Jamaica Plain Community Centers
ADULT LEARNING PROGRAM
Jamaica plain
Adult learning program staff
Joyce Henderson, Director
Dr. Joyce Henderson joined the ALP community as Director in August, 2019. Joyce has worked as an Administrator, Director and Teacher in various educational settings from Harvard University to Bunker Hill Community College. She attended the University of Massachusetts, College of Public and Community Service, has a Master’s Degree in Administrative Education from Cambridge College and has completed Doctoral studies in Higher Education Administration from Northcentral University. Dr. Henderson is also the College Preparation Instructor.
Email: joyce@jpadulted.org
Amina Hilowle, Assistant Director / Assessment Specialist
Amina is the current Assistant Director at ALP. She started as an AmeriCorps volunteer and was placed at ALP as her host organization. After finishing her service year with Americorps, Amina accepted a part time Administrative Assistant and Program Assessment Specialist at ALP. She has also taught the math numeracy classes. Besides English, Amina speaks Somali and conversational Swahili.
Email: amina@jpadulted.org
Phone: (617) 681-4174
Alberto Quesada, Education Coordinator
Alberto Quesada is the Education Coordinator for ALP. He has experience teaching Mathematics in adult programs including college. Alberto started his ALP career as a volunteer tutor for mathematics and was hired as a math teacher and taught two of the three math classes offered by ALP. He also worked as the Hiset Coordinator and has now transitioned to become the Education Coordinator of the program. In addition to English he speaks Spanish.
Email: alberto@jpadulted.org
Phone: (617) 971-8929
Cheryl Danzy, Curriculum Developer
Cheryl is excited to join ALP! She holds a B.S., Human Development and a M.S., Policy Analysis and Management. Her previous experience includes serving as a teacher, curriculum writing, co-authoring publications about cultural competency, and consulting. In addition, she enjoys taking professional development in education so that she can stay abreast of best practices in the field. Cheryl has a passion for learning and looks forward to using her background to serve ALP.
Email: cheryl@jpadulted.org
Charles Ramsay, Technology Coordinator / Computer Instructor
Charles began his career as a Moderate Special Needs teacher for the Boston Public Schools. After 14 years in the classroom, he worked in a variety of administrative positions including Administrative Assistant to the Director of Special Education for the Boston Public Schools. He has extensive experience and knowledge in Secondary Education, Higher Education, Students At-Risk, Special Education, and Technology & Technology Careers. Charles has taught technology courses at several local colleges and universities. Charles holds a B.S. in Regular and Special Education from Boston University, a Master's degree in Administration/Management from Cambridge College, and a Master's degree in Educational Leadership from Northeastern University.
Email: charles@jpadulted.org
Phone: (857) 293-0996
Patricia Carrington, Assessment Assistant / Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator
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Pat graduated from JPCC/ALP in 1998. She began working for the Program that same year. Pat's journey at ALP started as a computer lab helper. She moved into the position of Computer Instructor. Currently, Pat has the position of Intake Coordinator and ADA Coordinator. She has enjoyed giving back to the ALP Community for over 20 years.
Email: pat@jpadulted.org
Phone: (617) 356-7102
Alondra Bobadilla, Administrative Assistant
Alondra Bobadilla is a recent member of the ALP staff. She is a student at UMass Boston majoring in International Relations with a minor in Spanish. Her background is mainly in arts and education programs with a concentration in creative writing. She has taught workshops, worked as a teacher’s assistant, collaborated with non-profits and other projects. She is currently doing a legal advocacy internship with the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice.
Email: alondra@jpadulted.org
Phone: TBA
William Washington, Intake Coordinator
Will earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business from Bradley University. After working in Michigan for 18 years, Will has spent the last 8 years as a member of the Jamaica Plain Community. In addition, Will assists in various classrooms and advises students on career and educational goals. William has been a volunteer with the Community Food Drive for the last 3 years.
Email: william@jpadulted.org
Phone: (617) 682-0729
Susie Foster, Basic ESOL
Susie started ESL teaching at secondary school level as a Peace Corps volunteer in Democratic Republic of the Congo (then called Zaire) in the 1970s. After two years in DR Congo, she was posted to Cameroon to be an ESL teaching advisor for a French-speaking province of that bilingual country. She has worked in international development with the World Bank, World Health Organization, and Boston University School of Public Health, where she taught global public health topics for 22 years. In addition to DR Congo and Cameroon, Susie has lived in London (UK), Geneva, Uganda, and Zambia. She has been a volunteer ESL tutor in several community centers in Boston. Susie likes to garden and kayak, and take care of her dog Claire. She is an Airbnb host, and also runs an electric bike tour of Boston through Airbnb Experiences in the summer.
Email: susie@jpadulted.org
Phone: (617) 858-1492
Jessica Graziano, Level 1 Morning ESOL Instructor
Jessi has a Bachelor’s Degree from Carthage College where she majored in both Elementary Education and Special Education. After teaching elementary school for 3 years in Wisconsin, she recently moved to Boston and began volunteering with Boston Cares in their Allies for Immigrants program. She is excited to become part of the ALP and help students on their journey to learning English.
