Instructor Bios

INSTRUCTORS

Fall Course

Linda Agerbak, a teacher and journalist, lived and worked for 35 years on four continents. After studying for a year abroad in Berlin, she married a European and moved to West Africa. She was a houseparent at an international boarding school in Wales and taught English to Vietnamese refugees in Malaysia. She traveled to Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Australia, Japan & South Korea. Returning to the UK, she worked at Oxford University Press and at Oxfam. After a difficult two years in Lebanon, she returned to the US & worked as a landscape gardener for clients in Monterey, California. In 2014 she moved to live with family in Boston. Linda most recently taught ‘World’s Greatest Rivers: The Mississippi & the Colorado’ and ‘World’s Greatest Rivers:The Nile, the Tigris, & Euphrates’ at Tufts OLLI.

Jeremiah Anthony is the Research Coordinator for One Earth Future, where he studies how to get countries to talk better to one another. His main areas of focus is improving relations between the US and China, US and Venezuela, and Indonesia and Timor Leste. He is a 2021 graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where he focused on memory politics (genocide studies) and conflict resolution. Jeremiah most recently taught ‘The Remembrance of Tragedies’ at Tufts OLLI.

Anna Arazi is a Boston-based Russian-Israeli classical pianist and educator who enthusiastically advocates for contemporary and rarely performed music by female composers. Anna has premiered dozens of solo and chamber works by American, British, Israeli and Russian composers, including Ketty Nez, Vera Ivanova, Talia Amar and Angela Slater. Her performance credits include the Bell’Arte festival in Belgium, Paine Hall at Harvard University, the Mishkenot Sha’ananimCenter in Jerusalem, and Weill Recital Hall in NYC. Anna works with advanced students in her private studio and serves as a collaborative pianist at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Anna is an affiliated artist at MIT and the current president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the World Piano Teachers Association. Anna most recently taught ‘Fear of the Unknow: New Classical Music’ at Tufts OLLI.

Petra Bittner is a literature and language instructor who holds degrees in English literature (Ph.D.) and teaching German as a second language (MA/Staatsexamen). She lived in Boston from 1998 to 2007, teaching language, literature and cultural studies classes for

Boston University, Harvard University and MIT. Between 2007 and 2020 she taught cultural studies and business communication courses for various universities in Munich. At the same time, Petra Bittner was a literature docent and language instructor for the adult education center in Munich. She loves the cultural diversity in adult education classes as well as the relaxed but dedicated atmosphere in the classroom. Her priority in teaching literature is to foster group discussions that value everyone’s contribution. This is Petra’s first time teaching for Tufts OLLI.

Gary Cahn is a retired chief financial officer of 2 companies in Washington, D.C. He received his B.A. from Tufts University and his M.B.A from Dartmouth College. He has been teaching adult learners for over fifteen years, including courses in investing, computers and digital photography. He is the author of How to Get Rich Surely* But Slowly (*Probably). He does not sell financial products or advice. Gary most recently taught ‘In-Depth Invesment Skills’ at Tufts OLLI.

Francesco Castellano is a native speaker of Italian with interest in music, literature, and history. He earned a master’s degree in Italian at Boston College where he also taught Italian. He has managed localization of software programs and manuals into Italian and has done commercial recordings including for over 25 years the male Italian speaker for one of the major language programs. With OLLI he has taught, the Divine Comedy, the Decameron and various Verdi operas. He is a retired Army Colonel.

Renata Celichowska is delighted to be returning to the Tufts OLLI Institute this semester. In addition to her work at Tufts as a senior lecturer and former Director of the Tufts Dance Program, Renata has performed, presented choreographic work, and taught courses, master classes, and workshops foruniversities and venues throughout the United States and Europe. Some highlights have included company membership and instruction with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company; choreographic presentations in NYC, Glimmerglass Opera Festival, Czech Republic, Italy,and Poland; and teaching for Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, Yale University, and many international and national festivals and workshops. Renata’s work with adult populations has included courses for the Elder Hostel of New York, musicians and dancersat the Amherst Early Music and Newport Vintage Dance Festivals, and private and group workshops. This is her 4th semester with the Tufts OLLI, where she first taught during the Fall, 2017 semester. Renata’s publications include: a book and 2-part video series entitled The Erick Hawkins Modern Dance Technique (Princeton Book Company Publishers, Inc., 2000); Seven Strategies for Survival: Conversations with Dance Professionals (Dance & Movement Press, Rosen Publishing, 2007); and a biographical essay on American dance artist, Erick Hawkins, for the American Dance Heritage Coalition (ADHC, 2011). She holds a BA in Fine Art from Yale University, and an MA in Dance Education from NYU.

