Course Leaders

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. She has taught at the Yale Divinity School, the University of Houston, the University of Texas School of Law, and Anne Arundel Community College, and in Johns Hopkins University’s Odyssey program. In addition to her J.D., Page has master’s degrees in philosophy and in developmental psychology.

Todd Becker Todd Becker is a retired US Diplomat and with extensive experience in East -West Relations and the European Union. He is currently an adjunct professor at SU, teaching Conflict Resolution and Political Science (International Relations, focusing on Europe).

Peggy Bradford (M.S.,R.N.): CEO of MAC for 37 years. She oversaw its progression from a couple of programs and a few employees to a major contributing force in our community and state, housed in a state-of-the-art facility. She is well-respected in the community for her wisdom, and is often seen with a dog by her side. Carolyn Stegman (Ed.D.,R.N.): Taught Psychology of Aging at Salisbury University, was chair of the MAC Board of Directors, president of Wicomico’s Commission on Aging, served as a consultant to MAC for many years, and has authored two novels on aging, both written with a cat next to her computer screen.

Dr. Ron Dotterer holds a B.A. with honors in English from Bucknell University, M.A., M. Phil, and Ph.D. with highest honors degrees in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. He was a professor for 21 years at Susquehanna University (where he founded the honors program, was assistant to the president, and chair of the Department of English) and for 24 years at Salisbury University, where he was professor of English and Dean of the Fulton School of Liberal Arts, and is Professor and Dean Emeritus. He has published over 40 articles and six books on Shakespeare, Irish literature, poetry, women and the arts, film, and undergraduate research.

Dale Godfrey graduated from St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree. Since 1974 he has been employed in the communications industry, adult education, IT, and elections with the State of Maryland.

Nancy Hesser Ph.D., has taught literature in the US, DR Congo, and Mali. With her husband and canine companions, she has recently moved from Maryland’s Eastern Shore to Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier. Her ALL short story courses have focused on American regionalism, the Roaring 20s, African voices, Central America, the Caribbean, foodies, pub crawlers, identities, ghost stories, travel, work, houses, dress codes, and flash fiction, among other subjects.

Drummer for the Redlands High jazz ensemble and the Jack Rich Trio in the 1960s, Phillip Hesser has taught in the US and Africa and served with the UNHCR and the Academy for Educational Development. Most recently, he has taught at Salisbury University and Wor-Wic Community College. He now spends his time delving into the deep history of Delmarva and the Chesapeake Bay watershed and running the hills of Tioga County, Pennsylvania, with his pint-sized retriever Marshall and hound Bayly – grooving to the hard bop of his mind’s ear. Indulging his interests at the intersection of landscape, life & livelihood, he wrote What a River Says: Exploring the Blackwater River and Refuge (Cambridge, MD: Friends of Blackwater, 2014) and co-wrote (with Charlie Ewers) Harriet Tubman’s Eastern Shore: The Old Home Is Not There (Columbia, SC: History Press, 2021).

Adrienne Kadushin M. A. is a retired psychotherapist who has worked extensively with couples and families. She has been a childbirth and parent educator and has been a co-leader with her husband in conducting workshops and seminars. Lewis Kadushin Ph.D is a retired psychologist with fifty five years working in the health care industry. He taught psychology as an adjunct faculty at Wor-Wic Community College, Salisbury University, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore for over 35 years.

Dr. Bob McBrien is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (ret.), and was the Director of Student Counseling Services at SU. His training and work with students involved teaching them management of stress and practicing effective resilience building skills. Retired from SU, Dr. McBrien currently teaches Tai Chi for Total Balance & Fall Prevention in the area.

Nancy Mitchell is the inaugural Poet Laureate of the City of Salisbury, MD, and a 2012 Pushcart Prize winner. She is the author of three volumes of poetry, The Near Surround, Grief Hut, and The Out-of-Body Shop, and co-editor of Plume Interviews 1. She was a 2019 guest on The Poet and The Poem broadcast from the Library of Congress. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Agni, Green Mountains Review, Poetry Daily, Ploughshares, and Washington Square Review and have been anthologized in Last Call (Sarabande Books,) The Working Poet (Autumn House Press,) Plume 3, 4, 5,6 and 7 and Green Mountains Review 25th Annual Retrospective XXV. She has received artist-in-residency fellowships at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in San Angelo, Virginia, Auvillar, France, and the Shotpouch Creek in Oregon. Formerly a professor of Creative Writing and Eco-Art at Salisbury University, Maryland, and producer of the annual literary/fine arts festival WORDSTOCK, Mitchell taught in the Maryland Summer Center for the Arts. Mitchell is a book discussion facilitator and teaches poetry workshops in the Worcester County Library System, and Salisbury, Maryland. She serves as Associate Editor of Special Features for Plume Poetry and is the founder and host of the reading series Poets on the Plaza.

Eleanor Mulligan began giving talks on American and European history and travel after spending over a decade in Europe. She wrote articles for the Baltimore Sun evening edition during the 1980s and 90s. For a number of years she has given visual presentations on American historical subjects and a variety of related topics. She holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and UMBC.

Mike Roberts is a graduate of Duke University (History Major) and the Washington College of Law, American University (Juris Doctor), where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy, with extensive sea duty in the Mediterranean, plus service with the Naval Security Group in Washington. For over 30 years he practiced law in Washington, specializing in aviation and international law. While in the Navy he attended graduate school at the University of Maryland, and studied under Professor Gordon Prange, the foremost authority on Pearl Harbor and the early Pacific War. This led to a lifelong interest in and study of these subjects.

Sophia Sonen is a retired teacher/counselor of 37 years, from the state of Maryland. She earned a MLA and an MS from Johns Hopkins University. Definitely a life-long learner, with a strong interest in creativity, she completed 4 semesters of the Artist’s Way classes with Diane Thomas Mitchell where she became more creative, which was quite complementary to her spiritual practice, and expanded consciousness.

Dr. G. Ray Thompson: PhD in classical history and archaeology; taught classes in ancient history for 46 years at the University level. Studied at the American Academy of Classical Studies in Rome and the American School of Classical Studies in Athens; has taught many on-site courses in ancient Roman history and architecture in Italy, Germany, France and England.