Spring 2012 Instructors

Instructor bios for Spring 2012 Courses for Community:

David Bare is the gardening columnist for “The Winston-Salem Journal” and also serves as the greenhouse manager for Reynolda Gardens. He is widely known throughout the gardening community for his vast experience and knowledge base in “all things garden.”

Megan E. Bryant has written more than 190 children’s books (including a “New York Times” bestseller) for several major publishing houses including Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Running Press, Scholastic, Harper Collins, Disney and Chronicle Books. She has edited more than 325 children’s books in all genres for Penguin Young Readers Group and Worthwhile Books.

Missy Coates is an avid “couponer,” driven to share her couponing skills with others. She has an active family, professional commitments and stays busy with her blog, teaching couponing classes and assisting in her church food pantry. Her coupon strategies produce and average savings of 80 percent or more.

Tony Econ taught for Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray Dance Studios. He also owned and operated several dancing schools in New York and North Carolina. He has held professional memberships for 25 years in the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. He continues to teach beginners, professional competitors and workshops for local amateur dance groups. He is a former competitor and has coached professional and amateur dancers.

Sue Freitag received a BS in mathematics from Appalachian State University. She has continued her graduate studies at UNC-Greensboro. For more than 23 years, she has taught mathematics in the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools. For the past three summers she was a participant in MELT (Math Education Leadership Training) at Appalachian State University.

Jane Goins is an ASU graduate with a degree in Spanish. For more than 11 years she has been an ACBL Certified Bridge Instructor. She is listed as a Gold Life Master with more than 3200 Master Points and numerous regional titles.

Deane Henson holds degrees in Spanish, English, and Latin from Radford College and Salem College. She has been an instructor in the CfC program for the past four years.

Bruce Heye has extensively toured the major winegrowing regions of the world, judged various East Coast wine competitions and is a frequent contributor of wine-related articles in local and regional publications. After earning an MBA from Seton Hall University, he had a career in the financial world, but always maintained an interest in wine.

Kayla Hocker has worked with kids ages 7 – 17 for the last six years. She spent four years training with a hip hop intensive group in Washington, D.C. During the summer of 2011, she completed a dance internship with Dance Place in Washington, D.C., an accredited non-profit dance organization. Kayla will graduate in May 2012 from Salem College. During her studies, she spent three years participating with the Salem College Dance Company and will graduate with a minor in dance.

Martha Isenberg is a local tea consultant for Tealightful Treasures. She holds degrees from UNC-Greensboro in home economics and nutrition education. For 28 years she served as a nutrition educator with the NC Cooperative Extension Service.

Iara Kendrick has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, 27 years experience as an academic instructor and 17 years as a dance instructor. She has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad researching, teaching and performing international dances. She currently teaches at various sites in Winston-Salem and is president of World Artists Mosaic, Inc.

Marlene Kuser holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and has been involved in creating unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry and teaching jewelry design techniques for more than 26 years.

Cindia Gonzalez Leonard received her master’s degree in magazine, newspaper, and online journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She is currently the owner of Work!Girl Media and works as a social media consultant. She is the founder and editor of “The Lexingtonian,” a blog that reviews restaurants and cultural events in Lexington, N.C.

Parker Lovell runs one of the largest riding academies in the United States. The Lovells are third generation horsemen, with scores of world and national champion riders to their credit. Cash Lovell Stables is nationally-acclaimed for its work with beginner riders of all ages, in a family-friendly environment that is state of the art. The barn’s indoor riding arenas are the largest in the Southeast.

Julie McElmurry holds a MA from St. Bonaventure University and a MS from Fordham University. She divides her time between leading workshops on medieval history and enjoying the solitude of a quiet, internet-free office.

Sarah Nelson holds an education degree from the University of Tennessee. She is an English teacher and English academic team coach at West Forsyth High School. She served on committees to write the curriculum for the 9th grade practical English course, and the North Carolina End-of-Grade Test. She has been an instructor in the CfC program for 15 years.

Judy Oakley is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro and did graduate work at Cambridge University, Cambridge, England. She taught English for 33 years and has been with the CfC program for three years.

Carol Roan is the author of “Speak Up: The Public Speaking Primer.” She holds an M.M. in vocal performance from Indiana University and an M.S. in business policy from Columbia University. She taught the first stage presence course in the nation at the New School of Music in Philadelphia, and now teaches both voice and stage presence.

Christine SanDominick, MEd., has more than 15 years of experience in education. Currently, she is a learning specialist in instructional technology. She has authored a parenting blog for more than six years, chronicling the joy of raising five children while maintaining a sense of humor. She has also facilitated “kind and firm” discipline workshops for parents and educators since 1997.

Karla Smagur is an eBay education specialist, trained by eBay. She has been actively involved with eBay sales/education since 2003. She enjoys teaching and helping people learn how to make money by working for themselves.

Lois Steichen holds a M.S. in gerontology from UNC-Greensboro. She is currently an adjunct instructor in gerontology at Forsyth Technical Community College. She is a former senior center director and life-long learning coordinator for The Shepherd’s Center of Winston-Salem.

Jennifer L. Stevenson is an award-winning professional writer with more than 25 years experience. Her work has been published more than 2,000 times in newspapers and magazines across the country. An experienced workshop leader and past president of Winston-Salem Writers, Stevenson has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Martha Taylor has been professor emerita in the department of nutrition at UNC-Greensboro for 20 years, with an additional 14 years at other universities. Her spouse, Stimp Hawkins, former Presbyterian Minister and Hospice Chaplain, currently works at Salem College with the service learning curriculum.

Vickie Verano has been an art instructor for the Courses for Community program since 1997 and teaches summer art enrichment at Salem College. Children and adults can participate in a variety of her drawing and painting courses offered year-round.