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Julie Claeys, President A resident of Greeley since 1981, Julie raised both of her children here. She has a master’s degree in special education and a school administrator’s license. Julie taught in Greeley at Scott Elementary, Brentwood Middle, and University schools for a total of 22 years. She is currently the Dean of Students at Windsor Charter Academy. Julie is passionate about literacy which makes Right to Read the perfect organization for her to support. |
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Nancy Galvin,
Vice President Nancy Galvin's interest in adult education began when she was a Head Start teacher. In order to be of help to the families of her young students, she launched a family literacy program. Seeing the parents' sheer joy in learning to read and write ignited a passion in her. Many of the parents were able to get employment "on the books" for the first time with their new skills. Nancy has maintained her passion for adult literacy for three decades. She is also a CASA volunteer, the voice in court of children in foster care. Currently she is co-owner of TOBIS Graphics, LLC. She and her husband, Michael, have lived in Greeley for 20 years, and have raised their two daughters here. |
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Tom Selders, Treasurer Tom Selders served as Mayor of the City of Greeley from 2003 through 2007, having previously served as a City Council Member from 1993-2001. He earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Tom was in the US Navy and earned the Navy Achievement Medal for his service in Vietnam. He began working for Big R Manufacturing & Distributing, Inc. in 1967. As an owner of Big R from 1986-2001, Tom served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He currently owns and operates Greeley Computer Services and is also an independent investment representative. He was previously a member of the United Way of Weld County Campaign Committee and the NCMC, Inc. Board of Directors. Tom has been married to Sandra for over 40 years. They have two adult sons and four grandchildren. He enjoys running, mountain climbing, and biking, and has completed five Ride the Rockies bike tours.
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Lena Cash,
Right to Read student Lena has been a resident of Greeley since 2003. In 2006 she started attending Right to Read's literacy classes. Since 2008 she has been on the Right to Read Board of Directors. Still a student at Right to Read, Lena now studies in the General Educational Development (GED) Preparation Class. She believes it is important that the student's point of view be represented on the Board. |
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Jane Derk, Ph.D.,
Licensed Psychologist Jane began her career in California receiving a Master's degree as a School Psychologist, therefore, understanding many factors which interfere with education and literacy. From there, she moved to Massachusetts, received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, and practiced as a Psychologist in private practice in Cambridge, MA, and in a state mental health clinic in Plymouth, MA. Since moving to Colorado in 1986, she has been a stepmother, a mother, and has established her Private Practice in Psychology, with a primary emphasis in psychological evaluations, court evaluations, expert witness testimony, and psychotherapy of children, adults, and families. She also teaches educational classes required by the Court on parenting issues. Now that her children have moved on to college, she has time to devote to other community causes, two of which are literacy and immigration issues. Jane says she's "happy to be on board." |
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| Jerry Manzer | ||
| Paulette Weaver, Retired teacher | ||
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| Rochelle Mitchell-Miller, B.A., Executive Director | ||
| Nancy Garcia, Office Manager Nancy was originally from Brownsville, Texas, and was raised in Colorado. She graduated from Valley High School in 1994. After working for several years, Nancy studied business at Aims Community College. She lives in La Salle with her husband, daughter, and son. She enjoys going for walks, cooking, entertaining, and spending time with family and friends. "I feel very happy and lucky to be working with Right to Read. It has made a difference in my life." |
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Madeleine Ballard, ESL Instructor Madeleine and her husband moved to Colorado from Massachusetts (for the snow). She got her Masters in Applied Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts because she liked working with ESL students at a Boston high school. She has taught ESL in middle school, high school, and in adult programs, in Massachusetts and Colorado. Madeleine enjoys meeting students from all over the world. |
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Cindy Burkhart, ESL Instructor Cindy grew up in North Carolina where she graduated from Duke University with majors in Ethics and Art. She headed north to Boston for graduate school at Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts and earned the most fun M.A.T. ever by teaching, painting and reading novels. After teaching in Boston, Mexico, North Carolina, and Japan, she has landed in Windsor, Colorado, where she lives in and works on an old house with her husband, three kids and many smallish animals. For fun and sanity she plays outside -- hiking, skiing, canoeing, or digging -- works on art projects, and writes letters on paper. Teaching at Right to Read is an ideal job for her; she gets paid for work that she loves and believes in. |
