Fairleigh Dickinson University's
Florham Institute for Lifelong Learning (FILL)

Deborah Gerrish, Ed.D

Deborah Gerrish is a teacher and award-winning poet whose poems appeared in several publications including Ararat, The Paterson Literary Review, Exit 13, Off Line, the South Mountain Anthology, and Goldfinch. Her chapbook, The Language of Rain, was published in 2008, and her latest collection of poems, The Language of Paisley, was published in 2012. She was a recipient of an Edward Fry Fellowship for scholarship and accomplishment as a doctoral student at Rutgers University where she received her Ed. D. in Literacy Education 2004. Deborah gives poetry readings in the area, and as one of the featured poets, she participated in the celebration of Women’s History Month at the Caldwell Library in March, 2010 -2013. As an English teacher, she taught in the New Jersey public schools for over 30 years. Deborah's FILL courses include "Poetry as Affirmation," "The Art of Poetry," and "Looking at Poets."

Debra Goldfaden

Debra Goldfaden has always been a “certified nerd”.  Using PC’s and Mac’s she has delved into the inner workings of technology systems throughout her career.  One of her first dates with husband Jerry was to view the introduction of the, then new, Apple 2e into New Jersey.  Their first vacation together to Club Med included a weeklong programming course in DOS and BASIC.  (Whatever that is?)  She has maintained an avid interest in technology and has constantly been assisting others to use and understand it.

As a Speech-Language therapist, she worked with her district’s technology department to set up her school’s webpage and assisted in formulating, deploying and then supporting the Speech Department’s computer evaluation reports. 

Debra is a graduate of Queens College with a B. A. and M. A. in Speech-Language Pathology.  She holds a Certification of Clinical Competence and certificates as Teacher of the Handicapped and Speech-Language Specialist.  She also obtained certification as Learning Disabilities – Teacher Consultant from Montclair State University. 

Debra has taught graduate courses at Kean University and Montclair State University.  She is retired from the West Orange school system where she worked as a Speech-Language Therapist with the general and special education populations.  Teaching others has always been among her passions. Debra's FILL courses include "IPhone Tips & Tricks" and other social media and technology courses. She was the 2022 FILL Instructor of the Year.

Eleanor J. Flanigan, Ed. D

Eleanor earned her Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Business and Education from Temple University in Philadelphia. She has taught computers and information technology at Montclair State University, County College of Morris, and Temple University, having written seven books in that field for McGraw-Hill, Harcourt Brace, and others.  She was voted Teacher of the Year twice in her academic career: Eastern Business Education Association (1978) and Montclair State University (2008).

On the corporate side, Eleanor was a systems analyst at GE as well as an international marketing manager for Ashton-Tate, a database software company, living in England with her family, serving the U.K. and western Europe.

Eleanor’s life-long dedication to the arts, particularly of Broadway, led her to share her enthusiasm with FILL colleagues by co-teaching a course on Broadway Musicals. 

Arnie Goldstein, Ph.D.

Arnie received Bachelor’s (Magna Cum Laude) and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the City College of New York and a Ph.D. in Engineering from the City University of New York. He was employed for 49 years in the petroleum and petrochemical industries as an engineer, executive, and consultant specializing in the management of intellectual property assets. He was an Adjunct Professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and a volunteer docent at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. Arnie teaches courses such as "A Brief History of the Twentieth Century" for the FILL program. He was honored to receive the 2017 FILL Instructor of the Year award. 

Elaine Hoffman

Elaine came to FILL at the time she retired in 2011 to have a place to engage in lifelong learning beyond her working careers. Her undergraduate work was done at SUNY Cortland in Early Childhood Education and graduate work at Kean University. She worked for many years as a Certified Social Worker on a Child Study Team in Warren and Harding Townships and as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Warren Township and in private practice. She also holds certifications in Arts In Prevention (substance abuse) from Rutgers and is certified as a Level 3 practitioner in Healing Touch. "Having opportunities to teach in the FILL program is a way of giving back to the wonderful lifelong learning that I have engaged in since retiring in 2011. Teaching Teas for You has enabled me to be self-taught as a Tea Educator; always learning about places to travel led me to Out and About; and currently, Paper Play is a way of extending my interest in fiber arts to paper as another fiber to explore."  

Joyce Kaffel

Joyce Kaffel is a freelance film/arts writer, film lecturer, former faculty member at Marymount Manhattan College and Long Island University, former blogger for the Montclair Film Festival, taught film locally in a number of adult education programs. Joyce teaches film classes for FILL including “Fantasy, Illusion, and Magic in the Movies" and "McCarthyism in the Movies."

David Ogens

David Ogens graduated college at Lowell Technology Institute majoring in Engineering. He then received a certificate to teach Industrial Arts and earned a MA in Technology Education at Montclair University. He spent the last 7 years of his career at the brand new East Orange Campus High School (Old Upsala College) as the Technology Coordinator/Computer Teacher. He also taught various computer courses at the Adult School in West Caldwell. David has been involved with computers since the late 1970’s and is knowledgeable with both Macs and PCs platforms. Dave's FILL courses include "How to Use Your IPad and IPod," "Navigating the Internet," and the "FILL Film Discussion Group.” He was the 2023 FILL Instructor of the Year.

