ADULT PROGRAMS - Needham Public Schools

INSTRUCTOR BIOS
and Biochemistry from Yale University, a Masters
in Finance from Boston College’s Carroll School of
Management, and has completed all three levels of
the Chartered Financial Analyst examination. He is a
member of the Boston Security Analysts Society.
LIZ HEICHELBECH, former professional dancer and
semi-professional actor, holds an M.Ed. from Lesley
University, and is Massachusetts certified to teach in
the fields of Dance, Theatre, and English. She has
been an educator in the Weston Public Schools for
nearly a decade, and has also taught adults in a range
of settings. Liz is passionate about using fun and nurturing
ways to help people become speakers, writers,
and performers. She is also artistic director of WIG
Out Boston, the Boston area’s only comedy improv
group for women.
MAX HEKLER has a BA in English and a MA in Education
from UMass Amherst, and has been teaching
English at Needham High School for 12 years. He
has taught all levels of 11th grade English and AP
Literature and Composition for the 12th grade, and has
tutored students privately in writing and language arts.
While in graduate school, Max co-taught the TEAMS
Tutoring Project, a course that trained and monitored
over 100 undergraduate and graduate tutoring secondary
students in local public schools.
MIKE HIGASHI, NHS guidance counselor, received a
BA in psychology from Yale University, a MEd from the
University of Hawaii, and a CAES from Boston College.
Prior to Needham, he counseled students at the Iolani
School in Honolulu, and for nine years co-directed Hawaii’s
largest SAT Prep program. He has led SAT Prep
workshops at The College Board Western Regional
Conference and at The Hawaii Association for College
Admissions Counseling Conference, and has taught
SAT Prep classes for Needham Community Education
since the fall of 2005.
NICK HILL is a Needham resident, a member of the
Green Needham Collaborative, and the principal of Hill
Energy Services, a consulting practice focused on helping
businesses reduce their energy use and costs. He
has been active in energy management and renewable
energy for over 25 years. During his career, Nick has
helped clients reduce their energy use by over 1.2 billion
kilowatt-hours. He recently helped a client develop and
install a large photovoltaic project atop a warehouse and
has several more in the pipeline. Nick is a LEED Accredited
Professional and a Certified Energy Manager.
He is a graduate of Wesleyan University.
DAN HUDDER, NHS English teacher, received his BS
in English Education from NYU, his MA in American
Studies from UMass Boston, and his M.Ed. in Organizational
Management from Endicott College. With former
Needham High School English teacher David Smokler,
he founded, designed and coordinated Needham Test
Prep, an SAT preparation program in Needham. Dan
has taught and coordinated SAT Prep classes for Needham
Community Education since the fall of 2005.
SUSIE KAPLAN is a certified Primary Group Exercise
Instructor through AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association
of America). She currently teaches at area
health clubs and at Newton Wellesley Hospital. In
addition to teaching, she has run many road races and
maintains an active and healthy lifestyle with her family
in Needham.
DOUG KOPCSO holds a BS in Business Administration
from Babson College and completed his teacher
licensure in 2005, earning his PBTL from Framingham
State College. He has taught SAT Prep classes for
Needham Community Education since the fall of 2005.
ELIZABETH LAHRENS is a married mother of two
and extreme couponer from Webster, Massachusetts.
Elizabeth has a BA in Paralegal Studies from Johnson
and Wales University and is the owner of www.
extremecoupontoday.com Elizabeth has taught in
many area community education programs, and enjoys
sharing her knowledge and tips to help people realize
huge savings.
ANAND LELE is an active member of the American
Contract Bridge League (ACBL) since 1982, and has
played in various tournaments, achieving the rank
of Silver Life Master. He is also an ACBL accredited
teacher, and has taught Beginning and Intermediate
Bridge in local community education programs since
1993. Anand holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the
University of Poona, India, and worked for many years
as a structural engineer.
MICHEL L’HUILLIER studied Fine Arts and Art History
in Strasbourg, France and has over 20 years of
experience working in stained glass and glass fusing.
Although his primary focus is on architectural commissions
using these two techniques, he also creates
unique decorative fused glass objects. With great
enthusiasm and humor, Michel has enjoyed sharing his
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NEEDHAM COMMUNITY EDUCATION