Instructors/Facilitators
Fred Abramson, Ph.D
Fred Abramson was born and raised in Columbus Ohio. He received his bachelor’s degree at Case-Western Reserve and his Ph.D. at Ohio State University, both in Chemistry. Following two years of postdoctoral research and five years in industry, in 1972, he joined the faculty of the George Washington School of Medicine. Thirty-one years later he retired as Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology. His research interests focused on how drugs are metabolized in the body and the development of novel methods to identify and quantify these metabolites. His resume’ includes more than 100 papers in scientific journals, five patents, and advisory service to committees of the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Agriculture.Beverly Battaglia, Ph.D
Beverly Battaglia had twenty-six successful years in human resources management, organizational development, training, consulting, sales, and program development in both the public and private sectors. She holds a Ph.D. in Human and Organizational Systems from The Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, CA.Liliane Bazerghi-Fymat
Liliane Bazerghi-Fymat has been a translator, recruiter, and French teacher. She is the mother of three children and enjoys tennis, bridge, and all arts and crafts, including stained glass work.Jerry Blatt
Jerry Blatt's interest in politics and history began when he was student body president of his university during the Vietnam War. His expertise in marketing and decision-making came from over 40 years as a television advertising sales executive. He was a partner in a TV production company that produced an award-winning children's show. Additionally, Jerry has taught television marketing at CSULB.Terry Boyle, PhD
Terry Boyle, Ph.D., originates from Derry, Northern Ireland. In 2004, he left Ireland to take a teaching position at Loyola University, Chicago, and worked there until he took early retirement in 2019. Terry's area of expertise is modern Irish and British Literature. He is also a playwright who has had work produced in Chicago, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Terry writes a monthly column for the Irish American News in Chicago and Ohio. Since moving to the desert, he has enjoyed hiking and exploring the many trails throughout the Coachella Valley.Sidney Burks
Sid Burks is a student of desert, aviation, and military history. He enjoys sharing what he learns and has been giving presentations to interested groups in and around the Coachella Valley for the last several years. He retired from the California Community College system as an instructor and administrator. He is currently a full-time lecturer for California State University San Bernardino in Career Technical Studies.Gary Ceriani, J.D.
Gary Ceriani grew up in a small town in the mountains of Colorado. After graduating from Colorado College, he spent a year doing post-graduate work in literature at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and graduated from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1972. He formed his own firm, Davis & Ceriani, in 1976 and developed a national reputation and national practice as a trial lawyer specializing in complex, and often high profile, cases representing Plaintiffs (often institutional investors) in multi-million dollar securities fraud litigation. He has represented Plaintiffs and Defendants in over 175 cases tried to verdict (mostly jury trials), has defended numerous criminal cases (including first degree murder), and has obtained multiple 8-figure verdicts in both commercial and personal injury cases. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is listed in Best Lawyers in America (for “Bet the Company Litigation”), Colorado Super Lawyers (for Securities Litigation), and other “best lawyer” lists. He and his wife of 44 years divide their time between Colorado and Palm Desert.Kate Coates
Kate Coates has 35 years of marketing, research and new product development experience as well as years of study in the field of "deliberate creativity." She has a lifelong interest in playing with ideas, in order to improve them, if only for her own use and enjoyment. She graduated with an MBA in Marketing from the University of Chicago and splits time between the Coachella Valley and Washington DC area with her husband and kids.Chris Considine
Chris Considine is a graduate of Fordham University and Michigan State University. She spent her early career as a high school French and English teacher. Later, she pursued a graduate degree in psychological counseling and practiced as a clinical therapist for 15 years before retiring.John Considine
John Considine's academic background in psychology and statistics lead him to a career in advertising, where he directed the marketing, media, research and strategic planning divisions of Doner Advertising. Retired, he and his wife Chris, who also facilitates a class at LIR, split their time between LaQuinta and West Bloomfield, Michigan.John Curran
John Curran has a BA in English Literature from Ohio State University and an MS in Environmental Science from George Washington University. He spent almost 40 years in information technology as a database administrator, software applications trainer, and network manager. He has run help desks, email servers, built websites, and has 20 years in computer security. He worked in both the private and public sectors and retired from the US Government in 2013. John is a movie buff and has an extensive collection of movies that spans Western, film noir, Hitchcock, science fiction and comedy.Larry DeBuhr, Ph.D.
