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. |
| Frederick Amodeo | Frederick Amodeo is a retired educator from Long Island, NY. He has 20 yrs of Special Education and 15 yrs of Physical Education experience. Fred holds a Bachelors degree and 4 Masters. He coached football, track and volleyball. Along with that, Fred was also a Class advisor for B.U.T.Y. (Bring Unity To Youth). |
| 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. |
| Jean Beard | Jean Beard is an experienced trainer, and an amateur watercolorist who only started painting after retirement. She has taken classes and workshops from prominent artists, and stresses the fun in creating art. Jean admits she often learns more from her students than the other way around! |
| 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. |
| Vicky Birkland | Vicky Birkland has shared a serendipitous life with husband John for nearly 50 years together. She taught in her native Washington state, California, Guam, Brunei, and Germany. She worked in a variety of roles at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation before working at, and retiring from, the Nevada Test Site. A love of the Smithsonian museums and history inspired the creation of this course exploring the Smithsonian's artifacts and their stories. When they are not in OLLI classes or travelling, the Birklands enjoy the culture and fun of Las Vegas. |
| Bob Blaskey | Bob Blaskey works at St. Viator and St. Francis de Sales School, where he directs drama ministry groups and teaches classes in the Catholic faith. He has been a guest speaker at various houses of worship with his Parables of Today message. He received his degree in political science from UNLV. Four of the faith-based dramatic videos he wrote and directed received the Silver Angel Award, given by Excellence in Media for “works of outstanding moral, ethical, and/or social impact.” He is the author of Curtain Up!, a book about creating a drama ministry, published by Harcourt Religion. He was also a columnist for Religion Teachers Journal and has published several skits. |
| Lynne Boone | Lynne Boone has been teaching crochet classes at OLLI at UNLV since 2013. She is also the moderator of the OLLI at UNLV book club since November 2012. Boone graduated with a B.A. in English from Xavier University of Louisiana in 1984. |
| Paula Brody | Paula Brody was a lawyer from 1989-1993 and HRIS consultant for 35 years. Paula officially retired in 2024. She has been an OLLI Member for 2 years, Casa Mentor in Nevada, volunteer for OLLI and volunteer coordinator for the OLLI Administrative Office. She has traveled to 45 states and 3 international countries as a consultant. |
| Tzvi Bronchtain | While Rabbi Tzvi Bronchtain was a young student in Talmudic seminary, he traveled to FSU where he was active in community service and adult education. After completing his B.A. in Talmudic law, he obtained rabbinical ordination in 2004 from the Central Rabbinical Seminary in New York. In 2005 he and his wife moved to Las Vegas where he was appointed co-director of the Chabad Jewish Center at UNLV. |
| Jim Cathey | Jim Cathey is a university lecturer with more than ten years of professional experience. The scope of his work includes a university lecturer, trainer of ESL teachers and academic recruiter. He has been honored to teach in the Middle East, Asia, Southeast Asia and the Marshall Islands. Jim always had a passion to contribute to the dialogue about the Pan African movement and to be a part of the ongoing dynamics of this rich history of Africa. |
| Fong Chan | Fong Chan is a retired lawyer from New York. He holds a Law degree from St. John's University. Fong practiced most of his legal career in State and City governmental agencies. He served as Counsel to NYS Assembly committee and was counsel to the Chair of the Committee. He also served as Legislative Director to the NYC Comptroller. |
| Ken Clark | Ken Clark, former touring concert artist and a Vice President of the Baldwin Piano & Organ Co. Clark has been in the music business for most of his life as a performer and executive officer and is a graduate of Roosevelt University. He created "Celebration of Jewish American Songwriters" that were presented to sold out audiences at the Summerlin Performing Arts Center and the Starbright Theatre. |
| 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. |
| Dan Connell | Dan Connell is a Principal Engineer for Aristocrat Gaming in Las Vegas and is a dedicated mentor, author, and instructor. A firm believer in the power of passion and lifelong learning, he encourages everyone to remain curious and committed to personal growth throughout their lives, not just knowing information, but living to understand. Dan holds degrees in Applied Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, VLSI Engineering, and Business Management. |
| Christy Corzine | Christy Corzine is a retired casino pit supervisor and substitute elementary teacher for CCSD. She came into the MAP program after taking the UNLV OLLI class 'MAP Your Way Through Medicare' in the spring of 2022. So intrigued by what she learned in the class, she became a MAP volunteer in the summer of 2022, and was soon hired as a per diem MAP counselor. Her interest in navigating the Medicare system along with her passion for helping people, make her a great addition to the MAP program. |
