Continuing Education Courses at the Georgia Center

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Instructors for Summer 2008

Russ Armistead has been a personal trainer since 1997. He has been with Crunch Fitness and Body of Change in Atlanta, and is currently employed with The Omni Club in Athens as a personal trainer where he is in charge of management and implementation of training programs. He has a BS in exercise science from Kennesaw State University and is working on his MEd in kinesiology at the University of Georgia. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), and holds certifications with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in the areas of stretching, post-rehabilitation, kickboxing, and natal/postnatal. He is CPR Instructor-certified. Courses: Personal Fitness Trainer Information Session; Personal Fitness Trainer Certification; Cardio Boxing for Fitness Professionals; Nutritional Concepts Workshop for Fitness Professional; Advanced Weight Training for Personal Fitness Professionals; Running Techniques for Everyone; Business Selling Skills for Personal Fitness Professionals

Harriette Austin earned her AB from Barnard College at Columbia University and her MFA from the Yale University School of Drama. She received the "39th Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Georgia Writers Association. In 2003, four of her students published novels through national publishers, including St. Martins, Cumberland House, Harlequin-Worldwide, and Signet. Austin has taught at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education for 28 years and is the founder of the Harriette Austin Writers Conference (for more details and archives, see www.coe.uga.edu/hawc. See the author's web site. Course: Harriette Austin's Creative Writing Workshop.

Rochel Haigh Blehr (Parker) is a Certified Feng Shui Consultant, having studied with the world's most renowned masters, including Grand Master Yap Cheng Hai, Master Raymond Lo, Jes Lim, Master June, Ken Lai, and Master Peter Leung. Blehr began studying Classical Feng Shui in 1996, and her studies have taken her to Singapore, Malaysia, Austria, Canada, and various cities throughout the United States. She has been a practicing Feng Shui Consultant since 1998. She is a graduate of Old Dominion University and has worked as an environmental engineer for both the U.S. government and private industry. You may visit her Web site at: http://www.fengshuitechnology.com/AboutRochelHaighBlehr.html. Courses: Feng Shui for the Home and Office; Past Lives: Do They Exist?; The Fundamentals of Metaphysics

Hernan Borda, a native of Colombia, is formally trained as an engineer and taught for many years at the Universidad Autonoma de Occident in Cali, Colombia. Borda has been teaching Spanish for the Georgia Center since 1992. Courses: General Spanish, Levels 2 & 3.




Elizabeth Boudreau attended a small liberal arts university in Kansas where she majored in Spanish and had the opportunity to study abroad in Granada, Spain. After college, she worked for a bilingual family literacy program called Even Start in Oklahoma. In 2004, Elizabeth moved to Georgia where she has taught Spanish at both elementary and high-school levels. She is currently working toward a M.Ed. in language education in the Teaching of Additional Languages program at the University of Georgia. General Spanish, Level 4.

Curtis Carter is the owner and president of Carter Appraisal Services, Inc. He has more than 25 years of experience in the real estate field as a broker, appraiser, and investor. He holds the prestigious SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute, the nation's most recognized appraisal organization. He received his BBA in real estate and urban development from the University of Georgia. He is an FHA-approved appraiser, and is a charter member of the Athens Area Council of Real Estate Appraisers, serving four times as president. Among many areas, he specializes in commercial/investment properties, consultation, litigation appraisals, and court testimony. Visit his Web site at: http://www.carterappraisal.com/staff.html. Course: Georgia Real Estate Pre-License Appraiser Course.

Liliana Davila is a native of Argentina, where she taught both English and Spanish. She has taught in the United States for 20 years both as an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher and a Spanish teacher and has been a translator/interpreter. She currently teaches Spanish for the Dacula School System in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She has an MA and an EdS from the University of Georgia and was ESOL-endorsed in 2005. Course: English for Speakers of Other Languages, Level 3.

Jenny DeRevere is a Georgia Green Association Certified Landscape Specialist. She has worked in the landscaping business for 12 years. Currently she is employed by the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education as a garden designer specializing in annual color and container gardening. Previously, she was employed by the Botanical Gardens. Course: Landscaping Your Yard for Curb Appeal.