Larry E. DeBuhr holds a B.S. degree from Iowa State University and a M.A. and Ph.D from Claremont Graduate School in Claremont, CA. As a graduate student, he spent hundreds of hours studying plants in the desert, as well as other plant communities in California. He taught botany and science education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, spent 10 years as the Director of Education at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, and served as the Vice President of Academic Affairs (Education and Research) at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Following his retirement from full-time work, he taught part time at the Institute of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University-Chicago. He is currently a volunteer for the Friends of The Desert Mountains in Palm Desert and loves to hike the desert trails.Nancy Dowling
Nancy Dowling has an undergraduate degree in French and a master's degree in English. She is a recent transplant to the desert from Minnesota, where she taught college writing and literature courses. After her teaching career ended, she worked as paralegal and then transitioned into corporate ethics training. She enjoys reading, pickleball and birding.Adair Fell
Adair Fell is an avid reader who has participated in the Short Stories class at LIR for the last ten years. She has a degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Illinois. More recently, she completed courses in the facilitation of Shared Inquiry, a discussion method developed for the Great Books program at the University of Chicago.Susan Francis
After a very successful entrepreneurial career as a professional dancer and theatrical producer, Susan Francis came to the Desert in 1987 and launched into the field of non-profit management. Among her accomplishments in this realm are executive director of the La Quinta Arts Festival, executive director of the American Cancer Society, and her current ]20 year] position as CEO of the John F. Kennedy Foundation, home of the critically acclaimed Ophelia Project.Martin Frank
Martin Frank graduated from UCLA with a BA in Pyschology, with a minor in Spanish. He attended the University of the Americas in Mexico for six months. He worked in the corporate business world doing risk management for large fortune 500 companies. The last few years, he was responsible for creating and implementing a training program for entree level brokers. Since his retirement he has done volunteer work at LIR, The Betty Ford Center and Animal Samaritans.Gary Fredericksen
Gary Fredericksen is a retired university administrator from Cal Poly Pomona. He is in his 6th year as President of the Sun City Palm Desert Genealogy Club and is Newsletter Editor for the Palm Springs Genealogical Society. He has over 15 years experience researching families. He teaches a variety of classes including Researching Places, Source Citations Made Easy, Using FindAGrave and others. He annually teaches beginning Genealogy both in clubs and in libraries.David George PhD
After a 4 year (Vietnam era) stint with the US Air Force, Dave capped his long time education career with a 35 year stint at College of the Desert where he served as president (1986-96) and then faculty member (1996-2020). Among his several academic credentials is a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts with specializations in organization and personal development, and adult education.Jeff Gindin, J.D.
Jeff Gindin has been a practicing Criminal Defense Attorney in Canada for over 46 years. He has taught Trial Advocacy and Criminal Law for over 30 of those years. He has lectured extensively on the Criminal Justice System at the Police Academy, The Law Society and various conferences.Leonard Goldstein
Bill Gyles
Bill Gyles is a Canadian and a Professional Quality Surveyor. He has 45 years experience in the construction industry having worked on more than 1,000 projects. His early career was spent in Winnipeg, MB working for large architectural practices and construction cost consulting firms. He co-founded and for 33 years managed a general contracting company in Victoria, BC specializing in commercial, institutional, multi-unit residential, and industrial projects. He has taught courses in construction estimating, scheduling, project management, and conflict resolution. He enjoys golfing, tennis, and collecting wine.Karen Harvey
Karen Harvey holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Social Work from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Throughout her career she worked in the field of mental health and addictions. She has worked in psychiatry both in-patient and out-patient and for many years facilitated therapeutic support groups. During her retirement she has discovered a keen interest in the recording of memoirs and would like to encourage others in this pursuit.Harold Jacobs, Ph.D
Harold Jacobs received a BA from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He was Professor of Sociology at SUNY New Paltz for 35 years, including Chair of the department for six years. He is a recipient of the SUNY Distinguished Teaching Award and has published extensively in his field. He enjoys chess, travel, cooking and film.Thomas Jones, Ph.D
Thomas Jones is a retired professor of U.S. History. His career includes teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, academic administration, faculty development, and consulting. He received a B.A. degree from the University of Minnesota (1964) and received a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for graduate study in History at Cornell University (Ph.D 1968). His publications include books and articles on U.S. history, college teaching, and liberal education, as well as a novel.Donald Kagan
Donald Kagan is a college drop out and graduated from the School of Trial by Fire. He is a retired entrepreneur with former IT businesses in Nicaragua and the San Francisco Bay Area. He is an avid Economics enthusiast and active in helping the Latino community and other causes in the Coachella Valley.Phil Kibort, MD
Dr
Phil Kibort is a pediatric gastroenterologist and was the Chief Medical Officer
of Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota for two decades before retiring
in 2017.