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Ann Courtney, ESL Instructor Ann Courtney began teaching Citizenship classes at Right to Read in the spring of 2009. She now teaches ESL (level 4) to diverse groups of adult learners. Ann discovered Right to Read, when she was searching for an established successful agency in which to complete her internship for her sociology degree. Her passion is to continue teaching and her next goal is to complete graduate school before the winter of 2011. As a very nontraditional student, who graduated cum laude from the University of Northern Colorado, Ann has personal knowledge and experience of the challenges of adult learning. She believes that education is the pathway to a healthier world where peace can replace aggression, and communication can transform misunderstanding. She is considering a master’s degree in educational policy with an emphasis in diversity and equity. Walking, meditating, swimming and continual learning are her favorite hobbies. |
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Pete Denzin, ESL Instructor Pete earned his B.A., M.A., Ed.S., and school administrator's license from the University of Northern Colorado. He taught English at Windsor High School for 22 years and worked as an administrator in the Weld Re-4 School District office for another 12 years before his retirement. Now Pete enjoys spending lots more time with his wonderful wife, Colleen, and enjoys his new hobby, playing classical guitar. He loves to read and to play with technology as well. But teaching classes for Right to Read is one of his greatest joys. "What could be better than getting to explore the varied and exciting world of language together with such dedicated adult students? I learn much more from them than they do from me." |
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Wendy Griffis, Reading Instructor, ESL Instructor | |
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Cristina Johnson, ESL Instructor Being Greeley-grown, Cristina earned her BA in English at Western State in Gunnison, Colorado. She then crossed taught English (EFL) for two years at the University of Finance & Economics in Tianjin, China, and children one year at an ECC English academy in Yeosu, South Korea. Upon returning to the States, Cristina pursued and earned her MA in English/TESL from Colorado State University. In the years following, she taught developmental Ed and basic composition at Aims, academic ESL at the University of Alabama, and a GED course at Lafayatte—among other odds and ends. Having come full circle in the past 14 years Cristina is now enjoying teaching here at Right to Read. Her students and co-workers are her “spoon-full-of-sugar.” |
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| Catherine Jones, ESL Instructor | ||
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Mary Kay Pascal, ESL Instructor A native New Yorker, Mary Kay has lived in Greeley since 1990. She has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Delaware. Teaching has always been her passion, whether it was fostering life skills in adults with disabilities or teaching alcohol education to DUI offenders. Mary Kay is thrilled to have the opportunity to teach ESL and is in awe of the commitment and motivation of her students. When not spending time with her loving husband and three terrific children, she loves to read and hike, do yoga and crossword puzzles and sell handmade baskets from Rwanda in the hopes of someday visiting that inspiring country. |
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Nancy R.
Perez, M.A., ESL/Bridge Instructor Nancy earned her B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and her M.A. in Anthropology at the University of Hawaii. That international community experience led to a variety of international experiences. She lived and worked in the Philippines for approximately 17 years where she coordinated a cross-cultural training program for Canadian and Filipino development workers, indexed books for the International Rice Research Institute, and set up an international school library. She lived and worked in Nigeria for 7 years where she did indexing for the Oxford University Press and taught in a parent cooperative school. Upon returning to live in the U.S. she became involved with Right to Read and has taught ESL for over 12 years. Now she also teaches the Bridge classes. She enjoys walking, hiking, reading, and chatting with friends over coffee. “I love my adult students who are so committed and dedicated to learning. They are the reason Right to Read exists, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from each other.” |
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| Robbie Saunders, Evening Office Aide | ||
| Ruth Shilling, ESL Instructor | ||
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Patty Suich,
ESL Instructor Patty teaches English as a second language not only to Right to Read students in Fort Lupton but also elementary students in the Denver Public Schools. She has a masters degree in elementary education with an emphasis in bilingual/ESL. Patty has also been a reading interventionist and classroom teacher. Her hobbies are her home with her chickens, ducks, goats, and dogs. Originally from Cleveland Ohio, Patty loves Colorado and all its beauty. |
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Yendra Ruiz Tencza, ESL Instructor Yendra earned her BA in Biology in 2002 from Milligan College in Tennessee. She worked as a naturalist and educated others about the world around us. Through many different twists and turns she ended up working as a librarian before finding Right to Read. Yendra has always been passionate about literacy and teaching; working with Right to Read is a natural and happy fit! Outside of work Yendra loves the outdoors and spending time with her wonderful husband and son. |
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Marisol Vasquez, ESL Aide Originally from Texas, Marisol moved to Colorado more than 15 years ago. She studied Business Organization at the Devry Institute of Technology in Dallas, Texas, before moving to the Denver area. She enjoys working out and spending time with family. Marisol was a homemaker for eight years and began working with the Right to Read program during the Spring 2008 semester. She loves working with people and enjoys the process of learning. For Marisol, the Right to Read program has ignited a true passion towards education. |
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