TEACHERS & TEACHERS' AIDES
Silvina Barna: ASE LEAD Teacher
Silvina Barna is a High School teacher at Camille Creek Community School and also teaches the GED in Spanish program at NVAE. In addition, she is a graduate and undergraduate writing tutor at Dominican University of California. Before moving to California, she taught High School and College in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her main areas of specialization are Literature, History and Culture of the English-speaking nations.
- MA in Humanities, Dominican University of California
- BA in English, BA in Translation and BA in Education, Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Single-Subject Teaching Credential in English
Sheri Carey: Business Information Worker Program Teacher
Sheri has worked in Education for 15 years. Prior to this she owned her own Medical Transcription Business. Sheri has traveled extensively and has lived both in Southeast Asia and the United States. Sheri is an educator who loves working with students of all ages; however, her passion is to help adult students grow holistically and reach the goals that they have set for themselves. Sheri's credentials focus in CTE, ESL and ASE.
- B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies (Education/English/Social Anthropology) ,University of Central Florida, Orlando;
- TESOL and TEFL Certification
- Clear Adult Education Credential CTE, ESL, ASE
Oleksandra "Sasha" Damonte-Matveienko: citizenship preparation teacher
Ukrainian-born linguist and English teacher. Fluent in Ukrainian and Russian, with some Spanish and Dutch. Sasha thrives in multicultural environments, making ESL classrooms ideal. Passionate about linguistic diversity, she studied endangered languages like Hewa (Indonesia) and Siona (Ecuador). While advocating for ESL accessibility, she believes in preserving indigenous languages. Her further aspirations are to become fluent in Spanish and continue exploring the rich mosaic of world lang-s and cultures
- BA Linguistics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- MA Linguistics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
patricia delgadillo: English as a second language teacher
Patricia was raised in a rural agricultural community in the San Joaquin Valley. In her youth, she spent several summer vacations in Jalisco, Mexico with her relatives. Prior to working at NVAE Patricia was a College Guidance Counselor and GED Instructor. She enjoys reading, writing poetry, gardening and sewing in her spare time.
- M.A. Education/ B.A. Liberal Studies-CSU Fresno State; DSEA
-
Full Teaching Credential/ESL and Elem. and Secondary Subjects
kara dohring: english as a second language teacher
Kara has over 25 years of teaching experience. She has taught in various languages settings designed for K-8 students and adults in California public schools. For the past 12 years she has been sharing her love of the Spanish language and culture with middle schoolers in St. Helena. This is her second year teaching ESL for NVAE while pursuing her TESOL Certificate from the University of San Diego. She dreams of living aboard again to immerse herself in language and culture.
- B.A. International Relations/Spanish, University of California, Davis
- Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential/ BCLAD: Spanish
- General Subjects, University of California, San Diego
- Single Subject Teaching Credential: Spanish
Maria Dowd: English as a Second Language Teacher
Maria was raised in Dublin, Ireland. She has been an ESL teacher at NVAE since 2014. She enjoys learning about different cultures and has travelled extensively throughout South East Asia and Europe. She thoroughly enjoys working with adult learners and strives to make learning fun and interactive in the classroom.
- B.A. Liberal Studies, San Francisco State University
- Adult Teaching Credential, UC Berkeley
Gerid Eastman: Welding Teacher
Gerid Eastman has been a welder for ten years and a teacher for 3 years. He served in the US Army for four years after completing high school and that's where he began is education journey. He is currently working towards his A.S. in Welding Technology. He hopes to answer all questions to make his class the best experience possible.
Vicky Emery: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Teacher
Vicky loves to teach. During the day she teaches children Spanish. At night she teaches adults English. She loves bringing people together through teaching languages.
- B.S. Human Development, University of California, Davis
Wayne Gilbert: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Teacher
Wayne has taught English at Napa High School for the last 25 plus years. He has taught English Learners throughout his career. He lives in Napa with his wife and two daughters. He has been a staff member at Adult Education for the past three years and enjoys working with the adult English Learners in our community.
- BA English, University Of California, Davis
- Teaching Credential Sonoma State University, Sonoma, CA
Talia godinez: english as a second language teacher
Talia Godinez is a dedicated 4th-grade Dual Immersion teacher, Napa Valley native, and proud Michoacana. She brings joy and connection to her classroom, creating a space where students feel inspired and engaged. In addition to teaching children, Talia finds fulfillment in working with adult learners, ensuring they enjoy every class. Her heart is full from the connections she builds and the joy of watching her students grow.
