Staff Bios

Personal Enrichment and Program for Older Adults

Eugenia (Gina) Accardi, BA in Human Ecology, has taught cake and food decorating in adult schools in New Jersey. Gina held positions in nutrition such as Bilingual Nutritionist, Dietitian’s Assistant and Yale Club’s Pastry Chef Decorator.

Alex O. Aguilar is a small space consultant with clients throughout the NY metro area. Alex was featured on "Small Spaces, Big Style" show on Home & Garden Television and written up in NY Times’ House Proud. He designs, builds and installs built-ins and custom furniture.

Beth Bailis, MFA Cum Laude, BFA, exhibits throughout New York. She incorporates ceramics in her well-known Fusion Paintings. Beth teaches watercolors and oil painting at LaGuardia. She is a member of National Society of Mural Painters.

Charles Berkley turned to eBay in his avid interest in collecting antiques and collectibles. He is proficient as an eBay reseller and helps others selling on eBay. Charles has a diploma from Missouri Auction School and was a licensed NY auctioneer.

Norma I. Carrasco is a professional Feng Shui consultant and teacher. Trained in the Black Sect Feng Shui tradition under Grand Master Lin Yun and the Four Pillars of Destiny and Flying Stars under Meihwa Lin. She has Feng Shui certificate from Metropolitan School of Interior Design.

Jennifer Blaise Cinelli, MPA in gerontology, is a practicing yogi for over eight years. She has a teaching certificate in Hatha Yoga I and Chair Yoga. Teaches at Integral Yoga Institute and St. Sebastian’s Parish Center in Woodside.

Saroska, Sara Conde, is an artist and art teacher. She attended Escuela de Artes Aplicadas La Palma, Madrid and the Art Students League of New York. Sara exhibits in several New York galleries. She created the Portraits Step-by-Step course. See her art on www.saroska.com

Mark Dura, BA, teacher for the Computer Program for Older Adults and has good rapport with his students. He is also instructor in both the college’s Workforce Education and the Center for Corporate Education.

Emily Elman, MFA, does textile design for Scalamandré, Laura Ashley Textiles and Travers and has worked for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Taught at The Creative Center, Cooper Union, NY School of Interior Design, and extensively at Parsons School of Design.

Herman Jimenez, BFA, is a professional jazz trombonist and has his own jazz band. He composes and arranges music and has directed bands for several different salsa singers. Herman enjoys sharing the musical knowledge he gained from older musicians such as Chano Paza.

Deborah Lynn Kahn has 20 years originating and teaching floral arrangement courses at skill levels only found in professional shops. She has won numerous blue ribbons and has done floral arrangements for Saks Fifth Avenue, celebrity luncheons, model apartments and more. Deborah created her own Floral Arrangement instructional video.

Edmond Kim, MFA, BFA, is a New York-based painter, designer, illustrator, and teacher. Mr. Kim has taught studio art and classes in egg tempera and gilding. He lives in Long Island City and specializes in tours of local art.

Viktoriya Khokhlova, MM, BM, is an accomplished operatic and concert soprano. She sang with Kharkov State Philharmonic and State Opera Theatre of Denetsk. Viktoriya also teaches at Hewitt School music, voice and piano.

Donna Lees, dance instructor, developed our dance curriculum and has been teaching dance at LaGuardia since 1995. Donna has won competitions in American and International style dance. She established in 1990 her own dance business called Dancing with Donna.

Inna Leytush, MM, BM, pianist and voice teacher, has coached and/or performed as accompanist for various vocalists in venues around the world, including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, San Francisco Opera, Moscow State Philharmonic, Funabashi Opera Society in Japan. Inna created our voice and piano courses.

Meihwa Lin, certified Feng Shui practitioner, teacher, mentor and author, lectures in the U.S. and internationally.  Ms. Lin holds certifications from Feng Shui Research Center, BTB Professional Feng Shui Org. and Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design. She integrates the traditional schools with Chinese astrology and the Black Sect School. Ms. Lin founded ML & Associates.

David Nadal, MM, BM, is an accomplished guitarist. Taught at Yale University, Julliard School of Music and Amadeus Conservatory and performed with Glenn Branca Ensemble, and at the New York Guitar Festival and Other Minds Festival. David has several guitar books under Dover Publications and is editor of Kithara Editions.

Reyther Ortega, MFA Film/TV, has over 8 years as script supervisor and assistant director in feature films, commercials and television, both here in New York and in Venezuela. Ms. Ortega taught at Fordham, Rutgers, CUNY Graduate Film Program and Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (Caracas).

Nancy Palubniak, BFA, teaches crochet and embroidery, photography and fine arts. Through her Palubniak Studios her clients include Warner Books, St. Martin Press, Simplicity and McCall Patterns, Godinger Silver, and Friends of City Center.

Michael Poast, MFA, MMA, BA, is a visual and musical artist and welded metal sculptor. Taught art at Pratt Institute, Westside Y, Art Students League, and sculpture at Sculpture Center, Educational Alliance. Mr. Poast is exhibited extensively and has welded metal sculpture at LaGuardia and Queensborough Community Colleges.

Rose Rodriguez is a professional beauty and image consultant and a certified color analyst, who matches makeup to one’s natural skin tones. Besides teaching, she trains beauty advisors for major cosmetic companies, also works for dermatologists.

Paul Smith, BM, teaches guitar here and guitar, piano and theory at Riverdale Music Studios. He performs in Guitar/Voice Duo with tenor Dan Molkentin.  Mr. Smith was highlighted in Queens fall 2005 in Tomorrow’s Artists Today Concert Series.

Patricia Tees is a practicing yogi for 17 years. She received teacher certification from Integral Yoga Institute in Hatha Yoga and Chair Yoga, and in Therapeutic Yoga from CUNY Graduate Center. Patricia was a pupil of Swami Satchidananda, Swami Ramanaanda, and Dr. Rudolph Ballentine.
 
Andrew Vollo has been a student and teacher of T’Ai Chi, Nei Kung, and Yoga for over twenty years, studying T’Ai Chi Chuan with Master C.K. Chu. As director of the Taxi/FHV Institute at LaGuardia, Andrew created “Taxi Yoga.”

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