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Course Listing - by Instructor

Name Biography
Cecelia Allison
Henriette Azimi Born in the Netherlands, I arrived in the US in 1980 and worked at the Netherlands Embassy in DC for nearly 10 years. I was taught how to knit and crochet at an early age and I always enjoyed it. In 2013 I became a Certified Knitting Teacher through the Craft Yarn Council of America and have taught knitting (beginners and intermediate classes) at ACL since 2014. Knitting with other people is one of the great joys of life.
Joseph Barone

Joseph S. Barone has been in the learning/training field for over 35 years, working as a high school social studies teacher, for the NYC Dept. of Records, and The World Bank.  When he started his own consulting business (A Fool for Learning, LLC) in 2019, he decided that one way to market his skills/experience was to podcast.  So, his channel FOOLISH THOUGHTS was born, in which he speaks about training/learning, networking, management, and whatever other foolish thoughts come to mind.   With over 140 episodes under his belt, his goal is to share his thoughts and insights on the things you need to consider, if you decide to embark upon the podcasting adventure.

Gail Benkert
Michael Bromley Bromley, Michael Michael is a published historian, entrepreneur and high school teacher. He graduated from Hamilton College with a degree in English/Writing and a minor in Anthropology. After college, he built at $12+ mm business representing U.S. consumer product companies in South American markets. When a major U.S. brand took over the business, he wrote two books and numerous academic articles on automotive and political history, and has appeared on various History Channel and A&E documentaries. Michael taught high school for 8 years, and has for the past 12 years worked directly with students and their families via School4Schools.com LLC, an academic coaching service. Bromley & his wife also run School4Schools Foundation, and with it have helped build a school in Liberia. Bromley is passionate about students, education, language, history, and entrepreneurship.
Mariaelena Bucelli

Maria Elena Bucelli was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but moved to Milan, Italy, at a young age, where she completed her education. Later in life, she moved to the United States and obtained a Master’s degree in Foreign language and literature and a TESL certificate. She taught at Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University, where she was the faculty director for the Study Abroad Programs in Spain, Italy and Latin America. She taught English to Italians, Italian to foreigners, and Spanish to Italians while she lived in Milan for fifteen years. Now a retired teacher of Spanish and Italian of Arlington County Public Schools, she has been teaching for the Community Learning Center for six years.

