Fairleigh Institute for Lifelong Learning at Florham 
(FILL-Florham)

Adrian Allotey

Adrian Allotey is a nationally recognized elder-care strategist, Certified Dementia Practitioner, and End-of-Life Doula dedicated to transforming how individuals, families, and professionals navigate aging, dementia, and life's transitions. As the founder of You Are Not Alone Elder Care, she provides boutique, relationship-based support grounded in dignity, compassion, and emotional, spiritual, and cultural sensitivity. With more than a decade of experience serving aging adults, Adrian specializes in dementia care, solo aging, advanced care planning, grief support, and complex family dynamics. She is also the creator of the Four Seasons of Senior Living, her holistic signature framework designed to guide individuals through the emotional, practical, and spiritual stages of aging.  Although this curriculum is not taught in this program, it deeply informs her philosophy and approach. Adrian is the developer of “Living Your Best Life,” a dynamic, heart-centered educational series that inspires aging individuals and their families to live fully, intentionally, and with purpose at every stage of life. Her teachings translate complex aging issues into practical, compassionate, and empowering guidance. She has taught at Kean University, Union College, Princeton University, and lifelong-learning programs across New Jersey. Adrian has contributed to the Dementia Action Alliance Manual, multiple Alzheimer’s Association initiatives, and other world renowned programs. Known for her warmth, depth, and clarity, she helps individuals feel seen, families feel supported, and organizations elevate the standard of care for our aging population.

Katharina Hellner-Apelt

Katharina Hellner-Apelt holds a German law degree and an American Paralegal degree. She is an End-of-Life Doula (University of Vermont), a hospice volunteer with Atlantic Health, a Reiki Master, and a Healing Touch and Acupressure Practitioner.

Nadine Castro

Nadine Castro is a multicultural teacher and therapist who has lived and worked across three continents. New to New Jersey and the FILL program, she pursues her dual and intertwined passions for literature and psychology. Nadine taught literature and theater at Tel Aviv University and at Queens College, as well as Medical Rehabilitation at Teachers College, Columbia University. She maintains a private practice assisting people in medical rehabilitation, helping them navigate crises and find new directions. Nadine holds two PhDs: one in French (Literature and Theater) and another in Clinical Psychology.

Brigid Coakley

Brigid Coakley received her BA in English from Skidmore College and her MA in English/Education from Columbia University.  After teaching high school English, she now leads both a current events discussion group and the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions group for the Somerset Hills AAUW (American Association of University Women).  She also helped create and lead a nonfiction book study group focusing on social justice.  

Annette DeCicco

Annette DeCicco is the Director of Growth & Development for a Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate Company. She holds a Masters Degree in Education, is a NJ licensed real estate broker, certified Home Stager and contributing writer for Inman News, a real estate news publication. In her current position, she is a speaker and content creator of curriculum, and trainer/coach of veteran and emerging real estate associates, with the goal of providing knowledge, value and choices to the real estate consumer.

Jeffrey Eger

Jeffrey Eger has been a film writer, director and producer of films since 1969. He has also been a  writer and researcher for a number of museums. For the last 30 years he has been a book dealer specializing in art books and auction catalogs worldwide.

Stephen Eisdorfer, J.D.

Stephen Eisdorfer is a graduate of Haverford College and Harvard Law School. He clerked for the New Jersey Supreme Court, practiced law for 45 years, was an adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and argued a dozen cases concerning the New Jersey Constitution before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

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. 

Daria Freedman

Daria has a B.A. in French from Montclair State University and an M.B.A. in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In addition to teaching French, Daria has been a Vice President, Director of Research for Findly/now Symphony Talent, and a Principal Analyst for Brandon Hall Group. Since retirement Daria has been playing Mah Jongg two to three times a week.   

Lionel Geltman

Lionel holds a BA in Mathematics  (Montclair State) an MBA from Seton Hall and has 44 Years of experience in IT Technical Software Support , capacity planning and Financial Analysis working for large scale companies.

Deborah Gerrish, Ed.D

Deborah Gerrish is an award-winning poet and author of three books of poetry: Indeed Jasmine (2022), Light in Light (2017), The Language of Paisley (2012), and chapbook, The Language of Rain (2008). Her poems have appeared in many journals and anthologies. Her poem, “A Precis on the Stuff We Breathe” was a finalist in The Comstock Review, Muriel Craft Bailey Poetry Contest, 2024. Her work is featured as poetry films in Moving Words. She earned an EDD from Rutgers University, received the Edward Fry Fellowship for scholarship research, holds an MFA in Poetry from Drew University, taught English for over thirty-five years in NJ public schools, and teaches poetry workshops in the FILL program. She lives in NJ with her husband Jim, and cat, Yeats.

John Gilris

John Gilris went to Rugers Newark and obtained a B.A. in Math. He has been in FiLL for more than a dozen years and lives in Whippany.

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.

