Instructors for the 2009 winter/spring courses.
Janice Beatty, who is teaching Calligraphy: Write On!, was first introduced to Calligraphy while at college in England. At St. Paul’s College in Rugby, prospective teachers of high school age children had to do their classroom wall posters and charts in Calligraphy. After coming to the U.S., Janice enrolled at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and studied Calligraphy with Lothar Hoffman. There she learned to really appreciate the 16th century Italian hands called Cancelleresca Corsiva [Chancery Cursive] and Cancelleresca Formata [Italic].
Pam Byrnes is a well known attorney serving her second term in the Michigan House of Representatives. Before being elected in 2004, she was appointed to the Washtenaw County Road Commission in 2000, becoming the first female road commissioner in Wash-tenaw County. Representative Byrnes is the Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education and sits on the Appropriations Subcommittees of Community Health, Transportation and Judiciary. She is teaching How a Bill Becomes Law in Michigan. 
Tom Collier is teaching Afghanistan Invaded! He has studied and taught history of war for some fifty years at West Point, Duke, and most recently in Michigan. He and his wife, Vivian, now live in Ann Arbor and he often teaches seniors, partly because he enjoys them and partly because it keeps him out of Vivian’s hair!
Chrisa Craig holds an MA in Painting and an Ed.D from New York University. She is recently retired and returned to Michigan after thirty years as a Professor of Art at the College of New Jersey, where she taught painting courses as well as numerous other studio courses, Eastern Art History and Art and Culture of Indigenous people. Chrisa is also an award-winning multi-media artist. Her eye will help us see the artisans’ crafts in a new, deeper way in the course, Rites, Rituals and Ceremonies.
Alan V. Deardorf, Paulette Stenzel,
Bradley Farnsworth & Catherine Badgley are teaching Global Economics. Alan V. Deardorf is Associate Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy & Department of Economics, UM;
PauletteStenzel is Professor of International Business Law at MSU; 
Bradley Farnsworth is Director of the Center for International Business Education at UM; Catherine Badgley is Professor with the Museum of Paleontology, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UM.
John Gibney, who is teaching Gettysburg, is Director of Monroe Histori-cal Museum and the River Raisin Battlefield. John is also an instructor in the Historic Preservation Program at Eastern Michigan University. He participated in the filming of the movies, “Dances With Wolves”, “Last of the Mohicans”, “Gettysburg”, “Glory”, and “Gods & Generals”, as well as numerous radio and TV specials. John’s expertise in diorama-making has won several national awards and his exhibit of “Peeble’s Farm” was selected for permanent display in the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing. John was the 1999 Michigan Adult & Community Education Association Staff Member of the Year and he received the National Citizenship Education Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2000. In 2005, the Michigan legislature voted John a Special Tribute in recognition of his preservation activities.
Bruno Giordani has a history of nationally funded research and work in clinical trials, focusing on the interaction of cognitive and behavioral factors in the development of mobility difficulties across the life-span. He is currently director of several ongoing re-search projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within the community, Dr. Giordani serves on the Board of Directors of the Alzheimer’s Association, Great Lakes Chapter. He along with othe faculty members is teaching Brain Health and Fitness.
Francisca Fernandez, Dima Tawakkol, Stephanie Schaefer & Cecilia Pozo Fileti are teaching Good Food from Around the World. Francisca Fernandez, along with husband Kevin Riley, is co-owner of the New Chelsea Market and shares recipes with us from Cuba and other areas of Latin America.
Cecilia Pozo Fileti, a nationally known registered dietician, provides information about healthy food options. Dima Tawakkol shares her Syrian ancestral family recipes, and Stephanie Schaefer shows us how to make soups that are good for the soul and excellent for the body.
Howdy S. Holmes is President and CEO of Chelsea Milling Company. Howdy was successful in the world of motor sports for 20 years—he was “Rookie of the Year” at the Indy 500 in 1979, started up a marketing company which served the motor sports community, and wrote an award winning book, “Formula Car Technology”. Upon his return to “Jiffy” in 1987, Mr. Holmes led a transformation of the 100-year-old family business. With the help of others, a professionally managed strategic vision was successfully introduced. He is teaching "Jiffy" Embracing the Future.