Jim Cassatt After retiring from government service, Dr. Cassatt turned his lifelong passion for photography into a successful second career. He has been taking pictures since high school and learned the basics of photography before anything was automatic. Since dismantling his darkroom he has fully embraced digital technology. He maintains a well-equipped residential studio in Crystal City. He has been teaching with Arlington Community Learning since 2012.
Cecilia Cevallos
Susan Chase Ms. Chase was born in Troy, New York, USA but at the age of 4 her family moved to Paris, France, where her father finished his PhD in French Medieval Art History. She attended the Ecole Active Bilingue in Paris from 1960-61 and 1969-72. She graduated High School in Providence, R.I., completing a senior thesis that took her back to Paris to study Erte, an Art Deco fashion designer. She received a BA in 1980 in French Literature at N.Y.U and Bennington, College where her senior thesis was on the notion of beauty in Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal. In 1983-84 Ms. Chase taught French at George Washington University as a graduate fellow working towards her masters in French. In 1985 she was employed by the World Bank working on poverty reduction in Francophone African countries, earning an MBA at Marymount University at night. In 2015 Ms. Chase retired and has been a substitute French teacher in APS and a French tutor ever since. In retirement, she is working toward a United States Figures Skating Association (USFA) Gold Medal in Ice Dance. Ms Chase’s two daughters have both graduated from APS and are into their own careers which is fun to watch!
Emily Cotton-Keplinger I am a special education teacher and avid tea drinker. I received my Tea Sommelier Certification in 2018, and in 2019 I had the opportunity to attend the Japanese Global Tea Master program in Kyoto, Japan. In 2020, Rose Glow Tea Room was a finalist at the World Tea Conference for "Best Campaign." I am currently part of the Autumn 2022 Being Tea Teacher Training Cohort. A groundbreaking training program for developing tea education skills. In October 2022, I will be certified in Mental Health First Aid, a public education program that helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
Noa Cuadra
Asta D'Errico A native born Arlingtonian, Asta first started her career as a pastry chef after graduation from the Art Institute of Washington. The survivor of a pedestrian accident that took place in 2015, she switched careers to work in the pet industry as a sitter. After being awarded a settlement, she was hired to manage the law firm that represented her case. Asta is passionate about advancing women in fields where they are underrepresented. In this spirit, she got her motorcycle license, became a cicerone, and started doing standup comedy. Her introduction to comedy writing and stage preforming came after attending an intensive course with the Coalition theater in Richmond, VA. Following years of open mic nights, she pitched this class so she could share her experiences and continue her comedic adventures. She hopes to provide fellow residents of Arlington with a creative and open outlet to explore their own funny bone.
Dave Daly Daly, Dave Dave Daly has been the building trades instructor for Alexandria City Schools since 1975. He received his BS in Education and a Master's in Vocational Education. Dave worked as a home improvement contractor in Chicago and Northern Virginia from 1971-1979.
Bob Davidson Bob is the CEO of BDA Financial, where he leads his clients’ investment management and planning. He has been in the financial services industry for 35 years and before that, he had a career as a biologist. After spending a decade in developing countries, often without running water or electricity, he was looking for a stable career where he could still give back to others (he spent time in the Peace Corps, as well!). He found financial planning and never looked back. In his time in the industry, Bob has earned many top designations, including being a Chartered Financial Consultant, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, and Chartered Life Underwriter. These three designations show his enthusiasm for learning and serving his clients to the best of his ability. He considers himself a constant learner and always enjoys learning new things and being an important resource for his clients. He is also a natural problem-solver and enjoys learning about his clients’ life experiences, families, and hopes.Outside of the office, Bob enjoys spending time with his close-knit family, including his wife, three children, grandson and granddaughter. He enjoys traveling (even after so many years living abroad) and working on his Spanish.
Massimo De Bernardinis BUONASERA! My name is Massimo and I am an Italian guy with a passion for cooking and thisis the reason why I started to teach/share my culinary knowledge with Arlington’s residents in2016. I was born in Turin, Piedmont chief town,and my family and I moved to the US in 2011.If you like Nutella, Ferrero Rocher, ravioli, agnolotti, egg pasta, Barolo, Nebbiolo,breadsticks….you also like the region where I’m from!I use to teach easy recipes from North to South Italy. Making semolina pasta is my favorite, it’smy anti-stress exercise. As I use to say, there are no secrets! Only practice practice practiceand passion! I hope to see you soon in person in one of my classes!!! BUON APPETITO.
MariaLuisa De la Cerda Rohde
Sharon Defonteny
Giovanni Delfino
Richard Delos Reyes

A native Arlingtonian, Richard has been performing professionally since the age of thirteen. With multiple shows under his belt, he started to privately teach guitar and bass to friends in his neighborhood. Since then, Richard has taught numerous classes, workshops and camps. Back in the fall of 2014, Richard was approached by the pre-production team of Andrew Lloyd Webber to help their lead Alex Brightman to play and sing guitar for the fall 2015 musical “School of Rock”. The musical opened to rave reviews, and Alex Brightman received a Tony nomination for best male performance. Richie has been teaching for over twenty years and loves to interact and have fun with his students; his bohemian approach to teaching guitar is both infectious and viral.

