Catherine Badgley is on the faculty of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan. Her research is about the ecology and paleoecology of mammals, and about sustainable agriculture. Her course is How to Feed the World.
Steve Daut earned his Master’s degree in geology from the University of Iowa and went on to a 20-year career in geology and geophysics, first in oil and then in the environment industry. He has taught geology and geophysical courses for the American Association of Geologists, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Jackson Community College. He has developed a brochure on the glacial geology of Waterloo Recreation Area, which will be the basis for the field trip for the course Geology.
Elisha and Mariah Fink are residents of Dexter. Elisha has been practicing law for 12 years and Mariah for 1½ years. Both attorneys have experience in estate planning; Fink Law is a general practice law firm. In their law practice, Elisha and Mariah emphasize helping individuals and local businesses. Their course is Estate Planning.
John Gibney, who is teaching U.S. Grant's Civil War: The Western Campaign,
is the former Director of the Monroe Historical Museum and the River Raisin National Battlefield. He is also an instructor in the Historic Preservation Program at Eastern Michigan University. He is one of the State of Michigan’s official Civil War History partners for the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and is involved with the filming of the PBS Series, Michigan Experience’s Civil War.
Charlene Harris is an avid gardener who loves to have her hands in the soil. She is a horticulturalist and lecturer and has been teaching a variety of gardening classes over the past 30 years throughout Michigan. Charlene and her husband moved to the Chelsea area 15 years ago, and they enjoy growing a wide range of plants on over two acres. They have gardened together since they met in Ann Arbor in the 1970’s. Charlene says “growing plants is like raising children, they become part of your life. Her course is Container Gardens.
Tom Hodgson, whose course is Spring Wildlife and Wildflowers,
is a retired environmental educator/naturalist with a lifelong interest in natural history, and the flora and fauna of Michigan and beyond.
Shawn Lenhardt got his start in the restaurant business 15 years ago. His first job was as dishwasher at a country club in Granger, Indiana, but he soon turned his attention to the kitchen. He received his formal education from Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina. He has worked in private clubs, hotels, restaurants and long term care. He has worked with many talented chefs throughout the Midwest and southern states, learning different regional cuisines and ingredients. His course is Regional Cuisine.
Deb Mantel loves organizing anything! She’s had an eye for order since she was young. She can walk into a room filled with nothing but chaos and see nothing but potential beauty and calm. She has seen the freedom and renewed energy that comes from getting one’s things in order—clearing out the unnecessary, unimportant, unflattering stuff, to make room for what renews, restores, and refocuses. She started her own professional organizing company in 2007 helping clients create space with SOUL (Simple, Organized, Uncluttered, Living). Her course is Organizing 101.
David Mastie retired several years ago as an earth science teacher in the Ann Arbor Schools, but hasn't lost his non-stop energy and enthusiasm. He also is a resource person for the American Meteorological Society. His course is Severe Weather:
Marge Mastie retired from public education after a successful career as a nationally recognized expert on assessment and itsimpact on practitioners and examinees. She has served as a consultant and/or advisor to each of the testing programs listed above and continues to do limited consulting with some of them. Marge continuously fought for wisdom, integrity, and caution in all uses of assessment in the schools of Washtenaw County. Her course is What's All This School Testing About.
Susan Nenadic has degrees in History and English and taught at Saline High School before retiring in 2004. She became interested in local history and gives talks and presentations in Michigan. Her course is Long Live the Queen: A Film Study of the House of Windsor.
Charlie Nielsen is a long time amateur astronomer and President of the University Lowbrow Astronomers, a large local astronomy club. Charlie has given many talks on astronomy, from elementary school classrooms to public lectures at the University of Michigan. His course is They Can Only Be Seen At Night. 
Nancy Booth Nilsson returns to continue Journeys Through Western Civilization. Nancy earned her under-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 high school, undergraduate and graduate students, to senior citizens, church groups and business organizations.
Erik Pedersen is originally from Chicago, IL. Erik received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Eastern Michigan University. He taught at Eastern Michigan University for 37 years in the Teacher Preparation Program in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. During his 37 years at the university, he taught over 40 different courses. Areas of specialization included curriculum, methods, international relations, lifetime wellness and fitness, and history. His 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. His course is Baseball.
Cynthia Furlong Reynolds has written a dozen children's books, a chapter book series for elementary students, several novels, six histories, and a writing textbook. She has won two Michigan Notable Book Awards for Our Hometown (a history of Chelsea) and JIFFY: A Family Tradition. She frequently works with students of all ages on writing projects within schools, and she offers Teachers as Writers workshops for faculty members.. Her course is The Art of Writing.
Ed Riske has been taking photographs since high school and was photo editor for his college newspaper and yearbook. Over the years, he has attended many classes and seminars on photography. His course is China.
Grace Shackman is teaching the course on Historic Theaters and Prisons. She i
is a history columnist for the Ann Arbor Observer, the Community Observer, and the Old West Side News. Grace is also 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 1985 to 1988 she was a staff writer for the Chelsea Standard/Dexter Leader.
Peter Sinclair is a long time advocate of environmental awareness and energy alternatives. An award-winning graphic artist and animator, Sinclair’s cartoons and illustrations have appeared in newspapers throughout the world, including the New York Times. His graphics are updated constantly using the latest data from NASA and other organizations. Combined with his 30+ years of expertise on environment issues and his good-humored, informal style, they make for a presentation not to be missed. His course is Explaining the Science of Climate Change.
Charlie Taylor has written many scientific journal papers and presented at research forums in neuroscience. Charlie previously worked as an NIH postdoctoral fellow, received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS degree from the University of Texas. He has 25 years experience studying medicines for diseases such as epilepsy, pain, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. His course is Astronomy.
Paul Terpstra, who taught Shakespeare, Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, and Huck Finn, is returning to teach A Different Mark Twain . Paul has a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from Hope College and a Master’s in Guidance and Counseling from Eastern Michigan University. He taught English and Psychology at Chelsea High School for 36½ years. Paul retired in 2005 and now tutors students for the ACT, makes presentations to student teachers, and is a substitute lay preacher.
Elisabeth Thoburn holds a double Master’s degree in Eastern and Western History of Art from the University of Michigan. Since 1994 she has been teaching art history and humanities classes at Washtenaw Community College. For the last 25 years she has traveled in the Middle East, Europe, China and South America. She has given various public talks on subjects ranging from the Middle East to the Medici, the Aztecs to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Her class is Pakistan and the Arab Spring.
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.