| Dale Cox | Dale Cox has degrees in civil engineering, radio electronics, and liberal arts. He spent the majority of his career at the Nevada Test Site, where his primary responsibility was to oversee preparations for tests. Cox was a staff member of the University of California at Los Alamos, NM. He retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory. He has honorable discharges from both the Army and Air Force. |
| June Cravenn | June Cravenn has been studying belly dance for over 20 years with various teachers here in Las Vegas and other places and is a part of several belly dance troupes. She will assist Mercedes and bring hip scarves and veils for students to use in the class |
| Frank Davio | Frank Davio has been interested in paranormal since 1980. He enjoys telling his own personal tales and listening to the stories of others also. Frank also teaches Recreational Card Playing at OLLI. |
| Beth Davis | Beth Davis is the OLLI Program Manager. Beth holds a dual degree in Business Management and Human Resource Management from Kent State University. She has a varied background in many areas of business. Her first job was working the back end of a photography studio. She has trained for three companies and has taught classes to Girl Scouts and youth groups in the past. She is looking forward to hosting this class. |
| 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. |
| Tori Diego | Tori Diego is a Program Manager with Dignity Health - St. Rose Dominican in the Wellness Centers. She manages the Nevada Statewide Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Coalition, in addition to the Caregiver Support program, and Fall Prevention program. She's been with Dignity Health for nearly 7 years and has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Family Studies. She's a Community Health Worker, trained in SafeTALK, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and a facilitator for Powerful Tools for Caregivers and Stepping On: Fall Prevention. She's passionate about helping our community across the lifespan. |
| 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. |
| Janet Duff | Janet Duff, like her husband, grew up watching and enjoying many of these same memorable television classic programs. |
| John Duff III | John Duff is a retired assistant film editor who grew up during the 1950's enjoying the classic television programming of that era. Over the years, he has discovered many of these forgotten television shows and has collected several of them in his personal library in the 16mm film, VHS and DVD formats. |
| Al Aziz Eddebbarh | Imam Al Aziz Eddebbarh has a Ph.D. in environmental sciences. His religious training combines a traditional Islamic education in Morocco and Islamic chaplaincy from the Hartford Seminary in the U.S. He retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory where he worked on complex projects such as nuclear contamination cleanup and international nuclear diplomacy for nuclear non-proliferation. Eddebbarh has been a social activist and religious leader. He has traveled around the globe and has special interest in educating the Muslim community about the importance of Masjid Al-Aqsa. He has worked since his arrival to the U.S. in 1979 on promoting accurate understanding of Islam and Muslims. His passion is to work with others in the faith community to nurture a pluralistic environment. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Sonia Feldberg | Sonia Feldberg is a published writer with BAs in Communications and film studies and a MA in Cultural Communications from UNLV. Feldberg grew up in a musical home; her father was a concert violinist with the Detroit Symphony and her mother an opera singer. She played multiple instruments, but dance and live music are her passion. Living in Las Vegas for 45 years, her fondest memory is tap dancing and teaching for tap legends Maceo Anderson and Prince Spencer of the Step Brothers. Jazz was and always is the genre of choice in her home and multiple dance routines along with the American Songbook. |
| Robert Fishman | Bob Fishman has over five decades of diverse experience in government, private enterprise and non-profit organizations, including senior posts in government as Managing Director of the City & County of Honolulu, first CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Chief of Staff to the Governor of Hawaii, and General Manager of Hawaii's 50,000 seat Aloha Stadium. In the private sector, Bob has successfully managed both local and international business entities, ranging from aviation, government services, petroleum trading, information technology, movie theaters and family entertainment centers. Bob holds an MBA from the University of Hawaii, where he has been teaching public administration, ethics and leadership and homeland security since the 1990's. Bob was awarded its Award for Excellence in Public Administration by the American Society for Public Administration and in 2001 was inducted into the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business Hall of Honor. |
| 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. |