- M.A. Ed Touro University B.A. Liberal Studies SSU
- Multiple Subject Teaching Credential SSU
Kathryn gooch:
English as a Second Language Instructional Lead and Workplace Training Institute Coordinator
Kathryn has lived and traveled in many different places in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She has taught all levels of ESL in San Francisco, her native Napa, and Dallas, Texas. She loves to learn about cultures through language, food, and traditions. Her interests include theatre, British history, and cooking. Her goal is to make the classroom a fun and safe community of discovery for everyone.
- Bachelor of Arts (English), Sonoma State University
- Master of Arts (TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages),California State University Sacramento
- Adult Education Teaching Credential, University of San Diego
robin goodrich: english as a second language teacher
Robin has been an elementary classroom teacher in the Napa Valley Unified School District for many years, and retired in 2016. Soon after retiring, an opportunity arose for Robin to teach ESL classes at Adult Ed. Meeting and working with English Language Learners and celebrating their cultures has been a joy and wonderful opportunity for Robin.
- B.S. Health Education, University of Maine, Orono, Maine M.S. English Language Education, University of Maine, Orono, Maine
- California Clear Cross Cultural Language and Academic Certificate California Professional Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential
sarah gutierrez: career training education teacher
Sarah is a Napa native with 20 years of business experience. She enjoys working with adult students to prepare them for success by providing practical skills and knowledge.
- B.S. Business Administration, San Diego State University
Michele Keegan: English as a Second Language Instructional support assistant
TOM KIEHFUSS: ESL TEACHER
Tom has taught in California public schools for the last 16 years. He spent 12 years teaching 5th grade in San Rafael, CA and 4 years teaching Spanish in Kentfield, CA. Tom is an avid Spanish language learner and he and his wife Mollie sold all they had and lived in Spain for a year. They now live here in Napa and Tom is thrilled to be teaching students at NVAE.
- Dominican University Teaching Credential
- Cornish College of the Arts, BFA Acting
David Kirby: Notary Public Teacher
david@canotarytrainingcenter.
David is a certified loan signing agent and has been teaching Notary Public for over 15 years. He's been recognized for an engaging style and passion for helping students learn and receive numerous student accolades after every course.
Setting the right environment is the key to his success. David strives to make the class environment personable and cheerful. He designs courses that acknowledge the knowledge and experience that students bring with them to our course.
He demonstrates commitment to student learning by always offering personal time to further clarify and explain any materials that a student would like to later review after class.
- M.A.
- B.A.
Yvonne Mariko Martin: English as a SEcond Language Teacher
Yvonne has been working for NVAE for over 15 years. She taught for eight years at a residential care facility in American Canyon in the Older Adults Program. She then joined the ESL department to teach multi-level English classes to second language learners. Prior to NVAE, She was a substitute teacher in the Vallejo school district for junior high, high school and adult school (adult with disabilities; GED; presently in ESL classes). Yvonne is committed to her students' success daily.
- San Francisco State University
- Sonoma State University
- U.C. Berkeley Extension
Joe Macpherson: high school diploma and equivalency math teacher
Born and raised in New Jersey, near Philadelphia, Joe moved west to seek the outdoor beauty and grandeur of the California beaches, forests, and mountains. His teaching credential is from Humboldt State University and he's been teaching at NVUSD since 1994, and specifically at Napa High School since 1998.
- B.A. Mathematics, Drew University, Madison, New Jersey
Melanie Merkner: introduction to human services teacher
Melanie Merkner has been a teacher at Vintage High School for over 20 years. She specializes in Social Science and is currently the VHS Peer Support Coordinator, she teaches Psychology and U.S. History. Melanie is very excited to join the Napa Valley Adult School staff. She is a Napa resident, born and raised, and she loves being a part of this amazing community. She has a passion for getting to know new people and connecting with them.
- B.A. Social Science, California State University, Sacramento
Kerasoula Millay: Certified Nursing Assistant Teacher
Kerasoula is one of the instructors for the Certified Nursing Assistant Program. Her nursing career has been in long term care and skilled rehab. She has worked as a wound nurse for the past 12 years, and has been with NVAE since March of 2020. She enjoys teaching and mentoring our students to become the best CNAs that they can be.
- A.S.N., Vocational Nursing, Napa Valley College
lenore myers: citizenship preparation instructor
Lenore Myers teaches Citizenship Preparation in the ESL Program at NVAE. She has a Master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from University of San Francisco, and an MFA in Poetry from The Warren Wilson Program for Writers. Her first book of poetry, Regards to Balthus, will be published in 2026. She loves to hike at Skyline Park, grow tomatoes and sunflowers, and play catch with her partner and young son.