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. 

Dale Gordon

Dale Gordon holds Masters Degrees in both International Relations and Political Science.  She taught for two years at York College (part of CUNY) before changing careers and going to work for Chubb Insurance.  She retired from her job as a Data Analyst after nearly twenty-five years with Chubb.  In retirement, she reclaimed her longstanding love for literature and has been leading the Fiction Book Discussion class for most of the last three years.  

Cathryn Iorio

Cathryn Iorio, RN, MS is a Registered Professional Nurse, Certified HeartMath® Coach & Mentor, Certified Tai Chi instructor and a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Having retired as a Certified School Nurse, Cathryn continues her passion helping others to Be at their healthiest self as owner of Simple Self Care, LLC where she empowers others to embrace simple self-care activities including breathing techniques, movement exercises & the integration of whole foods for optimum health.  She brings cutting- edge science to show how our hearts have intelligence to guide us on this journey through presentations, workshops and small group settings. With stress being the largest driver for today’s increasing reaction for unrest, Cathryn’s mission is to bring to the forefront how our heart’s intelligence can shift our reactions to emotionally draining energies of anger, frustration, overwhelm, fear and anxiety to a calmer, peaceful and wiser self to navigate whatever challenges we face, in the moment. Cathryn is an active member of the HeartMath® Community of Practice to amplify the HeartMath® mission of ‘a kinder, heart-centered world where we care for one another and live harmoniously in peace’.  

Hon. Jay Jorgensen

The Hon. Jay Jorgensen served over 15 years as a Superior Court Judge in Middlesex County.  He spent his entire judicial career in the Family Division, concentrating on matrimonial dissolutions, custody, support, and domestic violence.  Recognized for his expertise in the field of family law, the Judge is a frequent lecturer in continuing education courses, including at the annual Judicial College for the New Jersey Judiciary.  Judge Jorgensen graduated summa cum laude from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a bachelor’s degree in history.  In 1981 he graduated with his Juris Doctorate Degree from the Villanova University School of Law.  He also earned a master’s degree in military history – Civil War Concentration from American Military University in 1999. He is a member of the FDU Division I Athletic Hall of Fame, as well as a recipient of the FDU Pinnacle Award.  Mr. Jorgensen is the author of a number of books including Gettysburg’s Bloody Wheatfield, which earned the Bachelder-Coddington Award as the best new book on Gettysburg in 2002.  He has lectured extensively on New Jersey’s role in the American Revolutionary War, and leads tours of Revolutionary War sites in New Jersey for American History Forum.

Joyce Kaffel

Joyce is a freelance film/arts writer/lecturer and speech language pathologist. She's taught at Montclair Adult School, South Orange Maplewood Adult School, and additional organizations including Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus and Marymount Manhattan College where she also served as Director of Marymount's Corporate Education Program. She was a regular film/arts contributor to Patch.com.  As an assigned blogger for the Montclair Film Festival, she reviewed festival films and interviewed upcoming and prominent filmmakers. Locally, some publications she has written for are the New Jersey Star Ledger, The Montclair Times and Jersey City Magazine. She is a founding member of the West  Orange Classic Film Festival.  She has a B.S. from New York University, an M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from City College of New York, and has completed graduate work in media studies at The New School for Social Research.

Karen Kamenetsky

Karen Kamenetsky has been writing for as long as she can remember. She has been performing her original music, at coffee houses, music festivals, and songwriter events for more than a decade, and her songs have been featured on SiriusXM Radio's Hanukkah Channel, Jet Blue, United Airlines, the Woman of Substance Radio Podcast and The Songwriter's Gig podcast. In 2020, Karen retired after forty years as a hospital pharmacist and began one of her "bucket list" projects - writing a "cozy" mystery. The result: her first novel, Stage Frightened to Death.

Rick Klass

Rick joined FILL in 2024, following his retirement from a long career as a CPA and a partner at Friedman LLP, a regional Accounting firm. He acted as a senior tax advisor to wealthy families and their related businesses. He earned his MBA in Accounting from Rutgers University and has a B.A. in History from the University of Buffalo, with a minor in Education. Rick started his career at Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC) and built the tax departments at both Yohalem Gillman in New York and Friedman LLP in New Jersey. He was also a member of the Management Committees at both firms. Being a FILL instructor is a way of continuing his joy of teaching, which began for him in undergraduate school, many decades ago.

Mary MacGowan

Mary MacGowan's chapbook, Spider Lake, was published by Kattywompus Press in 2019. She earned her M.Lit with a poetry writing concentration from Drew University. She received a master's in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute. She's has had over 100 poems featured in literary journals such as Adelaide, Dash, Change Seven, The Literary Review, The South Carolina Review, Apple Valley Review, POEM, and Manorborn. She enjoys slow walks to catch the poem.

