Class Listing - by Instructor

Name	Biography
John Alston N/A	John Alston is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Chester Children’s Chorus. Begun in 1994 with seven boys, The Chester Children’s Chorus is an after-school community chorus, serving more than 100 children from Chester who love to sing Mozart’s Requiem, The Beatles, and the best of R&B. During the summers, they learn music and math, study science with Swarthmore College staff and students, read and dance, and play and grow in the Chorus’s Summer Learning Program. Over the past five years, the CCC has developed its Math Practice Program, a serious math intervention led by our full-time math teacher. Currently more than 100 CCC students practice math twice weekly with our teacher, Education Director, and 40 Swarthmore College students who serve as math coaches. John was an Associate Professor of Music at Swarthmore College (1991 - 2014) where he conducted some of the great choral and orchestral masterpieces, including Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He also led the jazz ensembles, and taught jazz history and jazz improvisation. As a bass soloist, John has sung with The Santa Fe Pro Musica, The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players. While a member of New York’s Ensemble for Early Music, John sang the role of Darius in The Play of Daniel, which toured throughout the United States. About his singing, the Washington Post wrote, “the revelation on the program was the quality of bass John Alston’s singing... his voice is graceful in its movements...and his diction and emotional shading of the words are exemplary.” John earned his Doctorate of Music in Choral Conducting with a minor in Jazz Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington.
Aliza Benjamin N/A	Aliza M. Benjamin PhD
Richard Berman N/A	Richard Berman, Owner, Pour Richard's Coffee Company
I Berwyn Squash & Fitness Club dominic@berwynsquash.com	Staff, Berwyn Squash & Fitness Club
Tasha Carson N/A	Tasha is a fitness enthusiast with over 25 years of experience. She is an avid hiker, enjoys biking, camping and kayaking. Tasha is the proud mom of 3 active boys and has been a lifetime resident of the Main Line. She has been teaching fitness classes for a little over 25 years and is certified to teach Yoga (all types), Body Pump, Barre, Pilates, step aerobics, weight training.
Michael Castillo michaelcastilloskit	Owner, Michael Castillo's Kitchen. www.michaelcastilloskitchen.com
Meridith Coyle N/A	Meridith Coyle, has owned and operated many Main Line restaurants, markets and catering companies over the last 25 years and is now teaching people how to take their own health back through their diet and lifestyle. She is a vegan chef and a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Her newest shop, Aneu Kitchen is an organic juice and smoothie bar in addition to a gourmet take out market and breakfast and lunch spot that takes comfort food and makes it healthy! Now certified in whole food cooking and Integrative nutrition, Meridith gets to use her love of food and fun to help people succeed in their health goals through a comprehensive approach to a healthy lifestyle. She enjoys helping individual clients, speaking to major corporations and planning her future in helping people navigate the ever-changing landscape of food. You may have seen Meridith on Bravo TV’s Real Housewives of NY and Orange County where her healthier food selections are a favorite of the housewives and their guests.
Sheri-Lynn DeMaris teawithsheri@aol.com	Sheri-Lynn, founder of Macro Magic, made macrobiotics her life mission as she witnessed the tremendous rise in childhood illnesses, autism, ADD and early onset diabetes. She knew her training in psychotherapy and emotional support was not enough for these children, that they had to make deeper, more lasting changes in their lives if they were going to improve their well-being. Sheri-Lynn is now a TV host and macrobiotic chef/educator who has taught people all over the world the importance of cooking and eating well. Sheri-Lynn recently partnered with Patricio Garcia de Paredes and Lorraine McCamley to form the Macrobiotic Global Institute, a non-profit whose mission is to restore personal and planetary health. Macro Magic (TV/Streaming on ROKU) is a unique show for its time. Macro Magic not only offers cooking techniques using the finest natural organic ingredients, it also includes an abundance of cutting-edge information on how viewers can make conscious choices toward creating a more balanced, healthy lifestyle physically, emotionally, mentally, and environmentally.
Staff Deaf-Hearing Communication Cen N/A	Staff, Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre
Valerie Dickman N/A
Charo Evangelista charo.freespirityoga@g	CHARO EVANGELISTA CABELLO, ESSENTRICS® Level 1 Instructor, Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor, Reiki Master and Wellness Advocate, is certified as a TriYoga instructor. She is a meditation instructor, Reiki Master, Director of Inkalight and is a primary teacher at Free Spirit Yoga. Her personal teaching style focuses on expressiveness and derives from the different disciplines she's practiced throughout the years. Charo has been teaching yoga to children, adults and seniors for the past 19 years. In her classes you will experience the kundalini-inspired sequenced flow of postures synchronized with rhythmic breath (Pranayama) and mudra (focus), which will increase your energy and bring mental clarity. Her website is www.inkalight.com.