| Marc Fox | Marc Fox is a retired Air Force Judge Advocate and past narrator of the Jewish American Songwriters program at the Summerlin Performing Arts and Starbright Theatre. Marc is from Elizabeth, NJ and earned his law degree from Rutgers University. |
| Angel Garcia Saavedra | Angel Garcia Saavedra is a chronic disease management program manager specializing in health education and public health. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Education and a Master’s degree in Public Health from California State University, Fullerton. With over 15 years of experience, his career encompasses program planning, development, implementation, and education. He began his career as a health educator in Santa Ana, CA, where he provided education to families, children, and adults on diabetes management, cardiovascular health, healthy eating, and physical activity. His expertise in health education led to the development of a children’s weight management program for the University of Riverside, CA, where he collaborated with families and primary care providers to help children achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Currently with Dignity Health, Angel continues to provide health education to the community and is fully certified to deliver the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, the Diabetes Self-Management Program, the Chronic Pain Self-Management Program, and the CDC's Diabetes Prevention Program. |
| Robert Gibbons | Robert V. Gibbons, MD, MPH, FACP served in the Army Medical Corps for over 26 years retiring as a Colonel. His army career gave him unique opportunities in teaching, research, and leadership while working in diverse medical positions. His interest in public health and preventive medicine led him to train as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this and future research Gibbons worked closely with multidisciplinary teams including veterinarians, nurses and laboratory scientists. At the completion of his CDC training he transitioned to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) for three years where he focused on experimental dengue vaccine studies. He served for nine years at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), a joint laboratory with the Royal Thai Army, working primarily in Thailand, Nepal, and the Philippines but also Bhutan, Laos, the Maldives, and Vietnam in training and improving their laboratories' capabilities. Additionally, Gibbons coordinated with the World Health Organization, Department of State, CDC, NIH, non-governmental organizations, foreign ministries of health and military, industry, and Universities, conducting field, vaccines, diagnostic, and surveillance studies. |
| Neal Graham | Neal Graham retired in 2013 after 30 years as an officer and principal in a closely-held commercial real estate company in Manhattan. His first choice career, since he majored in English at Columbia University and the University of Vermont, was always to teach at the college level. Ever since the early 70s when he found it necessary to leave academia for the business world, he has wanted to get back to the classroom. At OLLI at UNLV he found students with far greater depth, on average, than he ever found teaching twenty-somethings four decades ago. |
| Ellen Grossman | Ellen Grossman has dedicated over 20 years of her expertise in the non-profit field with over 17 years specifically devoted to the health and wellbeing of older adults and their caregivers. Ellen is a Program Manager for University of Nevada, Reno Extension™ Healthy Aging Initiative. Ellen is a certified leader in the NCOA Aging Mastery Program, AARP Disrupt Aging Classroom, and Stanford University™ Chronic Disease and Diabetes Self-Management Programs. |
| 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. |
| Sharon Harmon | Sharon Harmon holds a BS in Art Design from North Carolina A&T State University and has studied at The Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Pittsburgh and at UNLV. She was a flight attendant with United Airlines for 24 years and was on The Interior Design Team for the A320 Aircraft. Sharon has taught art in Pittsburgh, Chicago and at UNLV. She retired from teaching at CCSD in 2016. |
| 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. |
| Judd Hodgson | Judd Hodgson was an Electrical Test Engineer with 40 year’s experience across varied industries. He has designed, built, programmed, and maintained manufacturing and test equipment. He trained technicians and junior engineers. Recently retired to Las Vegas. |
| Richard Hoyt | Richard "Dick" Hoyt retired from UNLV in 2010 and in 2014 became an OLLI student. Having occasionally studied and dabbled in art, he started a daily drawing project in 2015. The result is several completed drawing books and over 3200 individual pen and ink doodles/sketches/drawings. The daily project continues here! |
| Marcia Johnson | Marcia Johnson, co-instructor, is an avid yoga practitioner and has been teaching yoga at OLLI for more than 8 years. |
| Ben Kempner | Ben Kempner's genealogical journey started nine years ago with a course at OLLI. Since then, he has grown his family tree from 10 people to over 300. He volunteered at the Las Vegas FamilySearch Center for 3+ years, teaching courses weekly. He has been the VP of a local genealogyical society for the last 4 years, lecturing there and for other groups and societies. Ben retired from a 39-year sales, marketing & consulting career at IBM. |
