Brief Biographies on our Chelmsford Community Education Instructors

Anastasia Antoniou has many years of experience for business development, conflict resolution management via negotiation and mediation, sales, marketing and product development. Authored Roadmap: Solve the Puzzle of Business to assist existing and prospective business owners to better plan and manage their venture. Academic training includes a B.S. in Accounting and M.B.A. with a concentration in Marketing.

Bernadette Baird holds a Music degree from Southeastern MA University (now UMASS Dartmouth). She studied Voice under the late Jacqueline Cobert and has sung in various choirs throughout her life. Shortly after her daughter was born in 2002, she attended Kindermusik classes in Chelmsford, as well as joining the Chelmsford Mothers’ Club and the Chelmsford Community Playroom. She was inspired by Maureen Foley’s musical story times at the Chelmsford Library, and credits her success to Chelmsford’s wonderful community of families. Her dream of a musical career was fulfilled with the start of Bright Day Music, and Bernadette now teaches Kindermusik to more than 100 students in the Greater Chelmsford area. Bernadette’s love of music and children is present in all of her classes and musical programs, and she is happiest when she is dancing and singing with all of her friends, young and old. Bernadette enjoys world music, cooking, yoga, and long walks in the great outdoors with her family.

Maureen J. Baker has been painting for over 17 years. She has studied with national and international artists. Learning many different styles and techniques has influenced her work and helped her to create a relaxed style of realism. Maureen paints mostly in acrylics and oils, occasionally in watercolors. Her work has been recognized for awards in professional categories both locally and regionally. She teaches in her studio and local venues in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and seminars throughout New England. Maureen teaches regularly at a regional convention in Rhode Island. In 2008 she taught at a national convention in Ohio.

Ric Beaudion graduated from Boston College in 1973 with a degree in Economics. After graduating he entered the retail banking sector working in all facets of banking including lending, operations, branch banking. Since 1990 Ric has worked exclusively on residential and commercial loans. Currently he is the Vice President at Mag Mortgage located in Salem, NH and Methuen, MA and is the branch manager of the Methuen office. Ric is a licensed loan officer in MA, NH, ME, and FL and has a great ability to successfully place loan requests of all types with appropriate lenders for his clients using his three decades of knowledge in the industry. He is a 30 year resident of North Reading, MA where he raised his family of four. Ric is also very active in the business community belonging to Greater Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce, Methuen Board of Trade, Elks, and Toastmasters International. Also as an avid marathoner, finishing the last 3 Boston Marathons, Ric belongs to the Merrimack Valley Striders, L Street Running Club and is Vice President of Eastern Mass. Soccer Officials Association. Ric spends his social time playing soccer, golf, tennis and long distance running.

Alma Bella Solis was the artist, shop designer, and calligrapher during her time at the New England Quilt Museum. She founded the Art Gallery of Kingwood in north of Houston, Texas in 2003, a fine arts gallery showcasing the works of thirty-one national artists for CA, FL, MA, MI, NM, SD, TX. It was also an art school for children and adults with six art instructors including herself. The gallery fine arts pieces were featured for three weeks upon request by UPN/Fox 26 News. She produces her art pieces in realism in all medium except lacking mastery in watercolor. She absolutely admires and learned from the great master artists of our time: Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Rembrandt.

Jessica (Jaimee) Bellissimo grew up in Tyngsboro and is currently a resident of Dracut. She is a graduate in English from UMass Amherst and received her MA in Writing and Literature from Rivier College in Nashua. She has been published in Penny Dreadful and the Hampshire Gazette and is currently working on a collection of short stories.

Yuko Broskie has over 15 years experience in Japanese language instruction for both Adult Education and private lessons. She attended Rikkyo University in Tokyo, Japan, and served as a radio announcer, singer, actress and master of ceremonies for various companies in her native country. She has lived in the United States since 1979.

Dr. Gerard Cassista is a practicing chiropractor and has been in practice for over 25 years. He is a former instructor of radiation physics at Palmer College. Dr. Cassista runs a leading-edge chiropractic office, which takes spinal reconstruction to new levels. He is a keynote speaker throughout the country on a number of health related topics.

