physiologist. She has taught numerous courses in Nursing Schools in Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology. She has served as Editor of Biological Research for Nursing, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, for the past 22 years. Dr. Yucha was Dean of the School of Nursing at UNLV from 2004-2018. She hopes to share her enthusiasm for the relationships between structure and function in our extraordinary human bodies.

Course Listing - by Instructor

Educational Outreach