Cleo and Steve D’Arcy are retired professors who taught at the University of Illinois for over 30 years. After moving to North Reading in 2016 to be closer to family, they discovered OLLI at Tufts. They have since co-taught study groups on the National Parks, Massachusetts Trustees of Reservations properties, U.S. Highway 1, TED talks, plant disease epidemics, personal finance, birding, southern Vermont, and Newbery award winners. While they enjoyed teaching college students, they really enjoy sharing their interests andexperiences with their contemporaries. Cleo and Steve have been visitors to Vermont for decades and now own a small home there. They enjoy exploring the Green Mountain State and invite you to join them on a virtual tour of this beautiful state. Cleo and Steve most recently co-lead ‘World’s Greatest Rivers: The Mississippi & the Colorado’ at Tufts OLLI.

Amrita DasGupta is a Phd Student of Gender Studies at SOAS, University of London. She most recently taught ‘The Portrait of Frida Kahlo as a Communist’ at Tufts OLLI.

Allan Elfant has a B.A. in psychology from Brooklyn College and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University. He was in clinical practice for over 40 years and held teaching positions at several universities. He has led over 200 presentations at national and regional professional conferences and meetings, and has led over a dozen study groups for our OLLI on various cinematic, psychological and philosophical themes. Many of these study groups have been film classes.

Bruce Gerry, aka “Dr. Tuneup,” has been a self-employed, mobile auto mechanic in and around the Boston area for more than 40 years, traveling to people’s homes or businesses. He holds a degree in civil engineering as well as a MBA from Northeastern University. This is Bruce’s first time teaching for Tufts’ OLLI.

Grace Hall has a B.A. in chemistry from Douglass College of Rutgers University and a M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Iowa. She worked primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, but also taught for several years at the Agricultural Technical Institute of the Ohio State University. During that period, she dreamed of classes in a setting where participants chose to attend and where no exams or grades were required. OLLI is it. Grace most recently taught ’Women in Chemistry’ at Tufts OLLI.

Irene Hannigan is an avid writer who for the last ten years has also embraced sketching as a valuable pastime. She is now dedicated to maintaining a “journal sketchbook” as a way to appreciate her life and make sense of it. She is eager to explore this connection with others who are intrigued by the idea because they too are dabblers in both pastimes and want to do even more. She has led many OLLI study groups in past years in both writing and drawing.

Lindsay Huth is a philosophy master’s student at Tufts. She previously studied psychology (B.A.) at the University of Notre Dame and also holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park. She worked for two years at The Wall Street Journal as a graphics reporter in New York before realizing her fundamental questions about the world were best answered through philosophy rather than journalism. As a result, she is passionate about the way philosophy, particularly ethics, can help us contemplate important questions and live well. Her academic research focuses on moral psychology, meta-ethics, moral epistemology and philosophy of social science. She also serves as a teaching assistant for introductory ethics courses in the department. This is Lindsay’s first time teaching for Tufts OLLI.

Yukiko Imai and Ryo Nishio are young Japanese diplomats who are enthusiastic about teaching Japanese cultures. They have previously taught a Japanese class at OLLI, and enjoy teaching various topics from culture to politics. Yuki is from Tokyo, and Ryo is from the southern part of Japan.

Jane Katmis has written and co-produced six radio series for Wisconsin Public Radio, one earning her a Peabody Award in Broadcasting. She is the author of the poetry collection, Dancing on a Slippery Floor, and the story collection, Until Now. In addition, Jane has published stories in a number of literary magazines. As well as teaching at Tufts Osher, Jane teaches literature and creative writing at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She is a member of the Board of Visitors of the English Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madision. Jane lives with her family near Boston. She most recently taught ‘Smart, Strong Voices: A Study of Short Stories and Essays’ at Tufts OLLI.

David Klatzker is a retired rabbi (most recently, transitional senior rabbi at Temple Israel of Natick). He did graduate work in Jewish history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was awarded a Ph.D. in comparative religion from Temple University and a Doctor of Divinity degree (hon.) from Jewish Theological Seminary. He has wide experience in Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim dialogue and has published articles on pilgrimage and tourism. This is David’s first time teaching for Tufts OLLI.

Michael Koran taught “Blessings From AbrahamTo All,” at the Osher Institute in 2016. He trained folks in “Non-Violent Communication” at Newton Community Education, at Tufts University Osher Institute, and in his home. He has explored with his students “Religions For The World” for over 10 years at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education. He has taught over 100 different classes at adult education centers including: “Love and Friendship,” “Story Telling,” “Guidelines to Extraordinary Writing,” “Poems Inspiring Poetic Lives,” “The Koran,” “Psychic Skills For A Psychic Life,” “Great Scenes From World Theatre” and “Defeating Self-Defeating Behavior.” He has self-published “Verse to Better: A Poem for Each Day of Our Year” and has performed as a stand-up comic: “Relationships are

Hard—Especially with Other People.” At Boston University for ten years, Michael taught imprisoned men and women in a B.A. program. He taught “Introduction to Philosophy” for 20 years at The University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He has written and performed oneperson plays: “Prose and Cons: Liberating Stories From Prison”, and “Inaudible Laughter Forever.” He has hosted an award-winning television show: “Getting Out of Prison.” For over 25 years at Cambridge Community Television, he has invited viewers to discover with him, on his show called AHAH, ways to be “A Human Among Humans.”