Larry Dillard has been teaching the Georgia Real Estate Pre-License Sales Course at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education for more than 13 years. He's thorough, helps participants understand a great deal of material, and knows the real estate business. Dillard's got a great sense of humor, and he's the kind of guy that goes the extra mile to help you succeed. A University of Georgia graduate, he received his salesman's license in 1977. In 1981, he earned his broker's license. Over the last two decades, Dillard has worked in management and training and owned a real estate company. He is currently an associate broker with Dillard Realty. Course: Georgia Real Estate Pre-License Sales Course.

Wallace Eberhard has been a reporter and editor since he started a newspaper in the fifth grade. After a decade in daily and weekly journalism, and magazine writing and editing, he began a 36-year career in teaching. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Sidney Kobre Award for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism History, which recognizes "an exemplary record of sustained contributions to journalism history through teaching, research, professional activities or other contributions to the field of journalism history." He is recently retired form the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at UGA. He has a BA in journalism from the University of MI, an MA in American studies from Bowling Green, and a PhD in mass communications from the University of Madison-Wisconsin. He spent 35 years in the Army, active and reserve. Course: Writing for Money: The Art of Freelance Nonfiction Journalism

Duncan Elkins has an MS in ecology from the University of Georgia and is working on his PhD in fisheries. He has a BS in biology from Stanford University and has extensive classroom teaching experience (in the sciences and mathematics), including the GRE, GMAT and LSAT test prep courses where he is considered the resident expert. Courses: GRE, LSAT, GMAT Test Prep and the summer 2008 SAT Workshop.

Phillip Faulkner, a photographer for UGA's Athletic Department for four years, has had his photographs published in Georgia Bulldog Magazine, GeorgiaDogs.com, Tennessee Vols.com, 2005-2006 UGA media guides, and Inside Tennis of Northern California. He also takes photos for The Oconee Enterprise, the Athens-Banner Herald, and Dawgprints, as well as freelance photographs of families and pets, weddings or special events. Faulkner graduated from Gwinnett Technical College with a degree in commercial photography. Examples of his work may be found at www.dawgprints.net. Course: Photographing Weddings and Other Special Events

Ghislaine Germain is a native of Haiti, but has lived and completed her higher education in Nice, France. She has a B.A. in French from the State University of New York at Oneonta. She has taught French privately for five years, has taught high- school students at Morgan County High School, and has independently tutored students. Germain is an experienced educator dedicated to the growth of her students. Courses: General Spanish Levels 1 & 2.

Susan Gill has taught English to international students in programs from New York to California. She holds an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Courses: English for Speakers of Other Languages, Level 4.

Stephen Harris received his PhD in philosophy from Florida State University. He has served as an item writer for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and American College Testing (ACT) for six years, furnishing materials for the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE exams. Since 1996, he has developed and instructed test-preparation items for a number of exams, including the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, ACT, FCAT, MCAT, and SAT. As director of development for Educational Testing Consultants, Inc., he currently teaches graduate-level test-preparation courses at Florida State University, the University of North Florida, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of South Carolina. Course: LSAT Test Prep.

Mike Healy, EdD, has practiced meditation for 28 years, 19 years studying mindfulness meditation. He has taught this program for several years at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education and at the Athens Regional Medical Center's Mind Body Institute. Healy has participated in a seven-day professional training program under the direction of Jon Kabat-Zinn and Saki Santorelli of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Clinic (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School; has completed the Teacher Development Intensive at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness; and has had additional training attending multi-day mindfulness meditation retreats. Healy completed a doctorate in adult education at the University of Georgia, studying the mindfulness transformational learning process. Course: Realizing Greater Health & Happiness: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Ashia James is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, NY where she received an associates degree in Fashion Design. She also has a BS in occupational education from the New York Institute of Technology. During the 1970s and 1980s she had her own clothing label in New York City-Ashia James. She has a MS in teaching and training from Capella University and has just received her PhD in education. James is also trained in American Sign Language (ASL). She graduated from the University of Tennessee American Sign Language Interpreter Training program and has taught ASL for the Jersey City Public Schools, in Jersey City, New Jersey since 2005. She is also a certified hypnotherapist with the National Guild of Hypnotists, The American Board of Hypnotherapy, and the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association. She has recently been employed with the Natural Solutions and Education Center in Elberton and is opening her own hypnotherapy business in Elberton. http://www.athenswellnessdirectory.com/directory_hijlkl.html. Courses: Introduction to Sewing; Introduction to American Sign Language.