His
avocation has been US Presidential History for the past 25 years. A history major
at the University of Minnesota, he has been reading and studying the Presidents
on a truly daily basis over this time. He has lectured on the topic over the
past 15 years at multiple venues. He lives now in Rancho Mirage for 6 months
and Minnesota for 6 months. Married for 49 years and has three sons and 4
grandchildren.
David Klingenberger
David Klingenberger taught film and composition in the English department at Niles West High School in Skokie, IL for almost 30 years. He moved to the desert four years ago and became an RN.Joe Kokesh
Most automotive industry professionals never get to actively
participate in bringing to market a new automobile. Nor being on a team that
designs, engineers and manufactures the new vehicles. Joe's forty years within the industry has
allowed him to do exactly that no less than five times. It also afforded him
the opportunity to work in twelve different countries and with teams of
uniquely talented automotive engineering and executive level personnel. Joe's passion was process and procedure
requirements at all levels within the automotive industry for meeting timing,
budgets, resources and product readiness. Now in retirement Joe is challenging
himself to develop and craft insightful classes about the affinity people have
with their cars.
Li Kokesh
Li Kokesh has taught Art Appreciation Classes at LIR for the last two years. She received her MS in Engineering from Wayne State University, Michigan. She has worked as a Business Consultant and traveled the world working on large scale international automotive projects for the past 25 years, including 5 years in UK, Germany and Italy. Art and music have always been her passion, especially the Impressionism and Renaissance periods. She takes continuing education courses in art history from Oxford University, and enjoys taking multiple European Culture immersion trips. Her style of teaching includes multidisciplinary discussions to draw together the entire classroom as they collectively discover the facets of art appreciation.
Shirley Lipner
Shirley Lipner is a clairvoyant with a comedic edge and a lighthearted perspective. She began 30 years ago as a comic doing a cable public access show, calling herself 'The Psychic Housewife'. What began as entertainment turned into a calling. Shirley has been featured in GOOP, Buzzfeed and Hay House Publishing.Reesa Manning
Reesa Manning was Vice President and Senior Financial Advisor at UBS Financial Services for 12 years. Prior to her career in financial services, she founded Southern California based, 140 store franchise, Penguin's Frozen Yogurt. She served as president of the nonprofit, 2000 member National Council of Jewish Women in Los Angeles for three years, and was past president of the Desert Cities Chapter of NAWBO (National Organization of Women Business Owners) and Women Leaders Forum of the Coachella Valley. She resides in Rancho Mirage with her husband and currently serves on the Board of Temple Sinai and The Springs HOA. She is a firm believer in women's empowerment and financial literacy.Felicia Martin, PhD
Felicia Martin has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She has taught psychology courses in both undergraduate and graduate universities. As a therapist, she has treated those struggling with mental health disorders as well as children and families in the adoption/foster care system. She has also worked in forensic psychology providing suicide assessments in detention facilities and criminal risk assessments for the parole department. She is currently semi-retired and continues to see a few patients in private practice.Steve Moyer, J.D.