Mary Dereshiwsky
Stephanie Dillemuth
Robert Dozier
William Draves
Jermaine Dykes
Omnia El-Hakim Dr. Omnia ElHakim was born, and raised, in Cairo, Egypt, in the land of the Pharaohs and Ancient Civilizations. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, she moved to the United States- 40 years ago-to obtain her graduate education. Dr. ElHakim received a PhD in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. As a Professor and Researcher, Dr. ElHakim has taught many courses in Engineering while simultaneously raising millions of dollars to create sustainable diversity programs designed to reach and support diverse students in the STEM fields. Dr. ElHakim has worked at Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College and National Science Foundation as Professor, Department Chair and Assistant Dean, and is keen to enhance equity and diversity among students while providing opportunities to advance their research excellence and innovative thoughts. Dr. ElHakim joined the Arlington Community Learning Education Team in 2014 as a Mathematics and Arabic language Instructor. She believes in the value of diversity and enjoys meeting people and teaching mathematics to many students, as she feels a good understanding of mathematics is a key to success in the fields of science, engineering and technology.
Coreen Endo
Julie Farnam
Ellen Farnham A resident of Arlington, VA for 30+ years this is ‘home’. For the past 18 years I have been teaching skin care and color cosmetics (using Mary Kay products). My business has allowed me both financial freedom and flexibility. Originally from NH I graduated from Southern New Hampshire University (formerly NH College) with a degree in Accounting. I then went on to achieve my CPA. Along with teaching skin care and color cosmetics I work as a Controller for an international nonprofit here in VA. I enjoy both careers and love the balance they provide in my life. In addition, I enjoy sharing my love for taking care of your skin at any age and applying color cosmetic techniques you can use.
Jacqueline Feuerborn
John Fitzgerald
Scott Follett
Gloria Funes
Lee Gjertsen
Jo-Carolyn Goodle
Marian Graham Marian Graham has a wide variety of experiences with both German language and culture.  She holds a master's degree in German from the University of Maryland, College Park, and has worked as a teacher and translator both in the United States and Germany.  She returns to Germany summers for professional development, in order to keep her hand on the pulse of German language and culture.  She has lived in Arlington for many years and is a native of the New York metropolitan area.
Jim Gray
Tom Gutnick Tom Gutnick is the owner of Sunny Banana IT Consulting, with decades of experience in information security, enterprise architecture, web-site design, and more. His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 corporations to small businesses and non-profit organizations. He has taught everything from junior high science as a Peace Corps volunteer to high-level computer seminars for corporate audiences. In addition to personal technology classes for Arlington Adult Education, he teaches information systems classes at Northern Virginia Community College.
Aida Haddad

Aida graduated from the American University of Beirut with a degree in Arabic literature and a Teaching Diploma. She taught Arabic as a native and foreign language in Lebanon, Greece and the US.Aida published her short stories and translations in various outlets (Annahar, Alhayat newspapers, Ghurba magazine, Cultural Studies Quarterly, Al-hakawati, Almukhtar, Mitra, World Bank blogs and others). Together with Mishka Mojabber Mourani, she co-authored a bilingual book of poems, “Alone Together”, and a short story “Hiatus” published in Lunch Ticket literary magazine, Fall 2019. Aida started teaching at Arlington Community Learning in 2018.

Jean Haefner
Will Hahn
Lamine Hamdad

Lamine Hamdad wears many hats. He has an Information Systems engineering background, Web Technologies degree, and he is a self-taught artist whose work has been exhibited in numerous venues in the DC metro area. Most recently, he has overtaken fine art and events photography, and his work was published in the distinguished fashion Mighty Magazine.

He has been teaching at Arlington Community Learning since 2011. In technology, he teaches two WordPress courses, coding languages, algorithmics and Craig’s List to name a few. Being and avid art lover, he also offers an introduction to Classical Drawing and a Portraits Drawing course.

You will also also find him at the Arlington Community Learning's front desk. He helps with general registrations, he assists instructors, and proctors GED placement tests.

He welcomes anyone to come by to inquire about our programs, register or just to say hello.

Lamine Hamdad’s courses can be seen on the link below:

find him at the Arlington Community Learning’s front desk. He helps with general registrations, he assists instructors, registers, and proctors GED placement tests.