Janet Cullinane, a resident of Chelmsford for over 25 years, has a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics from UMass/Boston and a Certificate in Nutrition from UMass/Lowell. She has devoted many volunteer hours in the Chelmsford School System particularly at the elementary level. She has chaperoned for the Chelmsford Community Education’s Ski Program since 1995, has taught the Home Alone class since 1996, and has coached for the Chelmsford Girls’ Softball League since 1990 – the last 15 years coaching high school level girls.

James Czerlonka is a graduate of Bentley School of Accounting and Finance (now Bentley College) and has earned an Associate of Science degree in Information Systems from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. He has held several administrative and management positions including more than a dozen years as co-owner of a printing business formerly located in Lowell. He was also registered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a practicing public accountant. Mr. Czerlonka designed and has taught the Bookkeeping for the Small Business course at Chelmsford Community Education since 1984. Beginning in the fall 2005, he also teaches an additional course entitled QuickBooks – Computer Accounting for the Small Business, a hands-on course using the very popular QuickBooks computer software.

Barbara Danowski was born in Poland and spent eight years in Vienna, Austria attending middle school and high school. Barbara has taken several literature classes at Queens College in New York. She has an associate’s degree in teaching pre-kindergarten. Barbara has experience tutoring college students for their German classes and also tutored private lessons at the German Institute in New York City. She came to the United States at nineteen years of age.

Regine Detremmerie-Carr is a native of Belgium, with 25 years of experience teaching yoga in Europe and the United States. She is a certified Pranic Healer, studied with Grand Master Choia Kok Sui. She also holds a certificate from the International School of DRU-Yoga.

Angela Dowd: Being of Italian background, Angela was naturally born with the cooking gene. For her, cooking has been as much fun as eating since she was five years old. The joys of food and family are tightly woven into the fabric of her life. Her hands on culinary experience include: producing and hosting a cooking show on the local community access TV network, teaching adult education cooking classes and publishing a number of cooking articles in the local weekly newspaper. However, the highlight of her culinary life came when she was chosen to appear on an episode of Calling All Cooks on the National Food Network. That was an amazing experience! On the show, she prepared Beef Braciolatini and Summer Squash Parmesan. These were two of her Grandfather’s favorite recipes. Angela’s dream is to someday publish a cookbook that would include all her family favorites.

Lynne Eriksen has been a Ballroom Dance educator for over 25 years. She was Director of the Ken Silva Ballroom Dance Studio, formerly of Lowell. Her daughter, Kristen, now works at her side, continuing a family tradition of teaching ballroom dance. By day, Lynne is an Early Head Start teacher with Community Teamwork of Lowell.

Patrick Flaherty was born in Montreal to Irish-speaking parents and raised in Boston. He is a member and a Director of Cumman na Gaeilge in Boston, the Irish Language Society of Boston, and teaches basic Irish Gaelic classes in the Greater Boston area. His family roots are in the West of Ireland and he is a frequent visitor there. He is a graduate of Lowell Technological Institute and maintains an engineering office in Chelmsford.

Joseph Frantiska has been an American Heart Association certified CPR instructor for over eight years. He has also been a Massachusetts certified emergency medical technician for over twenty years. He holds a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Thomas Gallagher grew up in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and has taught in Chelmsford for 13 years at the high school and the middle school levels. Tom is the head coach for Chelmsford High School’s hockey and lacrosse teams. He also taught in Lowell for a year, and at an at-risk school for inner city kids, and is currently working on his master’s degree in math. Tom enjoys teaching each and everyday and hopes to help the students feel more comfortable about taking the SAT test.

Alan Hamwey is President of Hamwey Associates, an organization that offers Life and Career Coaching, Workshop Training and Career Counseling. Alan has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Northeastern University and an MBA Degree from Boston College. In addition, he is a Certified Empowerment Coach and a graduate of the Institute of Professional Empowerment Coaching. He has over 20 years experience as a Senior Financial Analyst with a Fortune 500 Company in Massachusetts and over thirteen years of experience in the Career Development Field. Alan has worked with diverse populations and enjoys coaching people in transition, helping them to decide on their inner purpose and passion, to their outer goals and tasks to bring about extraordinary results.