Barbara Krueger has been involved in Stained Glass for over 25 years. She has sold original stained glass pieces on the art fair circuit prior to gaining an MS degree in historic preservation. She is a member of the Stained Glass Association of America, where she served on the Board of Directors, and as co-editor of the SGAA Reference and Technical Manual. Barbara volunteers and helps register stained glass windows with the Michigan Stained Glass Census and writes “Windows of the Month” articles for the group’s website. Currently she is co-writing a book about historic Detroit churches.
David Mastie,a retired science teacher, is a delightful and engaging speaker. He brings to his gardens his extensive knowledge of plants, soils, and climate. Starting from the lovely “bones” created by two gardeners before him, he has built the three acres surrounding his Chelsea home into over 20 unique gardens. He will be sharing his garden with us in Rooms of Blooms: Spring Edition.
Nancy Booth Nilsson returns to continue Journeys Through Western Civilization. Nancy earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in art history from the University of Michigan and has been teaching the arts and humanities for nearly 40 years. Her diverse audiences range from public school first graders through high school seniors, college undergraduate and graduate students to senior citizens, church groups to business organizations. Twice nominated for Michigan Teacher of the Year and a guest lecturer for the Detroit Institute of Arts, Nancy has traveled widely in Europe, including Italy, France, England, mainland Greece, and the island of Crete.
Eric Pedersen received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Eastern Illinois University and his doctorate from Indiana University. He taught at Eastern Michigan University in the Teacher Preparation Program in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. During his thirty-seven years at EMU, he taught courses in curriculum, methods, international relations, lifetime wellness and fitness, and history. Interest in the history of sport and the professional contributions of former EMU Faculty in the HPERD Department resulted in numerous publications and presentations. An extensive sport artifact collection eventually evolved from his interest in sport history. He will teach Exploring Sport Through Artifacts.
Kenneth Phifer is Senior Minister Emeritus of the FirstUnited UniversalistCongregation in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has a Bachelor’s in History from Harvard University and a Master’s and Doctorate from the University of Chicago Divinity School. He has written many articles and books and has taught a course on Women in the Bible at Washtenaw Community College. His course for ALI will focus on Women in the Bible:The Prophets.
Jan Sevde has been a bee-keeper for over five years and it is one of the most interesting hobbies she has ever experienced! She has expanded her interest in bees to include making nuclear colonies, catching swarms, and making products from honey, wax and propolis. She is teaching Our Wonderful Honey Bees.
Grace Shackman is teaching Historic Washtenaw County: Chelsea, Dexter and the Lakes. She is a history columnist for the Ann Arbor Observer, the Community Ob-server and the Old West Side News. She is the author of four books: “Ann Arbor in the 19th Century”, “Ann Arbor in the 20th Century”, “Ann Arbor Observed”, and “Webster: A Time, A Place, A People”. From 1986 to 1988 she was a staff writer for the Chelsea Standard/Dexter Leader. Grace served eight years as a Washtenaw County Commissioner. She has been teaching local history at Washtenaw Community College for the past eight years.
Judy Williston has taught children, university students [both undergraduate and graduate students], and professionals for more than forty years. Her experience with universities, early childhood programs, and overseas study programs has given her a broad perspective on supervision and leadership. Although she is still giving professional presentations at national conferences, her major hobby is genealogy, hence the interest in the Salem Witch Trials, and traveling in Devon and Cornwall, where her early family comes from. She will also be teaching Scattered Families.
Sarah Taggart formerly taught social work at EMU. She has subsequently published eight books: a textbook, a memoir, a poetry book, an anthology [with four other writers], and three novels. At the present time she has a theology book and a family history ready to publish. Her books are available on-line, and at the Silver Maples library. She is teaching Writing: How and Why.
Who We Are
Based in Chelsea, Michigan, the Adult Learners Institute (ALI) provides a diverse selection of quality community-based learning experiences and camaraderie for adults in western Washtenaw County. ALI is a Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) affiliated with the Elderhostel Institute Network (EIN), a group of 320 similar organizations. We conduct our programs in cooperation with Washtenaw Community College.