UPCOMING COURSES

Andy Helmi
Carson Herrington
Amanda Hine
Rodney Holt
Diane Hunter Diane N. Hunter’s love for sewing began in a Home Economics class as a senior in high school. She went on to graduate from Virginia State University where she earned a Vocational Home Economics Degree. Diane is a recently retired teacher from Arlington County Public Schools. She has been an instructor in the Arlington County evening program for the past few years, where she has served as the Beginning Sewing Class teacher, as well has taught more advanced sewing classes. She also gives instructions on the purchase, use and care of the sewing machine. She makes sewing fun!!!
Susan Hurrell
Sahana Imarati
Shashank Imarati
Helen Jackson
Darrell Johnson I’m a native of the state of Georgia. As a graduate of Columbus State University with a B.A. in Communications, and with work on an M.F.A. degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C., I have over twenty years of experience as an author, screenwriter, independent filmmaker, educational television producer, and technology coordinator. My current projects include a screenplay adaptation and a tv pilot script adaptation of two original Y.A. fantasy series. When it comes to writing, I’m motivated to help others realize their creative dreams with practical, results-oriented methods
Jennifer Jones Jennifer Jones is a classically trained pianist who received her Master’s in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 2016. She has taught private piano lessons since she was sixteen. In 2018 she began teaching through Arlington Adult Education discussing music theory, piano technique, music history and playing great music in the Intermediate Piano course. She finds studying music with others to be intellectually stimulating, spiritually fulfilling, and full of joy.
Nesta Joseph
Chris Kagy Kagy, Chris Chris Kagy's interest in astronomy began as a young boy under rural Ohio's dark skies. As a member and past President of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC), he has supported public activities to learn about astronomy and our night skies for more than 7 years. Chris enjoys visual astronomy (looking through binoculars or a telescope) and astrophotography, and was a member of the 3-person team that discovered the candidate planetary nebula LiKaMa-1 in 2023.
John Kauffman John has 20 years' experience explaining concepts of technology to both specialists and wide audiences. He has taught several hundred courses on four continents and has presented numerous lectures at professional programmers' conferences. From 1995 to 2005 he wrote six books on the techniques of integrating business data into web sites. His current technology interests include teaching Visual Basic as an introduction to programming, advanced features of Excel, embedded micro controller systems and artificial intelligence in small-scale robotics. Away from the computer he spends time swimming, sailing, drumming and objecting to the use of statistics to lie.
Joe Kim
James Kirchenbauer James Kirchenbauer, a native of Toledo, Ohio, received his post-secondary education at Oberlin College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance and a Master of Music Teaching, earning Phi Beta Kappa and Pi Kappa Lambda honors. Mr. Kirchenbauer taught at Crossland High School and Taney Junior High School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. He has served as: director of the Prince George’s County Junior Youth Orchestra, as assistant director of the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club Band in Washington, DC, as trumpet instructor at the Westchester Music and Arts Camp in White Plains, NY, and as a clinician for the Toledo Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps. An accomplished vocalist, Mr. Kirchenbauer sang for six years in the 13-member professional choir at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. He has performed as a member of the trumpet section of the Fairfax Wind Symphony, the Capital Wind Symphony and the Virginia Grand Military Band. Solo experience includes appearances with the McLean Symphony and the Virginia Grand Military Band. In 1982, Mr. Kirchenbauer was appointed band director at McLean High School. After his first August rehearsal, which included only 33 students with one percussionist, the McLean Band grew and matured into one of the most respected instrumental music programs in the nation. The McLean Symphonic Band made three appearances at the Bands of America’s “National Concert Band Festival” in 1995, 1999 and 2006. They were the featured performing group at the Virginia Music Educators Conference in 2006 and also in 2002, appearing with the Boston Brass. They performed at the 2006 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago Illinois. In 2000, the John Philip Sousa Foundation awarded the McLean Symphonic Band the Sudler Flag of Honor, the most prestigious recognition a high school concert band can receive. Mr. Kirchenbauer is a member of the Music Educators National Conference, the American School Band Director’s Association, National Band Association and the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association. He served as the Performing Arts Department Chairman at Mclean High School for 20 years and was selected as McLean’s 1996-97 Teacher of the Year. Mr. Kirchenbauer currently is the Music Director of the Arlington Concert Band, an adult performing ensemble in Arlington, Virginia. He resides in Arlington with his wife Lisa, and their three sons, John and twins, David and Robert.