Laurie Hartzel is a Certified Coach Practitioner, accredited by the Certified Coaches Federation of Canada, and a member of Coachville. She is continuously training and developing her skills through the International Coach Federation of New England and Coach University, the leading global provider of coach training programs. Her mission is to teach and empower individuals to know themselves in areas such as personal growth and everyday life challenges. Her coaching practice is supported by the spiritual teachings of Ho’oponopono, a Hawaiian problem-solving and stress-reduction process.

Linda Holden has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from the University of Lowell. She has worked 10+ years in the high tech industry in international finance/treasury. She has dealt with Spanish speaking parts of the world because travel is required. Linda is currently in an academic environment, combining office work and teaching in Spanish.

Kim Kaminski-Donaher has been enjoying cooking classical and home-style cooking for the past 20 years. Her cooking experience includes all types of cultural delicacies from the Mediterranean (such as Greek, Spanish, Italian, and Polish dishes) to the tropical flavors of the Caribbean and Hawaiian Islands. Having lived in Germany for seven years, Kim also enjoys making traditional Bavarian foods. She also loves cooking with bold flavors of Japanese and Chinese cuisines as well as the spicy palette-pleasing dishes of Mexico. New England cooking reigns supreme in Kim’s kitchen with over 250 cookbooks from countries all over the world and from nearly every state in the US. Can’t find a good novel to read, pick up a cookbook! Kim’s cooking course shows you how to get the most out of reading cookbooks that offer incredible historical information, like the cookbooks of Ellis Island and New England fisherman, to helpful cooking hints from cooking gurus like Emeril Lagasse, Rachel Ray and Paula Dean. Kim has been a student of Mel Starr for three years and is eager to share her individual cooking style and her passion for cookbook collecting with those looking for a unique cooking experience.

Dale Koethe is from Durham, North Carolina, and has a BS in Zoology from UNC and an MS in Entomology from NCSU. Since the birth of her first child, she has been involved with various needlecrafts, including quilting, cross-stitch, smocking, and knitting. She currently sells hand-smocked doll dresses.

Marie Marchand has been teaching yoga for more than six years with the intention of creating space for students to dive deep, unfold, awaken, heal and blossom. She is a certified professional level Kripalu Yoga teacher, and also holds certifications in Chakra Yoga and Pre-Natal Yoga. She has studied with Barbara Benegh, Patricia Walden and Gary Krafstow. She is a member of the Massachusetts Yoga Network and the Kripalu Yoga Teachers Association. Marie brings gentleness and warmth to her classes, filling them with soul-stirring music and poetry, yoga philosophy and meditation.

Richard Marion has been an artist and art educator in the Merrimack Valley for more than 35 years. A graduate of Massachusetts College of Art, he also studied at the Chicago School of Design and the Philadelphia Art Institute. A longtime member of the Dracut High School faculty, he has taught courses in various media there and elsewhere. A member of the Artist’s League of Lowell, he also has been a workshop instructor for the Revolving Museum of Lowell. His work has been exhibited widely and is represented in private and corporate collections. A strong supporter of community cultural development, over the years he has been active with many organizations, including Lowell National Historical Park, the Whistler House Museum of Art, and his own Gallery 21.

Lesley Mathews has studied the martial arts for over twelve years and teaches both Tai Chi and Kempo Karate. She holds the rank of “Sandan” 3rd degree black belt in Hawaiian Shaolin Kempo Karate.

Norman McBride has been practicing the martial arts since 1984. He earned his black belt in Kenpo and Jujitsu in 1989 and has also studied Tae Kwon Do and Aikido. Norman has been teaching Self-Defense for Women in Chelmsford for 17 years and has taught Martial Arts in several other communities. He teaches advanced weapon techniques to senior students at karate schools in Billerica and Dracut. Norman offers instruction for corporate and private group seminars.