| 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. |
| Richard Kram | Richard Kram is the author of a published novel and book of poems. He holds a B.S. in mathematics and electrical engineering from Duke University. Kram performed brain surgery on small primates during his two years of post-graduate work in neuropsychology. His eclectic interests served him well as VP of Systems and Software Engineering for a consulting firm, where anti-submarine warfare (ASW), kidney dialysis, and Naval war games were among his areas of expertise. |
| 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! |
| Melvin Lazarus | Mel Lazarus is a retired history and law teacher at both the high school and college level. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Boston University, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in Boston, and a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in school administration from Fitchburg State College. He is originally from Massachusetts, and has served on various town committees including the Wareham School committee. |
| 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. |
| Bernard Malamud | Bernard Malamud was on the economics faculty at UNLV for 50 years. He comes to AI with strengths in system design as an undergraduate electrical engineer, automated decision-making/expert systems gained at Carnegie Tech where AI was in the air, and economic planning from his Ph.D. studies, teaching, and research. So he has a good handle on the symbolic approach to AI, less fruitful than recent breakthroughs in neural networks and machine learning. He’ll learn about today’s AI along with you. |
| 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! |
| Mark Marcario | Mark Marcario has been teaching at OLLI for over ten years. He has focused on classes where you learn the rest of the story. Mark is a member of national organizations that investigate the truth about national and international events. |
| Anne Mason | Anne Mason retired to Las Vegas in 2022 after 30+ years at Hamilton Beach Brands in Richmond, Virginia. She also spent 20 years volunteering in animal welfare, fostering dozens of dogs. In addition to playing pickleball , she enjoys traveling the United States and has visited all 50. |
| Keith McMillen | Keith McMillen is a 20-year resident of Las Vegas. He is a retired software engineer who worked in many areas, including the Department of Defense, hospitals, HMOs, small business, and early internet providers. McMillen is a life-long fan of old movies, especially B movies and Saturday serials. He has been a newspaper reporter, a middle school instructor, and a middle school academic coach in LEGO robotics competitions. |
| Sharlyn Menard | Sharlyn Menard is a retired Montessori teacher who embarked upon a second career by going back to school 12 years ago to study theology. After receiving her MDiv in 2015, she was ordained. She moved to Las Vegas to be near her grandsons. She has enjoyed being a part of the Interfaith community in southern Nevada. |
| 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. |
| Anita Morgan | Anita Morgan has a masters degrees from UNLV in Liberal Studies and Public Administration. At OLLI, she has taught Neutralizing Verbal Attacks and Enjoying Better Vision Naturally. During her career as a software developer, she helped clients make decisions about their requirements. |
| 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. |
| Jennifer Neeman | Jennifer Neeman holds a B.S. in "pure" mathematics with minors in physics and secondary education from Temple University in Philadelphia. She also has master's degrees in both educational psychology and curriculum and supervision. Neeman retired from teaching mathematics after 40 years in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She has written the mathematics curricula for three different school systems in New Jersey. She was also an assistant principal and guidance counselor. |
| 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. |
| Matthew Nishimoto | Matthew Nishimoto spent over twenty years as an acclaimed public school guitar educator. His program at Coronado HS earned recognition from both the Guitar Foundation of America and Grammy Foundation. Under his leadership, his ensembles achieved a perfect track record of "Superior" ratings and a national first-place ranking in 2016. From 2018-2020, as GFA's Director of Education/Education Coordinator, he helped reshape the organization's educational vision. |
| Sarah Nishimoto | Sarah Nishimoto holds a BS in Education and an MBA from UNLV. As the owner of a small business consulting firm, Sarah helps entrepreneurs develop effective business strategies and craft compelling presentations. Beyond her business acumen, she has always been interested in early Hollywood lore. This interest led her to the various theories of the Black Dahlia case after she served as editor of the book "Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia." |