David Ogens

David Ogens graduated college at Lowell Technology Institute majoring in Engineering. He then earned a certificate to teach Industrial Arts and later receiving 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 having specialized in both Apple and Windows platforms. Dave's FILL courses include the "FILL Film Discussion Group” and “FILL Music and Lyric Appreciation.” His love of film started in the late 60's with weekly trips into NYC to see the independent and Italian movies. Along with his wife Dawn, they are tody big movie goers who still believe there is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. Similarity his love of music and listening to the lyrics also started with the British invasion of the 60's and has never let up. 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.

Paula Quinn

Paula has a B.A. in Education from Fairleigh Dickinson University. In addition to teaching elementary school she worked for 27 years as a Registered Sales Associate at Morgan Stanley.  Paula has been an avid Mah Jongg player for the last 12 years.  

Nicholas Quintero

Nick is an alumnus of FDU-Florham, where he graduated in 2020 with a BA in History and in 2021 with an MAT in Education. He is currently a high school history teacher at Bergen County Technical Schools and is towards his MA in American History at Gettysburg College through the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Since leaving FDU, he has taught at several schools throughout New Jersey, instructing courses in AP Government and Politics, United States History I and II, AP United States History, and Financial Literacy.

Benjamin Rifkin

Benjamin Rifkin is University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at FDU. He has taught a number of courses for FILL students. Provost Rifkin’s academic career began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served on the faculty of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures for 15 years.  Before joining Fairleigh Dickinson University as a Professor and Dean of the Maxwell Becton College of Arts and Sciences (now the Maxwell Becton College of Liberal Arts and Education), he held academic leadership positions at Temple University, The College of New Jersey, Ithaca College, and Hofstra University. 

Dan Rose

Dan Rose has taught English for over 20 years to elementary, secondary, and college students in the U.S. and Scotland, as well as lifelong learning courses to adults at colleges, libraries, senior centers, and community groups in New Jersey, Florida, andMaryland. He has been an Editor at Silver Burdett Publishing and a Trainer/TechnicalWriter at AT&T. Mr. Rose has an M.Ed. in English and an MS in Project Management.His poetry and fiction have appeared in Alaska Quarterly, Lips, Little Patuxent Review,and Perspectives. A writer, editor, and educator, Dan Rose teaches and writes about various subjects. He and his wife live in Roxbury, NJ.

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 also is a devotee of paper craft.  Ann's FILL courses include Watercolor for Beginners and Advanced Watercolor projects.

Paul Soltis

Paul is a 2016 graduate of William & Mary, where he received a BA in English.  He is a Resource Interpretive Specialist with the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, serving as the historian for Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites. Paul grew up with an interest in the American Revolution and our public stewardship of state parks and historic sites in this corridor of the “Crossroads of the American Revolution” that includes Washington Crossing State Park, Trenton Battle Monument and Princeton Battlefield State Park.

Ken Spencer 

Ken Spencer received a PhD degree in Chemistry and performed postdoctoral research.  He worked 42 years in the pharmaceutical industry as a research chemist, clinical research scientist and clinical quality auditor before retiring in 2018.  He has 24 US patents and is noted as a co-author on 24 publications.

Marjorie Spencer 

Marjorie has a BS degree in math - science and a master's in theological sciences.  She has worked in the pharmaceutical and insurance industries, veterinarian services and as a youth minister.

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."

Elizabeth Uptegrove

After a 25-year career in the computer field, Elizabeth Uptegrove transitioned to a teaching career.  She recently retired after 20 years in the department of mathematics at Felician University.  She taught math at all levels, but she especially enjoyed teaching Contemporary Mathematics, a course for students not majoring in math, which included one of her favorite topics, Voting Theory.

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

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). For FILL, he has offered an ongoing series entitled “Exploration of Shakespeare,” which studies one of Shakespeare’s plays each semester.  In May 2025, Mark was recognized as the FILL Teacher of the Year.

Rev. Dr. James White

Rev. Dr. James White is currently a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.  He has served over 40 years as assistant pastor where he specialized in adult faith formation.  He also spent two years as chaplain to St. Michael's Hospital in Newark, serving as chaplain.  Twenty-seven years of his ministry was spent as a secondary school teacher at Bergen Catholic, and Seton Hall Prep. 

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His education includes a bachelor's degree in Sociology from Seton Hall University, A master of Divinity from Immaculate Conception Seminary, a Masters in counseling from Iona University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Drew University.

Dr. Naomi Wish, Ph.D.

Dr. Naomi Bailin Wish, Professor Emerita at Seton Hall University, is a national leader in the field of Nonprofit and Philanthropic Studies. She recently retired from Seton Hall University (SHU) after teaching there for 45 years. She has published in many journals including Public Administration Review, The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, and International Studies Quarterly.

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As a Political Science professor, she taught a course on the political system in Israel quite a few times. She took both graduate and undergraduate SHU students to Israel in 2008 and 2010 and taught her course there as well as at Seton Hall itself.