Jenny Lynn Metevia, M.Ed. is a Spiritual Teacher, Psychic Medium, Ancient Healer, and Past Life Regression Specialist. Born with the second sight, Jenny has been a professional Psychic Medium for many years and has assisted hundreds of clients across the U.S., in Europe and South America. She trained intensively with Dr Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters in Past Life Regression Therapy. Jenny attended and completed a private seminar with renowned psychic, Sylvia Browne on Psychic Development, Healing and Past Lives and received Hypnosis Training with Sylvia Browne’s Society of Novus Spiritus. Holding a Master’s degree in Education, Jenny continues her mission to help others, through teaching, healing and providing private consultations, connecting people with lost loved ones. Jenny also is a regular guest on WBZ News Radio’s Jordan Rich Show, non-stop phones – call-in show. You are invited to call 774-276-0442 for further information.

Robert Moll, a graduate of UCLA and the Art Center School of Los Angeles, is a professional photographer – now retired – who worked more than 25 years in New York in advertising and catalog photography, and some 15 years in Concord, Massachusetts in photography for direct mail and general advertising. He has been teaching at Chelmsford Community Education for more than 12 years, and he is a member of the faculty at De Cordova Museum and Sculpture Garden in Lincoln, where he teaches a master class in Creative Photography. He is currently at work on a photographic chronicle of historic Monhegan Island, Maine.

Charles Morris is the incoming Commander of the Merrimac Sail and Power Squadron of the United States Power Squadrons. He is ranked as an Advanced Pilot and has taught basic boating courses for the last three years. Charles is an avid boater experienced with both power and sail boats on both inland (Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire) and ocean (Casco Bay, Maine) waters.

Joan Murphy has been teaching all aspects of Family and Consumer Sciences at Chelmsford High School for 12 years. The aspects of Family and Consumer Sciences include, but are not limited to, Food and Nutrition, Clothing and Textiles, Family and Interpersonal Relationships, Consumer Education, and Child Development. Joan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer and Family studies from Framingham State College and a Master’s degree in Secondary Education from Rivier College. She is an active member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, currently holding the practical skills and frequently draws on her life experiences to enhance her lessons. She is also a Faculty Advisor to the class of 2012 at CHS. Joan lives in Tyngsboro with her husband, her 17-year-old son (the youngest of her three children), and her mother.

William (Bill) Pacino is currently a technical writer and editor in the telecommunications and data communications field. He graduated from Tufts University and Boston College. He started in the writing business as a newspaper editor and writer at the Reading, Massachusetts, Chronicle and the Daily Times of Woburn, Massachusetts.

Therese Quinn has been sewing for the past 35 years, and has taught adult education for the past 16 years. She is experienced in making girl officer, crossing guard, and cheerleading uniforms. Also she has experience in making and altering bridal gowns and wedding party dresses. Along with those, she makes custom drapes, English smocked dresses, and children’s clothing from christening dresses up to prom dresses.

Paula Richards is the founder of Spirit Rising, a spiritual resource center in Chelmsford, MA. In 1998, she left a secure, twenty-five year nursing career to pursue her love of art. As she learned how to paint, she also learned how to create a more joy-filled life. Now her dream is to share that joy by helping you to live the life of your dreams. Through her motivational speaking/coaching, writing and uplifting art, she rejoices in inspiring others to follow their hearts and share their unique gifts with the world. She believes with all her heart that you should “never agree to surrender your dreams.”

Katrina Rotondi has been dancing for 20 years with experience in jazz, tap, ballet, modern, hip hop, lyrical, and line dancing. She graduated in 2001 from Franklin Pierce College with a bachelor’s degree in theater arts (concentration in dance) and also with a business minor. After graduating college she is now teaching dance full time at Karrie Stang’s Gotta Dance Studio and also at senior centers, preschools, after school, and town recreational programs. Katrina also dances in a dance company which recently performed for the Boston Celtics and the Concord Players.

Sherry Santangelo is a Chinese Teacher at the Chinese Language School in Lexington. She graduated from Tamkang University in Taiwan. She majored in Spanish and Business and has lived in the United States since 1986. She also volunteers at the Chelmsford Library for Chinese conversation circle.