| Rebecca Norrington | Rebecca L. Norrington is a Happiness Specialist, Inner Peace Practitioner, Oracle, and student of the Universe and Its Laws. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology and decades of education and training on topics from Spirituality to Human Behavior. Her professional journey includes several vocations: Public Speaker, Podcast Host, Author, Workshop/Retreat Facilitator, Fitness Instructor, Reiki Practitioner & retired Legal Secretary. Rebecca has hosted over 600 episodes on RealitySpirituality™ Radio, heard LIVE ON YouTube every Sunday at 9 am (PST). She also co-hosts “What Happens When a Mother & Son Make Sense Out of Nonsense? Plus More!” heard LIVE every Saturday at @9:15am (PST) on her YouTube Channel. Rebecca has taught The Truth About Happiness classes for fifteen years in 3 separate states. February 2025 marks her 6th semester at OLLI. Visit www.rebeccanorrington.com to learn more. |
| Risa Page | Risa Page is a volunteer with Nevada AARP. She completed a 40-year career in secondary education which included 27 years teaching high school and mentoring UNLV teacher candidates for 13 years. She holds a Master's Degree from Michigan State University. From 2018-23, Risa served as a community outreach educator for the Clark County Coroner's Office. Since Fall 2020, Risa has served as a national AARP Volunteer with their Driver Safety Program and Disrupt Aging Classroom outreach program for colleges. Locally, with Nevada AARP, she has served as a moderator for online exercise classes and as a Speakers' Bureau ambassador, presenting on Fraud Watch, Medicare, Social Security, Online Safety and ID Protection for older adults. In addition to volunteering with AARP, Risa has been an active volunteer for 10 years with Trauma Intervention Program of Southern Nevada, supporting first responders and citizens in the immediate response after a tragedy. Risa was born and raised in Michigan, moved to Las Vegas in 2004, and lives with her husband and 3 recue kitties, Larry, Moe and Curly. |
| Alethia Olmedo Perlasca | Alethia Olmedo Perlasca has a master degree in Counseling Psychology by the California Institute of Integral Studies and in Psychotherapy by the Ericksonian center in Mexico City. She is a certified Lifestyle Coach by the CDC and has been facilitating a diabetes prevention program and Self Management Workshops at Dignity Health for over a year. She has more than 10 years of experience working with professional athletes and individuals. |
| Julia Pizzi | Julia Pizzi is a Certified Spiritual Director; Reiki Master; Meyers Briggs certified facilitator and Currently Administrative Director of Interfaith Contemplative Center for Spirituality in Healthcare in Nevada with 35 years in executive Human Resource leadership focusing on career development and coaching. |
| Kayla Ransom | Kayla Ransom is a Community Based Instructor for the Healthy Aging Initiative Team at UNR Cooperative Extension. She’s worked with adults and older adults in teaching them about physical activity and nutrition for the past 2 years. Kayla is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in public health and enjoys spending time with her family and friends outside of work and class. |
| Muree Reafs | Muree Reafs apologizes for the oversight in her bio Fall 2024. I only continued with the course: Countries, Cultures & Current issues. Spring 2025 continues with CCC covering the countries of SE Africa - Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia & Malawi. Muree will return Fall 2025 with Our Nation. Thank you for joining me on these great travels. |
| Maria Reid | Maria Reid is semi-retired from Human Resources. She begin volunteering for MAP in 2020. She is now a Level 3 Benefits Counselor and Outreach Coordinator. Maria is able to assist in the explanation of Medicare options, plan comparisons, enrollments and appeals, provide referrals to other services, report Medicare fraud, errors and abuse. |
| Shell Reinish | Shell Reinish grew up in Brooklyn, NY, graduated electrical engineering college, and worked in the electronic industry for forty years on projects as diverse as The Luna Module to electronic music. He managed a twelve-man sales group as well as being technical back up. He has designed and built home theater systems and had his own live call in talk show for 15 years. For many years he trained sales people. Shell is most proud of the fact that for 6 years he was a docent at one of the world's foremost auto museums. |
| Pamela Reynolds | Pam Reynolds is a certified White Lotus Yoga instructor, having practiced for more than 30 years. While living in Detroit, she introduced hundreds of people to yoga through her company, Yoga in the City. Upon moving to Las Vegas in 2001, she conducted after-school workshops for teachers and incorporated yoga in her classroom for behavioral modification. She regularly volunteers as a yoga instructor at the Henderson Public Library and maintains an active yoga practice. |
| Wayne Rohrbaugh | Wayne Rohrbaugh was born and raised in Hanover, PA, which is about 13 miles from Gettysburg. From early childhood, he has been a Civil War buff. Rohrbaugh earned a B.S. in chemistry from Penn State with enough credits to have a minor in history. He has read over 200 Civil War books and subscribes to three Civil War magazines. Over the last six years he has attended six one-week tours with Civil War historians, including Dr. James McPherson. Rohrbaugh was a professor at McDonald's Hamburger University in Oak Brook, IL, where the slogan was "Keep it simple, make it fun!" |