Thomas Firchow N/A	Thomas M Firchow believes that success comes from helping people, companies and brands to grow and prosper. His experience in producing high-end video and digital content, as a client advocate, team leader, consensus builder and LinkedIn trainer, has helped drive top line results and market share increases for a number of well-known clients. With over twenty-five years of Marketing, Sales, and Executive Leadership experience, his proven abilities center around business relationship development, creative problem-solving, and delivering results for clients including communications strategy and tactics, and brand identity development. His strong executive, producer-director, and project management experience helps deliver projects on schedule and on budget. He enjoys networking with others and is a "connector" focused on providing help and solutions for others.
Esther Gordon thegordon7@gmail.com	Esther taught French at Harriton High School for her entire career, learned Mah Jongg years ago and has enjoyed teaching it in recent years.
Pat Halsey patsjewelryandteach@gma	Pat Halsey, Member, PA Guild of Craftsmen
Muriel Harmon murielharmonms@gmail.com	Muriel Harmon, Native Speaker; French Instructor
Ann Hazan N/A	Ann Hazan is a food consultant and instructor and the co-author of 'The Original Philadelphia Neighborhood Cookbook,' 'The Original Baltimore Neighborhood Cookbook,' and 'The Reading Terminal Market Cookbook.' She holds a degree in Food and Nutrition from Drexel University. Ann emphasizes healthy foods and cooking in all her work, as well as in her home.
Angela VB Hudson N/A	A former Senior Vice Presidential and Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Sotheby’s, Angela Hudson worked in the art auction industry for 36 years. In this capacity she helped collectors, professional advisors and museum curators and directors navigate the world of international auction sales. Angela negotiated the sales of Significant works by artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Alexander Calder, Claude Monet, Daniel Garber, George Nakashima, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Pablo Picasso and hundreds of other well known makers. She helped with the sale of major collections including those of The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor, The Estate of Andy Warhol, the Estate of Edgar Kaufman, Jr, (whose father built the well known Frank Lloyd Wright house Falling Water), The Collection of Gates and Lally Lloyd (whose Haverford estate is now The Quadrangle), and many others. She has helped collectors with everything from furniture, wine, cars and coins to stamps, books and other ephemera and magnificent jewelry. Raised in Greenwich, CT, she began her career at Sotheby’s in 1980 and moved with her family to the Philadelphia region in 1990. Following her departure from Sotheby’s in 2016, she founded Hudson Art Advisors, LLC. and continues to assist clients with the sale of their valuable tangible personal property. Hudsonartadvisors.com
I JKST Inc narberthtennis@jkst.com	Teaching Professionals, Julian Krinsky School of Tennis
Brannon Johnson N/A	Brannon Johnson is the head coach and owner of BLJ Community Rowing, one of the most diverse community rowing programs in the Philadelphia metro area. After beginning to row at the age of 15, Brannon received a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas, where she rowed at the Division I varsity level all 4 years. In 2003, she competed as a single sculler in the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the most prestigious regattas held on the Thames River in England. She has been rowing, teaching and coaching over the past 15+ years, having taught and coached 80 classes and roughly 700 Philadelphia area residents, ranging from ages 18 to 65.
Laura Kanavy N/A	Laura Kanavy, is a Native Speaker from Venezuela with 6 years as a legal interpreter in the Administrative Court System of Philadelphia and is CoreCHI (proficient in medical terminology) and CHI(Certified Healthcare Interpreter).
Sona Kapadia N/A	With over 20 years of experience I am an organized professional with a proven track record of good values, mentoring, guidance and counseling skills. Extremely inclined towards administrative skills, education and organizing co-scholastic activities for students has been my passion and domain for past 20 years. Education and Certification • Bachelor Of Commerce from University of Poona, Maharashtra, India (1990) • Masters in Computer Management from University of Poona, Maharashtra, India (1992) • Bachelor of Education from Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi (2007) Additional Information • A quick learner, a logical thinker with great organizing, planning and execution skills • Easy with using technology • Very interactive and good interpersonal skills. Love to shoulder additional responsibility. Hands on following software • MS Office Suite of Applications o MS Word o MS Excel o MS PowerPoint o MS Access • Google Suites • HTML 6 • Visual BASIC • SCRATCH • MSW LOGO • ROBOTICS – WEDO , BLOCKLY – DASH n DOT • Presently working as Coding and STEM facilitator. My work responsibility include Conducting various classes which mainly include Programming fundamentals, ROBOTICS Research on STEM projects. Conducting science and engineering experiments for demonstrations to students
Jeffrey Karp N/A	Dr. Jeff Karp is the Distinguished Chair at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor at Harvard Medical School and MIT in Boston. He was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, Royal Society of Chemistry, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering’s College of Fellows, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He specializes in bioinspired medical problem-solving and runs a research laboratory dedicated to the process of medical innovation that harnesses lessons from nature for inspiration. He has published over 165 peer-reviewed papers, with >34,000 citations (top 0.1% globally in 2023 Clarivate ranking), and has given nearly 400 invited lectures. He has over 100 issued or pending national and international patents and his lab’s technologies have led to the formation of thirteen companies. The technologies Jeff has developed include a tissue glue that can seal holes inside a beating heart; targeted