Sally Klauss
Amy Klous
Jeff Kritzer
Marcus Lander
Gerda Lane
Conrad Brian Law
Ellen Law Ellen recently retired from 23 years of Federal service and 12 years in the private sector as a professional writer. In parallel, she has consulted on resumes and essays for private and public sectors, with a high success rate. She wrote the first brochure on computer careers to distribute at Epcot Center. At the same time, she studied Chinese and Korean martial arts and has developed a practical self-defense class for women that she has presented in companies and through community education programs. She believes that awareness and preparation are fundamental to not being a victim.
Rob Lee
Andy Livingston Andy Livingston has over 20 years of sales, business development, marketing and technical experience in the commercial, consumer and government markets. He enjoys helping students get up to speed with technology to help them in their everyday life be more connected to their family, friends and community. He has the following qualifications: DCJS Certified (Department of Justice – electronic security); Department of Defense Secret Clearance; Hewlett Packard University certified in desktop/network; Sonitrol Security University certified in security system design; AT&T Wireless Management Training Program; and CompTIA A+ through FCPS ELearnIT program.
Sarah Loden
Kathryn Lynch - Morin
Pamela Martin Pamela Martin has been in the apprenticeship/training field for the past 7 years. She works in the Ministry of Education of Peru in the training area and in various international organizations located in Washington D.C. in the development of MOOCS courses. She started as an instructor at APSV in 2023 in order to teach a little more about Peruvian and Bolivian culture.
Raul Matos
Marion Mattioli
Cressida McKean Cressida McKean has taught cooking classes since 2016. She grew up cooking from the family garden and exploring food worldwide. With degrees from Stanford University, the London School of Economics, and Institute of Development Studies, she worked as an economist in Latin America and Asia. After a year-long Master Class at Culinairie, a DC-based cooking school, and classes with local chefs, she began teaching hands-on cooking classes with Arlington Community Learning seven years ago, and more recently, she taught three virtual cooking courses with Encore Learning. She loves teaching others how to cook Seasonal Vegetables, Fish and Seafood, Cooking For Wellness, and Mediterranean Foods.
Stefano Middei
Lada Mnatsakanova
Elizabeth Molinari Gerda Lane began pursuing her interest in art in 2014 after raising a family and retiring from a career in the US Department of State. She paints in oil, watercolor, and pastel. She has a degree in fine arts and continues to take classes and workshops in northern Virginia to further develop her skills. Gerda primarily paints landscapes and still life scenes, and also enjoys creating whimsical nursery scenes. Her style can be described as impressionistic, choosing colors from a soft French-inspired palette. She is a member of the Arlington Artists Alliance, Program Chair of the McLean Art Society, and the Falls Church Art Society, and enjoys belonging to these communities of fellow artists. Email: Lanegerda@hotmail.com Phone: 703-655-1375
Martha Mothershead
Pamela Muir Ms. Muir started practicing and researching swordplay and medieval European martial arts in 2003. She continues her research and personal training by attending workshops and symposiums across the United States and Canada and expanding her library of reprinted and transcripted medieval fencing manuscripts. In 2015, she established the Academy of Chivalric Martial Arts to promote the study of historical swordplay and related arts. She has been with Arlington Community Learning since 2017.
Gregory Munford
Sabrina O'Neil
Roberto Parada
Rosenia Peake 9/99 7+3
Samantha Reilly Sami Reilly serves as Director of Contract Meals and Nutrition overseeing DC Central Kitchen’s Healthy School Food program, as well as their community meals and nutrition education programming. Under her stewardship, DCCK provides more than 7,000 scratch-cooked, farm-to-table meals within USDA and HSA guidelines to 19 schools each day. A registered dietitian with degrees from the University of Delaware, Sami joined the Kitchen in 2021 after three years in the Montgomery County Public School system where she had oversight of the day-to-day operations and meal service at 30 school sites. Sami dedicates a portion of her time outside of the Kitchen to teaching culinary and nutrition classes for the Arlington Public Schools Adult Learning Program, and loves to run, hike, play beach volleyball, and hang out with her dog Colby.
Leslie Roberts
Adelaide Ruble Adelaide Ruble holds a Master of Arts degree in Humanities with a concentration in Communications. For over twenty years, she has held professional positions in communications. As a former university instructor in public speaking, interpersonal communications, media literacy, she incorporated and taught power point and fundamental computer research skills. She is a former newspaper reporter and as a writer for the internal publication for the American Red Cross. Currently, she teaches English to immigrant women and is writing a book on Mothers and Daughters. "An avid researcher, I strongly encourage and recommend the use of technology and the internet to keep oneself abreast of knowledge and current events across all disciplines."
John Rutledge
Josefa Sarmiento