| Terry Ross | Terry Ross earned a B.S.in Bus. Admin from Northwestern University and a J.D. from DePaul University. She is a CPA and worked for Arthur Young & Co. (now Ernst & Young). As a lawyer, she joined Sidley & Austin, where she represented large commercial lenders in leveraged buy-out transactions. Despite what sounds like a boring career, she has a well-developed sense of humor and loves to laugh. She and husband, Walter Knorr, have been seasonal residents of Vegas and OLLI members since 2018. |
| Roberta Sabbath | The class offers the history, context, and examples of Jewish literary works and periods of the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, mysticism, Enlightenment, contemporary fiction, and ballet. The texts demonstrate that the literary tradition affirms the human condition, provides exemplary and educational narratives, and tells the story of survival and celebration throughout Jewish history. The course affirms that the Jewish tradition finds the sacred in the everyday as opposed to the messianic, apocalyptic, or utopic. All texts are Open Source and available online except the optional, monograph resource, Sacred Body: Readings in Jewish Literary Illumination, whose material is covered in the lecture. |
| 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". |
| Joey Sassaman | Joey Sassaman is very passionate about the Las Vegas community and even more so helping seniors. Her day job is acting Research Integrity Officer for the Division of Research at UNLV...so you can tell she takes rules/security seriously. She loves teaching her classes at OLLI because "we force seniors to adapt to technology they have never used which is an uncomfortable feeling. The most rewarding feeling is being able to help just one senior at a time." She spends her spare time with her husband and their three fur babies Lolli, Jack and Larry. |
| Esther Schube | Esther Schube has a background in education and over 30+years of being a mental health therapist in a variety of settings across the country. Esther is returning to the motivation that sent her to college at age 27, teaching "kids" to play. |
| 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. |
| Alec Sonenthal Sonenthal | As a professional photographer for over 40 years, Alec Sonenthal is eager to share his knowledge with Android phone users. Alec is a technology specialist and is a strong advocate for Android phone technology. |
| Dawn StreicherMills | Health Educator, Dignity Health, 4/2021 to current Healthcare Administrator, Nellis AFB, USAF Retired, Capt, 1991-2017 Bachelors in Healthcare Management, Southern Illinois University, 1998 Masters in Health Education, TUI University, 2008 |
| 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 the Ambassador Committee. She learned to play American and Asian Mahjong in 2008 and has been enjoying and playing ever since. |
| Katherine Walker | Katherine Walker is an Assistant Professor of Renaissance literature at UNLV. She has published on Shakespeare, science, and magic.v |
| Ronald Wallace | Ron Wallace moved to Las Vegas in 1991 and retired from the Air Force in 1999 after 33 years. He worked at Nevada Test Site and Nellis AFB on DOE and DOD contracts for 14 years. A graduate of USAF Academy and also holds BS and MA from Webster University. Ron has been married to his wife Maryellen for 52 years. They have 2 sons and 5 grandchildren. |
| David Weinstein | David Weinstein is a professional photographer with more than 40 years’ experience and has previously taught 3 digital photography classes with OLLI. David is a new convert to the iPhone photography platform. |
| Adam Weston | Adam Weston is a licensed insurance agent for The Medicare Store, a subdivision of Nuvo Health, one of the largest and most trusted insurance agencies in Nevada. Adam moved to Las Vegas shortly after graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is passionate about helping seniors in the Clark County community through education and volunteering. Weston is experienced in teaching Medicare classes in a university setting as well as in senior centers and 55+ communities. He speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Hebrew. He is currently studying Russian and would like to master Chinese in the future. Serving his community in multiple languages is something he is truly passionate about. |
| Michelle Weston | Michelle Weston is a licensed insurance agent for The Medicare Hub, a subdivision of Nuvo Health, one of the largest and most trusted insurance agencies in Nevada. Weston was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but grew up in Southern California. She graduated from UCLA in international relations. She is a proud graduate of Leadership Las Vegas, Class of 2020, and holds the title of Ms. Senior South Africa–Universe. When she is not helping the senior community with Medicare, you can find her painting in her studio. Weston has a passion for fine arts and teaches a variety of different mediums. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
UNLV Community Education Building
4350 S. Maryland Pkwy.
Las Vegas, NV 89119
(702) 895-3394