ALL classes are led by Volunteers
If you would like to volunteer to lead a course, send your name, contact information and course description to:
​assocforll@hotmail.com 

Meet the Course Leaders

Page Insley Austin practiced complex business litigation and antitrust law in Houston, Texas, and Washington, D.C., for over 20 years. In addition to her law degree, she has master’s degrees in philosophy and developmental psychology, and did graduate work in religious studies. She has taught each of those subjects and remains interested in all four, and particularly in their interrelation.

Robert (Todd) Becker is a retired US Diplomat and Representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with over 40 years’ experience in Political and Security issues in Europe. He teaches courses in International Relations, European Government, American Foreign Policy and Conflict Resolution at Salisbury University. He has previously offered ALL courses on Europe and US Diplomacy.

Dr. Jarvis Cain is Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, College Park. He is an agricultural economist with 35 years’ experience teaching management and marketing subjects in the field (extension service) and in the classroom. He emphasized “one-on-one” educational work with food industry firms at all levels of the distribution system. During the last fifteen years, Dr. Cain taught a case class for AREC majors.

Joseph Chaikel currently teaches World Civilizations at Salisbury University. His major interests are Ancient Greece, Rome, and the Hellenistic Period.

Jane Conly is an editor and novelist who has written ten books for children and young adults, including the Newbery Honor Book Crazy Lady!, and most recently, Murder Afloat, a novel about oystering on the Chesapeake Bay. She has taught writing and editing to groups of children, young adults, and college students. She also worked for a program sponsored by the US Public Health Service, interviewing a randomized sampling of adults about their lives. Many participants told her stories that had not been shared with their families or friends. She is convinced that such stories are important and should be recorded or written for the benefit of others.

Ted Corbett holds a Ph.D. in history, has recently returned from research in the British Isles and taught a previous course for ALL on Eastern Shore Maritime History.

Dr. Stephen Gehnrich earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Tufts University in 1986, and has been a professor at Salisbury University since 1988. Like all biologists, he finds DNA a fascinating topic; not only the long history of research on the molecule itself, but especially the current and potential technologies that allow us to study the function of DNA, and manipulate it to cure disease and improve crops and livestock.

Nancy Hesser, Ph.D., has taught literature in the US, DR Congo, and Mali. She lives with her husband and canine companions in the salt marshes of Dorchester County. Her ALL short story courses have focused on American regionalism, faith in fiction, African literature, the Roaring 20s, and flash fiction, among other topics.

Phillip Hesser, Ph.D., taught in the US and Africa and managed educational programs for international and non-profit organizations. Author of Looking at a River – Exploring the Blackwater River & Refuge, he can be found teaching and lecturing about life and livelihood on Chesapeake Bay, running the marshes with his pups Marshall & Bayly; or still working on Sitting in Limbo: Life and Livelihood on the Tumps of Chesapeake Bay.
Dr. Karin Johnson has undergraduate and graduate degrees in nursing from the University of Maryland and a doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins. She is a Professor Emeritus at Salisbury University and has had a long career in higher education and public health that included many years of teaching epidemiology to both undergraduate and graduate students. In the current complex world of health care, Dr. Johnson believes strongly in providing others with a greater understanding of the basic concepts of health and disease so they can be better informed decision makers.

Diane Thomas Mitchell found her true calling as an artist when she retired from Baltimore City Public Schools and moved to Reno, Nevada with her husband, David and her mom of 95 years old. Did you know that Reno is known as an “Art Town”? Once in Reno, she took every opportunity to pursue her dream of lifetime learning – she took art classes, became a part of and then created “Artists Way” groups. “The Artists Way” was a turning point for her, for she knew that her life as a creative would never be the same. Her inner compass made a complete turn in the direction of risk taking, ridding herself of the inner critic, and allowing her inner child to come out.

Both Eleanor Mulligan and G. Ray Thompson have taught numerous courses for ALL. Eleanor Mulligan is one of the most respected public speakers in the region, noted for the diversity, depth and scholarly humor which she interjects into her presentations. Thompson, the Founder of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, has more than 45 years of teaching experience in ancient Greek and Roman studies, antiquity, Early American history, and is sought state-wide for his presentations.

Terry Murray has a lifetime of experience making, studying and exploring art. She has traveled Europe and the United States seeking first hand exposure to internationally renowned art, galleries and sites of historic importance in the development of art. She has led studies in art, media, appreciation and history of art at all educational levels, nursery through university. Her articles and photographs have been published in national art education publications. Her watercolors, photographs and acrylics have been exhibited in numerous venues. She holds a BA in Studio Art, an MA in Art Education, plus 60 credits of additional graduate study.

Mike Pretl is a Baltimore native and graduate of Georgetown Law School who practiced law in Maryland for 45 years. He and his wife Michele Hughes have resided on the Lower Shore since 2004. In recent years, Mike has taught Environmental Law at Salisbury University, and has presented a variety of courses for the Association of Lifelong Learning – on climate change, disinformation, the future of violence -- and the life, legacy and lyrics of folk singer Pete Seeger. Mike has served in a leadership capacity for a number of local environmental organizations – as president of the Wicomico Environmental Trust, as a member of the Sierra Club’s MD Executive Committee, Eastern Shore consultant for nonprofit solar co-op promoter MD SUN, board member of the Lower Shore Land Trust, and currently as president of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance.

Prior to his retirement from Federal service in July 2008, James Noel spent over 30 years with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). For 22 of those years, Mr. Noel was an Assistant Director responsible for leading professional staff in the conduct of a wide range of investigations into federal programs designed to maintain a safe and reliable nuclear weapon deterrent without underground nuclear tests, cleanup of environmental contamination created by 50 years of nuclear weapons production and protecting weapons grade material from potential terrorist attacks. In this capacity, Mr. Noel directed the preparation of over 100 published reports and congressional testimonies. Mr. Noel represented GAO in a wide variety of settings, including testifying at congressional hearings, briefing Members of Congress and their staffs and briefing outside organizations, such as the National Academies of Science.

Dr. Carolyn Stegman taught Psychology of Aging at Salisbury University for many years. Simultaneously she began a long tenure at MAC, The Area Agency on Aging, serving on the Board of Directors, including two years as Chair, and finally serving as a consultant for MAC. Her novel, A Gold-Mended Life, tackles issues in aging.