Sarmiento, Josefa Josie Sarmiento was born in Venezuela where she attended college and earned her bachelors in Spanish. She taught at several language schools before coming to the United States. She has also received an associate degree from NOVA. Her teaching experience includes all levels and all ages. She has taught Spanish for the Oakridge Elementary School After School Enrichment program and was a regular substitute for the Spanish for Educators program. Josie has been teaching Spanish for Arlington Adult Education since 1993.

Lyudmyla Scheuchenzuber I am a highly experienced Ukrainian and Russian native-speaking educator with a 30-year teaching background in schools across Ukraine and Russia. Holding a Master's Degree in teaching from the prestigious Kiev State Pedagogical Institute for Foreign Languages, I currently teach Ukrainian and Russian languages at Arlington Community Learning and DLS (Diplomatic Language Services) in DC.

 

My passion for teaching is unwavering, and my dedication to my students is evident in the lasting relationships I build with them. Over the years, I have developed my own proven program, crafting informative and engaging lessons that captivate my students' interest.

 

The evidence of my effective teaching approach is reflected in the loyalty of my students, who chose to stay with me for years. I take pride in fostering a love for languages and continuously seek ways to enhance my teaching methods. In summary, as an educator, I thrive on sharing my expertise and creating a stimulating learning environment that leaves a lasting impact on my students.
Cristina Sempe
Andrea Shaw
Nathan Shepherd
Angelo Sibilla Angelo Raffaello Sibilla was born in the most beautiful country in the world, La Bella Italia ! He was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the Italian Army where he served for more than 35 years. Following retirement, transitioned to life as a language instructor and program manager. He also worked as a Lead Interpreter and Host Nation Liaison for the US Army in Europe and Down-range.In 2018, he moved to Arlington, VA, following his wife’s transfer to the Pentagon. Upon arrival in the DC area, he started to work as an Italian Language Instructor for several Arlington and DC language schools. He easily transitioned to virtual instruction following the onset of COVID and has shared his passion for the Italian language to hundreds of students all over the globe.Due to his wife’s promotion , he moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where the buffalo roamed and the “ Trail of Tears “ ended. This location is rich in history as it was an important military outpost during the expansion West and the conclusion of the Indian wars. The installation has seen and hosted many important historical figures including Geronimo, Quanah Parker, General George Custer and a host of other important figures in American history.Angelo attended the Italian Military Academy and holds an advanced university degree from the University of Torino and an American BA from UMUC. Married to Julia , from Detroit, he has three daughters, Lisa, an executive at an Italian furniture company, Sasha who just completed her time as a Surface Warfare officer with the US Navy and currently enrolled in a MBA program , and Kiki whos’ graduating from WFU and commissioning as reservist in the US Army.
Gail Singleton
Yeshiwas Sitottaw
Staff Staff
Carol Stevens

Carol Stevens has spent more than 30 years involved in all aspects writing and editing — both nonfiction and fiction works. She has worked as a reporter and editor for publications including USA Today, the Baltimore Sun, and Washingtonian magazine where she has written about subjects ranging from health care to presidential politics. She currently runs the communications division of a major trade association where she is involved in all phases of media relations from speech writing to media training. Carol graduated from Syracuse University with a major in communications and international relations.