Steve Moyer is a retired trial attorney from Los Angeles. He currently serves as a mediator and teaches law at the California Deserts Trial Academy College of Law in Indio.Barbara Mudge
Barbara Mudge began her adult life teaching junior and senior high school in the Long Beach Unified School district then segued to a forty+ year career in motion picture sales and marketing. Her expertise has been called upon instructing college level film students in movie distribution at both Loyola University, LA and for the American Film Institute; she's participated on panels at multiple international film festivals; and since 2011 moderated a yearly roundtable seminar at the American Film Market. An experienced copywriter, she recently completed her first memoir entitled MY HOOMAN AND ME.John Murrow
John Murrow spent his professional career in corporate and international banking, where he analyzed a multitude of markets, and then shared his findings with bank executives around the world. His talents were not just in deciphering mountains of data, but also in transforming his findings into convincing business strategies for extremely diverse cultures. Before and after his early retirement, John's interests outside of banking included all things creative and more, from photography to interior design, from architecture to gardening, and from travel to genealogy. More recently, John has morphed his business writing skills into various creative writing venues. Now, leveraging his years as a teacher and mentor, John is eager to share what he has learned.Harry Nugent-Patten
Harry Nugent-Patten has a Bachelor Degree in Music Education, a Masters in Secondary Education and another in Educational Administration. He holds an MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer) that specialized in database and web design. Harry was an instrumental music teacher (strings) in inner city Detroit for 21 years and a professional musician (French Horn) for 25 years. He was lucky enough to be on stage with many accomplished musicians like Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett. He played many Broadway shows for thousands of theater goers at Detroit’s Fischer and Masonic Temple Theaters, doing multi-month runs of shows from West Side Story and Phantom of the Opera. He moved to the desert in 1999 and taught band at a middle school in Indio for two years, then went into the technology department in the Desert Sands Unified School District, where he was a Teacher on Special Assignment, teaching teachers and administrators how to use technology in their jobs. He was the web coordinator for the entire district including all schools and all teacher websites. He was also a graphic and web designer for multiple companies throughout the states.Tom Preston, MD
Dr. Tom Preston created and chaired a coalition to sponsor a ballot initiative in WA state that was passed by the voters to become the WA Death with Dignity Law. Since then, he has advised physicians and counseled patients regarding accessing the law. Dr. Preston has been a hospice volunteer in WA state and in the greater Palm Springs area, and has written three books on end-of-life issues, including assessment of physician aid in dying. He is a retired Cardiologist.Nick Ravo
Nick Ravo has taught English and numerous communication and media-related courses at the graduate and undergraduate level at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, where he was an assistant professor, and at Florida Atlantic University, also in Boca Raton, as well as in Australia at the University of Technology, Sydney. He is also a widely published poet. Prior to his academic career, he was a reporter for The New York Times and worked on Wall Street. Presently, he lives in Indian Wells and manages a small hedge fund, Leverich Ravo.
Susan Reinke
Susan Reinke retired after thirty-four years as an educator, primarily at the secondary level. She received her BA in Foreign Languages and Education from Washington State University and an MA in Education from Eastern Washington University. During her teaching career, she taught French, Spanish, English Literature, Composition and Creative Writing. She was a participant in the Puget Sound Writing Project. In addition to having been a teacher, Susan is a published essayist and has completed her memoir. She also writes poetry and is currently working on a novel.Marc Rosen
Marc Rosen received a BA from the University of California in Political Science, an MA from Cal State University San Francisco in Education of Exceptional Children, and an MA from San Jose State University in Counseling and Guidance. He was a high school educator and counselor for 36 years, and has initiated and participated in numerous discussion groups on current events and controversial issues. Photography has been a favorite hobby since 1978. He has developed and printed black and white film and color cibachrome, as well as digital. He uses several photo editing programs including Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Nx Capture and others. Marc enjoys photo restoration, video editing and producing. He and his wife, Irene, have recorded & produced many DVDs of special events with stills and video, such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, family histories and travel documentaries. He has been a Sun City Camera Club participant and award winner, is a past V.P. and has presented and assisted in several workshops.Mike Ruark, J.D.