Renee W. Senes is a financial consultant with Investors Capital Corporation and an independent investment advisor representative affiliated with Investors Capital Corporation Advisory. For 15 years, Renee has provided fee-based investment and asset management, insurance, financial consulting, college and retirement planning for individuals and small businesses from her home office in Harvard. A focal aspect of her practice is working with people in all stages of the divorce process to ensure that they have sufficient income and assets to sustain and support them throughout their lives. A former teacher, Renee enjoys educating her clients and encouraging them, especially women, to be active participants in their financial futures.

Ruth Silk has been piecing and quilting for about 30 years. She has been with Chelmsford Community Education since its inception; first, as an English smocking teacher, and then for the last 15 years or more, as a quilting instructor and doll clothes sewing instructor. Although quilting is her passion, she is an avid knitter, crocheter, embroiderer and she also sews craft items.

Andy Stewart received his bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering (emphasis on computers) from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Andy has been a computer chip designer and verification engineer for 25 years. He built his first personal computer in the late 1980s, and started using Linux around 1993 with Slackware version 1.0. In July of 1997, Andy founded the Worcester Linux Users' Group and has been acting president since its inception. In August of 2006, Andy founded and is the acting president of the Chelmsford Linux Meetup Group. Andy has been teaching Linux classes for Chelmsford Community Education since March 2004.

Liz Stewart is a jewelry designer, instructor, and owner of Lush Beads in Lowell, Massachusetts. She has been a beader since 2000, when her friend got her addicted to the craft of jewelry-making. After a tech industry layoff in 2002, she ventured into the beading world full-time and hasn’t looked back. She shares her love of beads and beading by teaching it to others.

Marcia Sullivan, a Certified Financial Planner™ Licensee, has been working in the financial planning industry since 1993. She began her career as a retirement planning specialist working for the Horizon Group. She joined College Funding Advisors in 1998, after using their services to make a college education for her two children affordable. She has been happily presenting seminars and helping families navigate the financial aid system ever since. Marcia is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a degree in classical guitar. (And yes, she does still find time to play.) She completed her studies with the College for Financial Planning in September of 1998 and received her Certified Financial Planner™ designation the same year. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association. When not meeting with clients or presenting seminars, Marcia can be found hiking with her dogs, riding her horse, or making decadently delicious chocolates for friends and family.

Steve Sullivan has been a computer programmer since 1974. Over the years, he has worked on payroll, budget, general ledger, inventory replenishment, file transfer monitoring, and on-line survey applications for Wang Laboratories, Powersoft, and Sybase. He currently programs desktop and web-based loss prevention systems for DataVantage in Westboro. As a programmer, he spends most of his time turning out well formatted code. However, after the code has been written, the documentation needs to be written. That’s where the word processing comes in. He has been using a word processor for about twenty years and first started using Microsoft Word with version 1.0. Steve has been teaching Microsoft Word for Windows at Chelmsford Community Education since 2002.

Jennifer Sweet has been teaching for the past twelve years at the secondary level. This will be her fourth year with us teaching SAT - Verbal preparation. She has earned a bachelor’s in English and a master’s in Education. When she is not teaching, she enjoys being home with her three children.

Debbie Tait attended the Boston Language Institute and is a certified TEFL instructor (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). She is currently an ELL/ESL instructor at Middlesex Community College. Debbie graduated from the State University of New York and also has a certificate in technical communications from Northeastern University. After spending many years teaching adults about computers, she now loves teaching adults about the English language and American culture.

Joan Turner has been teaching calligraphy, drawing, and other art-related courses for over 20 years. She is the owner of Joan’s Art Gallery in Bradford, Massachusetts. Joan attended Middlesex Community College and the University of Lowell.

John Wren is the coordinator for an education technology lab at the Graduate School of Education (University of Massachusetts – Lowell), where he instructs students and faculty on the uses of new technology in education environments. Prior to that, he worked for nearly 20 years in the commercial imaging division of Eastman Kodak. Photography has been a lifelong interest, and John went digital nearly a decade ago. He is also a member of The National Association of Photoshop Professionals and The International VR Photography Association.

Page last updated: March 17, 2010
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