Patrick Klem is the director of program development for Educational Testing Consultants (ETC). He also teaches the GRE, GMAT, and SAT prep courses. Until June 2007, he was a clinical research associate at Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He has a BA in psychology from New College of Florida and a masters degree in public health with a concentration in social epidemiology and biostatistics from Florida A & M University, College of Pharmacy. Courses: GRE, GMAT, and SAT Test Prep and summer 2008 SAT Workshop.

Suzanne Lindenau is a native of Europe. She speaks fluent Italian, French, Spanish, and German. An instructor for the Georgia Center for Continuing Education for more than 12 years, she is retired from UGA's Department of Romance Languages. Lindenau is an outstanding instructor who consistently receives excellent evaluations from her students. All say they not only learn, but they have a really good time. Courses: Italian Language & Culture, Level 1; French Language & Culture, Level 1.

Nancy Lloyd has taught painting and drawing at Athens Academy since 1984. She has also taught watercolor in the UGA Studies Abroad Program, serving as an artist-in-residence for the program in 1997. She has a BA in art and an MA in art from the University of North Carolina. Course: Beginning Painting with Oils and Acrylics.

Barbara Mann is a well-known Athens jewelry artist whose work is shown throughout the Southeast. A part-time instructor at the University of Georgia Lamar Dodd School of Art, she has been teaching the jewelry courses for the Georgia Center for Continuing Education for more than 11 years. Mann has taught in UGA's Cortona, Italy, program for several summers. Her jewelry, in demand throughout the United States, resides in private collections. With Gary Noffke, she designed the "Delta Prize for Global Understanding," an annual award sponsored by Delta Air Lines and UGA that is given to individuals who provide, on their own initiative, greater understanding among cultures and nations. Course: Beginning & Intermediate Jewelry Design & Metalwork.

David Mitchell has studied classical guitar performance under John Sutherland at the University of Georgia and has participated in master classes with virtuoso guitarists Christopher Parkening and David Russell. He is the past winner of the Georgia Music Teachers Association and the National Music Educators Association competitions, and is a former member of the Georgia Council for the Arts Touring Artists Roster. Currently Mitchell is the guitar instructor at Truett-McConnell College and is a former instructor for Piedmont College. Over the last 10 years, his students have won numerous state competitions. He has served as the Guitar Division Chairperson for the Georgia Music Teachers Association student competitions. He received the 2005 Teacher of the Year at South Gwinnett Community Schools for outstanding contributions to the students and the community. Mitchell is the Phillip Slate Composition Competition Winner for 2007 and he won second place in the first annual Contemporary Chamber Ensemble Composition Competition for 2008. He is currently studying composition at the University of Georgia School of Music under Dr. Leonard Ball. He has a BA in Music from UGA and will complete his MA in Composition at the end of Fall 2008. Course: Beginner and Advanced Beginner Guitar.