Mike Ruark was born and raised in Seattle, WA. A graduate of the University of Washington (64 - BA, 67 - J.D.), after a tour in Vietnam, he practiced law for over thirty years. As a King County deputy prosecutor, he prosecuted traffic tickets to first degree murder cases, both capital and non-capital cases. He was selected to organize and head up one of the first sexual assault units in the country. He moved to the US Attorneys office for the Western District of Washington, where he prosecuted public corruption, drug, white collar and tax cases. He finished as Chief of the Trial Division, responsible to the US Attorney for all federal criminal prosecutions in the Western District of Washington. He entered private practice in 1982 and focused on representing local municipalities, public utilities, municipal finance and water law.Gerald Salomon
Gerald Salomon received a BS in Liberal Arts from the University of Cincinnati. He has been a life long aficionado of music and has accumulated an extensive collection of musical CDs and DVDs, which he draws upon as teaching aids in his course. He looks forward to sharing his knowledge and love of music with other enthusiasts.Ralph Sinibaldi, Ph.D
Ralph Sinibaldi has worked in molecular biology research and development for more than 35 years. He is an innovator in the areas of genomics, gene expression, DNA microarrays and drug discovery. He has more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology management and has been involved in both startups and large global life science companies. He was awarded the Sandoz Presidential Award for innovative research and has published over 45 scientific articles and abstracts on original research and received 3 patents. He completed business management training at UC Berkeley and has BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Biology from the University of Illinois. He received postdoctoral training at the University of Illinois Medical Center and the University of Chicago. He was the recipient of a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Cancer Fund postdoctoral fellowship.Harold Ivan Smith, DMIN, FT
Harold Ivan Smith was a bereavement specialist on the teaching faculty of Saint Luke's Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri for 18 years. He has a doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary. His current research and writing focuses on White House bereavement and the presidency of Harry S. Truman. He has also conducted research in ten presidential libraries.Jerry Swirsky, J.D.
Jerry Swirsky is a graduate of Yale University with a BA in English and a J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut Law School. He practiced law in Hartford, CT and tried cases in both State and Federal courts for approximately 40 years. He has always had a strong interest in American History and an even stronger interest in the Federalist Papers.
Steve Weinberg, MD
Stephen E. Weinberg, MD, FACC, FACP, has been a cardiologist since 1978. He authored a book entitled "US Healthcare on Life Support" in 2007 detailing the financial crisis surrounding the nation's healthcare delivery system. As a lecturer at the Wharton Healthcare Graduate MBA program in Philadelphia, and a professor of medicine at two Philadelphia area medical schools, he has been an educator for more than 30 years. Following the publication of his book, he lectured in numerous medical schools and other academic venues on healthcare financing, including locally at UCLA. Additionally, he was a founder and managing partner of a 26-person cardiology group in New Jersey. As a consultant to several local and national insurance companies, he has intimate knowledge of financial aspects of the healthcare industry. Dr. Weinberg's subspecialty was cardiac catheterization, angioplasty and stent insertions. During his career, he has been the principle investigator on dozens of national research trials. Additionally, Dr. Weinberg has served on the board of directors of several hospitals and medical organizations.Steven Weinraub, J.D.
Steven Weinraub is a tax attorney who recently moved to the Coachella Valley from Santa Monica. His tax clients referred to him as "The Tax Guy" for over 40 years before he retired and started contemplating what he actually wanted to do with the rest of his hopefully long life. Steven grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the youngest of 5 children in a crazy family not unlike JD Salinger's Glass family. While working at the Indiana University bookstore to support himself through his undergrad and law school years, he discovered the works of JD Salinger. Retirement has afforded him the time to re-read these stories, particularly those related to the Glass family. Steven feels that the parallels between that family and his own are worth exploring in a class where others may do the same. He wants to find the fun in family dysFUNction and share these experiences with all who are interested.
Flora Wiegers
Flora Wiegers is a lifelong learner and has enjoyed working as training and organizational development consultant, school psychologist, media literacy educator, diversity and inclusion manager and manager of training and strategic planning. After graduating Cum Laude from Boston University, she was offered a full teaching scholarship to U.S.C. where she received her first Masters’ degree in International and Intercultural Education. She received a second Master’s Degree in Counseling from Cal State LA. She has been very active in her community, serving on several community advisory boards, bridging cultural barriers through education, dialogue, and collaboration.