Email: jessica@jpadulted.org
Phone: TBA
Valerie Thomas, Level 1 Evening ESOL Instructor
Valerie earned her Bachelor's Degree in English from Howard University. She went on to earn a Master’s in African American Studies from Columbia University. After working in New York for a few years, she moved to Georgia and began a career in education. She has spent the last 17 years in both K-12 and Higher Ed. She loves working with students in different ages and stages of life.
Email: valerie@jpadulted.org
Phone: (770) 686-7540
Sarah Wilson, Morning & Evening Level 2 ESOL Instructor
Sarah Wilson is an ESOL instructor originally from Oxford, England, and has resided in the U.S.A. for many years. She has a MA in TESOL and a BA in English and speaks Spanish. She has taught ESOL/EFL in several countries, such as Turkey and Mexico. One of her greatest joys is teaching and learning about her students who continue to enlighten and enrich her life.
Email: sarah@jpadulted.org
Phone: (828) 513-0548
Christopher Hall, Morning Level ESOL 2 Instructor
Chris Hall, born, raised and educated (a Bachelor’s of Social Sciences in Education from the University of Alabama) in the state of Alabama, has lived in Boston since 2005. During those 17-plus years, Chris has fashioned together a career in the adult basic education field. Starting as an AmeriCorps service worker, Chris was introduced to the field at the Notre Dame Education Center. He has since worked at similar community based programs and additionally in language schools in and around the Boston area providing academic preparatory training, college math instruction, English for parents classes, job readiness education, and a slew of English as a second language lessons. Chris works to impart the skills needed to be a successful learner and the mindset essential for one to devote and commit himself to bring about meaningful change in his life through education."
Email: christopher@jpadulted.org
Phone: 857-323-0551
Gwendolyn Teutsch, Morning & Evening Level 3 ESOL Instructor
Gwen comes from a background in public health and environmental education. She has been an educator for 4 years, teaching natural history to both children and adults. She graduated from Brandeis University with a Bachelors degree in Health: Science, Society, and Policy. Gwen is excited to join the ALP team this year teaching ESOL morning and evening classes.
Email: gwen@jpadulted.org
Phone: (857) 321-8524
Meghan McBain, Morning & Evening Level 4 ESOL Instructor
Meghan was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Georgia and a TESOL Certificate from Kennesaw State University. Meghan has always had an interest in other cultures and after receiving a TESOL Certificate, began teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language in Spain, the USA, and Chile. Meghan has been teaching students of all ages since 2013, and loves every second of it. Meghan has been introduced to many new cultures and customs, improved her Spanish, continued improving as an educator, and developed a whole new perspective on life.
Email: meghan@jpadulted.org
Phone: (434) 362-0669
Ingrid Pimsner, Morning & Evening Level 5 ESOL Instructor
Ingrid Maria Pimsner has been teaching for over a decade in various universities, nonprofits, and private academies. She has taught English as a Second Language for Lutheran Children & Family Service, Nationalities Service Center, Lernstudio Barbarossa Berlin-Tegel, and more. In addition to her Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certification, she holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a MA from Maryland Institute College of Art.
Email: ingrid@jpadulted.org
Phone: (857) 285-3845
Mary Jones, Level 1 & 2 HiSET Instructor
Mary Jones acquired a business degree and MBA from Missouri State University in Computer Information Systems. After working as a programmer for seven years, Mary started to teach business courses at a local community college and then HiSET classes at a local tech center while raising her family. In her free time, Mary enjoys family, exercising, and cooking.
Email: maryjones@jpadulted.org
Phone: (417) 413-4609
Eddie Geier, Math Level 1 & 2 HiSET Instructor
Eddie acquired an Associates Degree from Georgia Military College, in Milledgeville, Georgia. In 2018, Eddie completed his studies and obtained a Bachelors Degree from Park University, also in Georgia. Adult Education has been a career field for Eddie for several years, and he is proud to be a part of the Adult Learning Program community. In his free time, Eddie spends time with his family, bike rides and enjoys the outdoors.
Email: eddie@jpadulted.org
Phone: (423) 661-7735
Lourdes Viera, Senior College and Career Advisor
Lourdes has worked for ALP for more than 10 years and has held several positions. She is passionate about helping the community-at-large. Lourdes lives in the Jamaica Plain community and is aware of the needs of the residents. Lourdes has twenty plus years of coaching, counseling, job development, and college and career advising. In addition to English, Lourdes speaks Spanish.
Email: lourdes@jpadulted.org
Phone: (857) 342-2291
Rana Elbeih, College and Career Advisor
Rana received an Associate degree from Massasoit Community College, earned a Bachelor degree in Biology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a Master's degree in Higher Education Administration from Eastern Nazarene College. Rana has more than ten years of teaching experience and has worked as a mentor at Massasoit Community College. Rana enjoys helping others and she is passionate about assisting students to obtain success. Rana is very excited to be a member of the ALP community as a Student Advisor.
Email: rana@jpadulted.org
Phone: (508) 622-5654