therapy for osteoarthritis, Crohn’s disease, and brain disorders; “smart needles” that automatically stop when they reach their target; a nasal spray that neutralizes pathogens; and immunotherapy approaches to annihilate cancer. In addition to his research goals, Karp is dedicated to developing the careers of next-generation bioengineers at the forefront of biomedical innovation. He was selected as the Outstanding Faculty Undergraduate Mentor among all faculty at MIT and received the HST McMahon Mentoring award for being the top mentor of Harvard-MIT students. To date, 30 trainees from his laboratory have secured faculty positions. Growing up in rural Canada he was written off by his school because of his learning differences. He evolved a process for embracing life, embodied by ‘Life Ignition Tools’, through years of iteration and tinkering to make his unique patterns of thought and behavior work for him. These LIT tools have been thoroughly road-tested, through Dr. Karp’s life, in his lab, and by his many mentees and are now featured in the Harper Collins Book LIT: Life Ignition Tools, which was released on April 9th, 2024 (visit www.jeffkarp.com to learn more). Jeff is also Head of Innovation at Geoversity, Nature’s University, a rainforest bio-leadership training conservancy located in one of the top biodiversity hotspots in the world. Dr. Karp lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife, children, and two Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
Katie Kriner info@thebeethebear.com	Katie Kriner, Author, Fibert Artist, Shop Owner The Bee & The Bear
I LL Bean Staff N/A	Staff, L.L. Bean
John Lapinski N/A	John Lapinski, Ph.D., is the Robert A. Fox Professor of Political Science, Faculty Director of the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and the Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies. He also serves as the Faculty Director for the Executive Masters of Public Administration program within the Fels Institute of Government and as the Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News. In his role for NBC News, Lapinski is responsible for projecting races for the network and produces election-related stories through exit polls for NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and all of NBC’s digital properties. Dr. Lapinski earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 2000, and previously was an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University. He came to Penn in 2006. His primary area of research is concerned with understanding national elections as well as lawmaking in Congress through empirical analysis. He is the author of The Substance of Representation (Princeton University Press, 2013) and co-author (with David A. Bateman and Ira Katznelson) of Southern Nation (Princeton University Press, 2018).
Hali MacLaren hali@hkmjewelry.com	Hali MacLaren, HKM Jewelry Owner and Maker, creates handmade jewelry that is inspired by the sea, to spread awareness about its importance and beauty. She holds a BFA in Jewelry and a minor in Photography from The University of the Arts. She teaches classes and workshops Main Line Art Center, Wayne Art Center, ArtFusion in Pottstown and at her studio in West Chester. https://hkmjewelry.com/
Staff, Masonic Temple N/A
Karen Santini Clemens karen@santinifinancial.net	Karen Santini Clemens is a CPA and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner. I understand how important it is for clients to take an active role in planning for their future. Working alongside my clients has allowed me to help build relationships and helped gives folks a level of confidence in their financial future. Through fostering a true client partnership and working together as a team, I can help guide clients through life’s milestones. Whether it be navigating through a major life event, planning a comfortable retirement, or educating the next generation on the importance of future planning, my services will be there every step of the way. I grew up in Wayne, PA and attended Pennsylvania State University where I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance. I have been residing in West Chester since 1999 where I raised my two children, Nick and Sara. In my free time I enjoy exercising, reading, gardening, and traveling.
Debbie Smith dancr4evvr@aol.com	Debbie Smith has been teaching dance for over 40 years. She teaches Ballet, Tap and Jazz to both children and adults at Dain Dance Academy (formerly McHenry Dance Center) where she is a faculty member. She enjoys continuing education classes at the University of the Arts, Broadway Dance Center, Koresh, and Dance Masters of America summer intensive at NY University and taking classes from the many tap masters throughout the Philadelphia Area. She is a member of a tap company known as UCTT (Uniting Colleges Through Tap) and is proud to be a part of this ambitious talented company of tap dancers.
MLSN Staff N/A	Staff, MLSN
Staff, Union League N/A
Sally Weinstock sallyweinstock1@comcast.n	Lena Kalner took the fall 2023 writers' workshop class with Sally and has disabilities that are very disruptive to the class.
Nancy White nancy@digitalco	Nancy White is owner of Digital Consulting Associates, LLC in West Chester PA. She is a technology course development specialist, and gives private computer lessons to individuals and business in the Main Line area. A graduate of Immaculata University, Nancy has a contagious passion for teaching adults how to make the best possible use of technology. She is also an adjunct instructor at Delaware County Community College. Nancy's company website is digitalconsultingassociates.com and she can be reached at 610-357-1525.
Phil Witmer philip.witmer@verizon.net	Phil Witmer is an avid birder and conservationist with over 30 years birding experience. He is a past board member of Bucks County Audubon Society, past-president of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, one of the oldest birding clubs in the country, and was a member of the advisory board of Audubon Pennsylvania State Office. He is currently vice-president of Bird Town Pennsylvania, helping to build bird-friendly habitats in PA municipalities. His work in support of the conservation of birds includes teaching and giving lectures on the forces driving their decline and what we need to do to save them.