Yolanta Kovalko is a certified yoga teacher who owns and teaches at her studio, Balls Square Yoga in Somerville. She has been practicing yoga for the last 15 years, and fell in love with yoga because of the pleasure it gave her and the serenity she found in the practice. Having completed a 200-hour teacher training in 2016 at Back Bay Yoga (now called Yoga Works), Yolanta is also certified in Five Element Yoga, Adaptive/Chair Yoga and Guided Meditation (Yoga Nidra).Yolanta believes that Yoga is good for all bodies and ages, and emphasizes meditation and breath work in her practice. She enjoys working with mature students and offers her expertise and specialization to students who may need more time, attention, and assistance with their practice. She strives to create a safe, comfortable, and relaxing environment. She has taught Yoga to a wide range of students from high stress Real Estate agents to first grade children in Brookline public schools. Yolanta has led Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Tufts University study groups, most recently Guided Meditation (Yoga Nidra). She also teaches Yoga for Beginners at Tufts University, and has lectured at various courses related to stress reduction at Tufts. Off the mat, she works at Tufts University Community Health Department as a Department Administrator. She is a proud mother, wife, grandmother, and a pet mommy.

Denia Lara is a museum professional and artist currently working in the education department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has a Master’s degree in Art History and Museum Studies from Tufts, specializing in the Middle Ages. Dénia’s research interests include the culture of the Normans, Migration Period arts, and contemporary connections to the medieval past. She most recently taught ‘The World of the Bayeux Tapestry’ for Tufts OLLI.

Margaret Lourie spent her career as a professional librarian in several libraries and professional organizations in the Boston area. She has led study groups in the Tufts OLLI program on several topics, including digital resources from our public libraries, visiting museums virtually, intrepid women travelers, and pre-Inca Andean archaeological sites. She enjoys learning new things and exploring new topics with other Tufts OLLI members, and looks forward to this new topic.

John Murphy has an M.A. (1998) from Tuft’s Dept. of Child Studies. Since retiring from construction, he has returned to his earlier study of the literature and philosophy of the early modern era, 1600-1789. He has lead study groups for Tufts OLLI on Restoration literature, Paradise Lost, and Samuel Johnson, Swift and Hume.

William Saunders was formerly a marketing consultant for high-tech companies. He has an interest in history, and since retirement, has traveled extensively, including numerous trips to Haiti with a medical team that provided care throughout the countryside around Leogane, the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake. His interest in the Graham Greene novels began by reading the ones about Cuba and Haiti before traveling to those countries. Bill has led previous study groups including, most recently: “John Brown—Prophet, Terrorist, Hero?” and “From Richest to Poorest –A Brief History of Haiti.”

Kiril Sinkel, a retired computer programmer, has had a long-time interest in natural information systems like the genome and neural system and has been auditing Boston University genetics, microbiology and neuroscience classes over the last ten years. Kiril most recently taught ‘DNA: The Recipes of Life’ for Tufts OLLI.

Emese Soos majored in French and history at Mount Holyoke College, earned a Ph.D. in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and taught at Tufts for over 30 years. The course she co-taught some years ago on French Humor and Satire renewed her interest in and enjoyment of the brilliant comedies of Molière.

Robert Staron is an OLLI member, amateur astronomer, and teacher. He received his MS in Astronomy from Wesleyan University, CT, was the Director of the Springfield Science Museum, and a physics and astronomy teacher at Springfield Public Schools, Westfield State University, Holyoke Community College, and Springfield Technical Community College. Robert Staron has led previous study groups, including most recently Astronomy Topics.

Valerie Sutter headed off to France after college for what she thought would be a year of polishing her language skills. Twenty years later, she returned to the US, fluent not only in French but in Portuguese and intercultural relations, sharing her passion for language and culture by teaching for thirty years in public and private schools in France, Brazil, and the US. Sheowns an apartment in Paris where she spends six months a year, when not otherwise occupied teaching French or ballroom dancing. Valerie has taught this course at Tufts OLLI prior to the pandemic.

Abraham Vorensky possesses a lifelong love and depth of knowledge of comedy, specifically its diverse history. This love began when Abe worked as an MC in a Catskill mountain hotel where he sang, told jokes and introduced other entertainers. Through the years, Abe has remained an enthusiastic humor and comedy historian focusing on how comedy has played a role in our personal, social and political thought. This is Abe’s first time teaching for Tufts OLLI.

Jenny Wilson holds an MA in English Literature from the University at Albany, and a BA in German from New York University. A former IT Business Analyst, Jennifer spent nearly 15 years translating technical concepts into straightforward, user-friendly language, and training groups how to use new systems. She now works as a freelance editor and writer. Shehas been published in Backchannels Journal, Expanded Field Journal, The International Writers Collective, Weymouth Center’s Moore County Writing Competition, and Conjunctions Magazine. She has studied under authors Lynn Tillman, Lydia Davis, Edward Schwarzschild, and taken workshops through the International Writers Collective and Writers Center. Jenny has led previous study groups, including, most recently: Fiction Writing, Level 1.