Bill Sullivan Bill Sullivan has two passions, writing and the outdoors. He has self-published books on practical landscape design and the founding of the New York Mets baseball team. The latter is currently on sale at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The book won the SABR (Society of American Baseball Research) award for the best writing/research on the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. When not writing, you will find him busy with his own residential landscape design/installation business he founded almost 30 years ago. He holds a graduate certificate in the field from the U.S.D.A. Graduate School in Washington, D.C. Bill has taught classes at the City of Alexandria Adult Education Program and for Northern Virginia Community College in the Workforce Development Program. He joined the ACL staff in 2017.
Jennifer Swanson Jennifer Swanson – Jennifer grew up in Los Angeles, CA and studied at UC Diego, earning a BA in Sociology and Master’s certificate in elementary school education. She lived in Japan for 7 years teaching and consulting, first with the JET program and then other Japanese companies. Jennifer has a private tutoring business and teaches Japanese and ESOL to adults and children. She is Vice President and Japanese Education chair of local non-profit SJA (Study Japanese in Arlington) and has been teaching Japanese at Arlington Community Learning for 2 years. In her free time, she enjoys cultural events, traveling, gardening, and adventures with her Jack Russell Terrier, Suzu. ?????????????
Claire Tamburro Tamburro Interiors, LLC is a full-service Interior Design firm specializing in the development of singular concepts for the Retail, Food Service, and Hospitality industries and Residential Interior Design. With more than 30 years of experience in the Interior Design, Retail, and Food Service industries, Ms.Tamburro brings a unique perspective to each project with both Front-of-House and Back-of-House experience having worked as a Hospitality and Residential Interior Designer, Director of Design, Educator, Store Manager, Showroom Assistant, Sales Associate, Server, and Hostess to better serve her clients.
Rebecca Tate
Dave Tevelin Dave Tevelin has written three historical novels about crime in D.C., Death At The Howard, Siege Of The Capital, and Murder On Morton (see davetevelin.com for more details). A George Washington University Law School graduate, Mr. Tevelin was an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Executive Director of the State Justice Institute before becoming an author.
Sandy Tevelin Sandy taught in Arlington County for 40 years, her last 20 in middle school. After retiring in 2012, she has devoted much of her time to various crafts including creating different types of quilts for her children, grandchildren, and friends, as well as decorative quilted pieces such as table runners, trivets, coloring bags, and eyeglass holders.
April Thompson
Angelia Thrash-Thomas
Jodie Tirana
Claudia Tordini Claudia Tordini, artist, executive coach and organizational consultant, brings together her background in business, art and creativity to provide coaching and consulting services on leadership and organizational development, team building, and creativity and innovation. She is particularly focused on including art as a powerful tool of communication and learning in non-traditional areas. Claudia’s research on art and learning won her the Faculty Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in the Organizational Dynamics Program at the University of Pennsylvania.Claudia holds a Master of Philosophy in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from The Wharton School and an Industrial Engineer from the University of Buenos Aires.
Melissa Torres
Tammy Treadway I was born and raised in Arlington, as well earned my undergraduate degree in Nursing at Marymount University. My nursing career has spanned the disciplines of trauma and critical care to hospice and home health and included research at the National Institutes of Health. I am now working in public health and family practice, soon to hold the title Nurse Practitioner. I have taught nursing and certified nurse aide programs, and am an active volunteer with the Arlington County Medical Reserve Corps. I teach American Heart Association courses with Arlington Community Learning, as I am passionate about outreach and empowering the individual through knowledge and associated skill and team building, which leads to positive outcomes and well defines the strength of our community.
Larissa Vassikova

Larissa Vassilkova was born and grew up in Kazakhstan, her family originated from the Central Russia region where they settled down almost two centuries ago. Her family immigrated to the USA in 2000, she has lived in Virginia since. Larissa continued to share her knowledge of Russian language and culture with the students of Arlington community. She is a graduate of The Kazakh State University and has more than 25 years of teaching experience. Larissa was an instructor in the Technology college and taught a variety of subjects for Food Processing, Bakery and Brewery specialists. Larissa is dedicated to prepare, motivate and encourage students by getting them ready to work. with full level of responsibility in the real life situations and the workplace. Her life experience in the different countries, her hobby to travel around the world, and love of teaching give her exceptional tools to help students to learn more languages and cultures. Larissa has a belief that one of the ways to learn more about the culture of people from different countries is to work or cook together and get knowledge about food, traditions and terminology.