Charlie Pomel

Charlie is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University with a degree in Chemistry and MBA studies in Pharmaceutical Industry Management. He also studied Mechanical Engineering at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He has worked for major pharmaceutical industry companies for over 40 years, holding positions in R&D Project Management for New Drug Development, Clinical Research Quality Assurance, and as a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Chemist. Charlie has conducted many presentations on technical topics while working in industry. He is a firm believer that you never stop learning and has presented science workshops at the Science-sational day sponsored by Morris County 4-H youth development to encourage children to learn more about science. He is also a charter member of the Liberty Science Center and as a volunteer scientist, was instrumental in initiating Liberty Science Center’s first school programs project. Charlie's FILL courses include "Science and Technology: Are We There Yet," and "Travels in the Classroom." He was the 2017 FILL Instructor of the Year.

Ann Shoshkes

Prior to her retirement, Ann Shoshkes was the Director of Risk Management at Bloomingdale's. She holds an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.

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Ann always has had a passion for Art and Design. She is a devotee of the art of beautiful writing and is currently a Board member of the New York Society of Scribes. Ann's FILL courses include "Introduction to Calligraphy" and "Watercolor."

Marjorie Spencer 

Marjorie Spencer received her B.A. in Math/Science and her M.A. from Drew University. Her professional experience includes 14 Years of Herbicide,Pesticide, and Drug Metabolism research at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, work as a High School Teacher, and service as a Youth Ministry Director. She resides in Chatham, NJ. Marjorie's FILL courses include "Current Events Roundtable," "Public Health Forum," and the "Brain and Behavior Seminar." 

Ken Spingarn

Ken Spingarn has attended FILL classes for the past seven years. He is a graduate of Upsala College and for many years he owned an insurance agency in Livingston, NJ. Ken’s interest in electronics began at age fifteen when he became a Ham Radio Operator. He has worked with personal computers from the very beginning and attended New Jersey Institute of Technology. Ken is a certified Webmaster. His FILL courses include "Past, Present, & Future: Threads of History & Their Influence on Current Affairs," and "Making Sense of the Digital World." Ken was the 2015 FILL Instructor of the Year.

​Hossur Srikantan

As a senior IT executive with a broad based experience in the delivery of technology solutions for global corporations, Hossur Srikantan has worked for Exxon Corp, Union Bank of Switzerland, Citigroup / Smith Barney, American International Group etc., as well as in entrepreneurial /start-up ventures and consulting. He enjoyed volunteering as a mentor/counselor for undergraduate & graduate students in start-up, entrepreneurship, and career counselling at Rutgers University, Baruch College etc. He also advises and mentors small businesses (SCORE) and Probono project efforts (Taproot Foundation).  

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He is a proud US Citizen with an engineering degree and MBA in general management. Hossur's FILL classes include “People, Places, and Culture - India," and “Can We Humans Successfully Manage & Navigate Technology or Be Morphed into Humanoid Robots?”

Larry Stanley

Larry Stanley was a TV director for more than 30 years and received his BA in Broadcasting from San Francisco State University. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and he roasts his own coffee. Larry's FILL classes include "Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: Enjoying the Great Warner Bros Cartoons," and "The Twilight Zone."

Neil Ullman

Neil has a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and a Masters in Applied Statistics from Rutgers University. 

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He is a retired professional engineer certified in manufacturing and quality control. He worked in the engineering industry for several years before becoming a founding faculty member at Middlesex County College, teaching engineering and computer programming as early as 1967.  He then was a founding faculty member of  County College of Morris (CCM) where he headed up a Mechanical Engineering Technology program as well as teaching statistics and computer courses. In addition, he consulted and provided training in quality and statistics for a number of companies and professional organizations, including ASTM (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials). He is a fellow of both ASTM and ASQ (American Society for Quality)

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 Before coming to FILL in 2015, he was a lecturer at Columbia University in the Industrial Engineering and Operations Research Department.  He has written several statistics texts, and more recently published a children’s book. Neil's FILL classes include "Out and About," "Been There Done That," and "Religions and the Religious Experience."

Meg Wastie

Meg Wastie has a BS from Monmouth University in English and secondary Ed. She obtained her MA from Kean University in Guidance Counseling, ans well as a second MA from Seton Hall University in Museum Studies.

Meg worked at Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ as an English/Speech/Drama teacher for 32 years. She was also the educational curator at the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts in Madison, NJ for 15 years, and is currently the Program Consultant for Westfield Historical Society. Meg's FILL classes include "Lit With a Twist" and "Separate Pieces of Literature."

Mark Weisstuch, Ph.D.

Mark earned a doctorate in theatre history from the City University of New York.  For a decade, he taught various courses in theatre and drama and chaired the Theatre Department at Bradford College (Haverhill, MA).  Thereafter he shifted to administration, becoming the Administrative Vice President of Congregation Emanu-El (New York) for nearly thirty years.  But his enthusiasm for teaching never waned as he taught courses on synagogue governance for colleagues and newcomers to the field.  For the last twenty years he has taught adult study courses in Jewish history at the Skirball Academy (New York).  Most recently, Mark taught an undergraduate course on Shakespeare, entitled “Shakespeare Our Contemporary,” at the University of Connecticut (Stamford, CT). Mark's FILL classes include "Hamlet," and “The Merchant of Venice: Justice and Mercy.”