ADULT PROGRAMS - Needham Public Schools

INSTRUCTOR BIOS
experience includes horticultural consulting at Weston
Nurseries, landscape design, and drafting, and she is
chair of the Massachusetts Landscape Design Council,
and co-designer of an award-winning xeriscape
in Holliston, MA. Jana has been gardening on her
2-acre property in Holliston’s historic district for over 20
years. Her garden features more than 140 varieties of
trees and shrubs, perennial gardens, peony and rose
beds, water features and shady retreats. Trained as a
graphic designer, Jana brings years of critical design
thinking, clarity and cohesiveness to her landscape solutions.
For further information and photos, go to www.
enchantedgardensdesign.com
HSIU-HUI CHEN is a certified Nia instructor who
teaches in several area programs. She was born in
Taipei, Taiwan, and holds a BA in English from Fu-
Jen University in Taiwan. She is trained in classical
ballet, ballroom dance, and Chinese dance. Hsiu-Hui
discovered Nia classes 10 years ago and has been
dancing Nia ever since, and enjoys sharing Nia and
other dance forms with students in several community
education programs.
MARINA CONTE is a native speaker of Italian and has
experience as a translator and tour guide for Italian
tourists. She has taught adult education Italian classes
for Brookline Adult and Community Education, Boston
Center for Adult Education and most recently for Needham
Community Education.
MARILYN CRUICKSHANK, a Needham resident, is
the owner of Creative Simplicity Professional Organizing,
LLC, which provides an array of organizing
services to individuals, families, and businesses in the
Metrowest area. Marilyn is a member of the National
Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).
DAN ENG started Barleycorn’s in 1998. He has been
instructing novices as well as experienced beer lovers
in the art of craft beer brewing for more than 13 years.
He also serves as a beer judge at the annual Great
International Beer Festival in Providence, R.I.
ERIC FRERE was born in Ottawa, Canada and French is
his native tongue. He has traveled extensively throughout
the world, including France and French Polynesia. He has
taught French in the Needham schools for over 10 years,
and taught Traveler’s French and Conversational French
adult classes for Needham Community Ed. He is a member
of the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association,
and the American Association of Teachers of French.
MICHAEL GALPERIN has achieved the title of SAM-
BO Grandmaster from the World Martial Arts Alliance,
and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by AAU-USA.
He studied with one of the founders of SAMBO in
Russia, and has taught self-defense Combat SAMBO
both in Europe and the U.S. for various law enforcement,
military, and community organizations for over
60 years. He is the founder and President of the U.S.
Combat SAMBO Assn.
LYNNE GODIN has been a quilt maker for over 20 years.
She is a staff member at the Button Box, and teaches
many quilt making classes for adults, from beginning to
machine quilting. Lynne loves sharing her passion for
quilt-making with new quilters. For more information on
the Button Box, go to www.buttonboxsewing.com
JULIE GOLD graduated with a BA in Art Education
from The College of New Jersey. Throughout her
career, she has taught ages 6-86, specializing in wheel
throwing and hand building in clay. She has displayed
her work throughout galleries in New Jersey and South
Coast, MA, and was honored by the Clay Studio International
Gallery, Philadelphia, PA as an Outstanding
Art Educator in 2005 and 2007. Julie is a new member
of the art department at Needham High School.
BILL GOLDMAN holds a BA in Government from
Colby College and a MS in Accounting from Northeastern
University. He has taught high school math since
2006, and began at Needham High School in the fall of
2009. He has taught SAT Prep classes for Needham
Community Education since the fall of 2010.
CAROL GRAY, Psy. D., is a licensed clinical psychologist
with over twenty years of experience working in the
field of mental health. For the past several years she
has been in a positive psychology study group and has
attended numerous conferences and workshops on the
science of happiness and well-being with some of the
leading researchers and practitioners in the field. She
is currently developing a curriculum for teaching wellbeing
to high school students.
MICHAEL GREIS is the chair of the Green Needham
Collaborative. Michael brings thirty years of professional
experience in business development, sales and
management, and expertise in sustainability, finance
and information technology to his consulting work in
sustainability and sustainable investing. Michael is
active in federal, state, and local policy on renewable
energy. Michael has a BS in Molecular Biophysics
FAX: 781-455-0417 • PHONE: 781-455-0400 x235
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