Yoshiko Weick

Ms. Yoshki Weick was born in South Korea, and later moved with her parents and sisters to Japan in 1971.She lived there for 34 years with husband and daughters. She is fluent in Korean and Japanese. In 2004 she accepted an invitation from the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC and began her residency as an Artist. She has taken part in numerous group shows in Japan, China, India, France and throughout the United States. She has exhibited individually in Tokyo, New York, Washington DC and Chicago. She has received a number of awards for her artwork. She is an author of numerous publications. She teaches oriental brush art (sumi) and Japanese & Korean languages.

Myia Welsh
Maryclare Whitehead
Marion Williams
Dale Winchell Dale Winchell is a full time automotive instructor at the Arlington Career Center. He holds an Associates Degree in Automotive Technology from Northern Virginia Community College. He is ASE Master Certified and also Advanced Engine Performance (L1) Certified. He has 28 years of experience in the automotive industry working at JKJ/Koons Chevrolet Chrysler as an Intern, Technician, and then Shop Foreman.
Andrea Wingo Andrea L. Wingo, originally from Youngstown, Ohio, retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Three after serving 23.5 years in the United States Army. Residing in Arlington, Virginia, she is on track to earn her Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity from Marymount University in 2024. Andrea holds an M.S. in Cybersecurity from Webster University (2020), an MBA from Touro University International (2007), and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Troy State University (2004), supplemented with an associate in criminal justice (1989) and a Project Management certificate from DeVry University (2012). Currently, Andrea is a Government Contractor as a Security Systems Engineer (ISSE) supporting the Intelligence Community. She boasts an impressive array of top cybersecurity certifications including CSM, CASP, CySA+, and Security+. Andrea is a dedicated mentor at Thinkful’s Cybersecurity Bootcamp and the UC Berkeley Master of Engineering Program. She also educates future professionals as an instructor at Arlington Community Learning, focusing on cybersecurity careers. Committed to her community, Andrea is a Senior Deacon at Harvest Life Changers Church, an Ambassador for the Prince William County Community Foundation, and serves on the Information Technology Advisory Commission for Arlington County. Her passion for service is evident in her volunteerism, including her role with the National Coalition of 100 Black Women of Northern Virginia. Hobbies include traveling, relaxing, spending time with family and friends, investing money, sports and shopping.
Maria Yang

Maria Yang is a knowledgeable and experienced Chinese language instructor, with more than 40 years of teaching experience in both college and government. She received her BA in English Language and Literature and her MA in Chinese Language and Literature and completed coursework in a Ph.D.Program in Applied Linguistics. The education she received has prepared her to be a qualified Language and Culture Instructor.She has taught beginning-, intermediate-, and advanced-level Chinese language courses at Georgetown University, George Mason University, the University of California at Davis, San Francisco State University and as a government contractor through Centra Technology Inc. She is currently teaching Mandarin Chinese language at Arlington Community Learning Program and Chinese literature at George Mason University.

Cynthia Young Cynthia Young is thrilled to be the Director of The Arlington Community Chorus! Motivated by a passionate belief in the power of collective singing to build community and create joy, Cynthia has founded and directed community choirs around the world, including in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Gabon, Turkey and Virginia. Cynthia believes that choral singing is one of the most fun, healthy, and life-affirming activities there is for all ages, and she loves to bring people together to sing in harmony. Cynthia is a private voice and piano teacher, and is the music director at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston. She holds of master of arts degree in music from The American University and a bachelor of arts degree in music from Wake Forest University. Cynthia has two adult daughters and is married to David Young, a wonderful bass singer in the ACC!
Robert Zambrano Dr. Zambrano for 38 years taught at Gallaudet University, the only college for the Deaf to award a Liberal Arts degree. Retired, he now provides interpreting services for Arlington County and churches in the area. He has introduced children and adults to the world of the Deaf and taught them to use American Sign Language to communicate in it.
Yuan Zhai