Brenda Murphy is the founder of the Georgia Centre for Parental Coaching. She is also Georgia's only Certified NHA specialist (Nurtured Heart Approach Specialist). Murphy has an MA in psychology and a CTACC (Coach Training Alliance Certified Coach) but, she says, she is first and foremost a believer in the redeeming power of relationships. She is a positive, solution-oriented specialist who helps people find relief from "relationship stress." Her graduate educational background is in psychology with certification in the management of relationship stress in families due to a child's challenging behaviors. Murphy is continuing her postgraduate education in attentional studies and its impact on family dynamics. She is an adjunct faculty member at Athens Technical College for students majoring in nursing. She works extensively with professionals in the community, ranging from court officials, law- enforcement professionals, social workers, psychotherapists, physicians, and educational specialists. She also consults with hospital board members in other states and is currently serving as the official patient coach for Spherios Medical Center in Atlanta. Murphy's first book of organizational hints and tips for those with AD/HD, was published in April 2007. She gives lectures and speeches to groups seeking help with parenting and relationship stress issues, including professional organizations and faith-based groups. Murphy's passion is to communicate with parents and non-parents about what makes people "tick" and to find strategies for successfully dealing with the important people in our lives. http://www.parentcoachingcenter.com/. Also, go to: http://www.lifetips.com/expert-guru/6261-brenda-murphy.html. Course: Love, Logic, & Change: How to Work with Challenging Behaviors in Children

Jim Morgenthaler has been teaching photography for 30+ years. He has won "First Place" in many shows, and many of his photographs have been published in magazines and books. He wrote and hosted the "Taking Better Pictures" television series that aired on Georgia Public Television for 14 years. Morgenthaler purchased his first Nikon in Korea while he was stationed there. His avocation soon became his vocation. He wants photography to be fun, and he tries to make the classroom experience enjoyable. See the instructor's photographs: http://popphoto.bitshelter.com/usr/usr-show?U_ID=U0000C.oE0mQDjQ4. Courses: Taking Better Pictures: Digital & 35mm; Basic Digital Photography.

Steve Pettis is an ISA Certified Arborist and is a former Gwinnett County Extension Agent, a former nursery manager, and a former newspaper columnist for the Gwinnett Daily Post and Athens Banner Herald. He is a research technician for the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the owner of Complete Horticultural Consulting, LLC, an Athens area green industry consulting firm. He is also the host of The Athens Home Gardening Show heard Saturday mornings on AM 1350 WGAU. Pettis holds a BS in horticulture and an MS in plant protection and pest management from the University of Georgia. Steve is also an International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist SO-5226-A. Go to the instructor's Web site at www.completehortconsulting.com. Course: ISA-Certified Arborist Recertification.

Abraham Tesser has been designing and building furniture for more than 30 years. He has studied with several of the country's leading furniture makers such as Doug Jones at the Shelburne Craft School in Shelburne, Vermont, Michael Dunbar at the Windsor Institute in Hampton, New Hampshire, and Michael Fortune at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, North Carolina. He has also studied at the Appalachian Center for Craft in Smithville, Tennessee with Alfred Sharp, III and Nick Cook. In 2004, he studied technical design graphics at UGA with Roger Hill and CAD and fabrication with Thomas Houser and Michael Oliveri. He has participated in juried shows since 1993 and was judged to have one of the award-winning pieces in the Lyndon House Arts Center 32nd Juried Exhibition in 2007. Tesser is a member of the Furniture Society, The American Society of Woodturners, and the Classic City Woodturners. Samples of his work can be found at http://tesserfurniture.com. Tesser is a retired professor of psychology from UGA. He has his PhD and MA from Purdue University. Course: Fine Woodworking: Appreciation of Design and Construction.

Tina Venus holds both a B.S. in English Education and an M.A. in English and will receive her ESOL endorsement this summer. She has experience teaching students of various backgrounds and age levels, most recently for the UGA Department of English and community organizations here in Athens. She currently works as an academic specialist for the Division of Academic Enhancement at UGA. Courses: English for Speakers of Other Languages, Levels 1 & 2.

Ouida Williams is a successful local artist who has been teaching Athenians to paint and draw for many years. She has an MFA from the University of Georgia and has taught for the Georgia Center for Continuing Education for 25+ years. Williams is a respected educator with teaching experience in Athens; at Eastern Tennessee State University; with the University of Georgia Studies Abroad Program in Cortona, Italy; and with the Art Institute Program in Atlanta. She exhibits throughout the Southeast. Her paintings can be seen in a number of private and corporate collections, including the University of West Georgia, The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville, and John Portman's Marriott Marquis in Atlanta. Courses: Beginning Drawing.



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