- MA - TESOL, University of San Francisco, San Francisco
- MFA - Poetry, Warren Wilson Program For Writers, Asheville
Soledad Narez: Instructional Assistant & Child Development Teacher
- A.S. Social and Behavioral Sciences
cam neal: introduction to social media teacher
Cam is a born and raised lifelong Napan, . He proudly attended all local K-12 schools . He went away to college for five years to earn his B.A. and teaching credential and returned at 23 years old to begin teaching at his alma mater, Vintage High School. He's been an ELA teacher there for the past 27 years. He is happily married to his college sweetheart and they have three grown kids.
- BA, English, University of California, Davis
jeff nelson: english as a second language teacher
Jeff has taught ESL, as well as GED prep and High School Diploma, classes at various adult schools in Northern California. He also taught adult EFL in schools and businesses in Madrid, Spain. Jeff has an Elementary Multiple Subjects Credential and a BCLAD. He has played drums/percussion in, sung in, and led, numerous musical groups and particularly loves jazz and soul music. Jeff and his wife have three really great kids.
- BA, English, University of California, Berkeley
Elisa Nigro: english as a second language teacher
Growing up in a multilingual family, Elisa was fascinated by different languages and chose a career in education to be able to share that passion with others. After 37 years of teaching in Southern California, she retired and moved to Napa. Elisa discovered that she missed working with students, and she's very happy to be back in the classroom with English Learners.
- B.A. French, University of California, Los Angeles.
- Secondary Credential French, Bilingual Cross-Cultural Emphasis: Spanish, University of California, Los Angeles
emma nyberg: english as a second language teacher
Emma student taught for one semester at a bilingual school in Petaluma, California. From there she was hired at a dual immersion school in Napa, California, where she taught both Kindergarten and 3rd grade (2019-2022) and worked as an English Coordinator at a bilingual school in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (2022-2023).
- Bachelor's Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Spanish and Education, Oregon State University
- Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with Bilingual Authorization, Sonoma State University
Kimberly Olson: High School & Academic Skill Building Teacher
Kimberly Olson has spent a lifetime teaching and learning, but only began her career as a formal educator in 2013. She teaches Special Education, ESL, Academic Skill Building, and CTE Instructional Assistant courses. She is working on her doctoral dissertation on the topic of EMF and student behaviors, and lives in Napa with her dog, cats, chickens, bearded dragon, boa constrictor, and about 2,597 hummingbirds.
- B.A. English/Creative Writing, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
- M.S. Special Education, National University, La Jolla, CA
- Ph.D. (ABD) General Education, Northcentral University, San Diego, CA.
Jack Paulson: Electrician Apprenticeship Training Director
Chuck Peckinpaugh: building & construction Teacher
Chuck has been teaching in Napa since 2006. He has held full time positions at NVLA, Capell Valley Elementary, Valley Oak HS and is currently teaching Construction Technology at American Canyon H.S. He enjoys helping high school students and adult education students in completing training that provides them with strong entry level skills for jobs in the trades. He looks forward to being involved in the continued growth of NVAE's construction program.
- A.A. San Joaquin Delta Community College
- B.S. University of San Francisco
Jennifer Reagan: CNA instructional assistant
- BS in Healthcare Administration, CNA
Helen Reavis: English as a Second Language Teacher
Helen is a long-time Napa resident and has had family involved in the wine industry for even longer. Helen enjoys travel, cooking, dancing, spending time with family and friends, reading, and discovering new places. She really enjoys teaching at the adult school.
- B.A. French, University of California, Berkeley
- Teaching Credential, Sonoma State University
evalyn rushing: career training education teacher
Sally Sabbagha: INstructional assistant class teacher
Sally has been teaching at Napa Unified for the last 15 years. In her free time, she likes to hang out with her son.
- B.A., San Francisco State
- M.A.. Cal State Hayward
Valerie Saribalis-Cole: English as a Second language teacher
Valerie retired from a 15 year teaching position as a Special Education Science teacher at Napa High (2023), and is happy to return to NVAE as an ESL instructor. She very much enjoys working with adult students because they are always positive about learning! When she isn't in the classroom she enjoys tending to her garden to create a more natural environment for wildlife, visiting the museums and the ballet in San Francisco, and spending time with her new grand daughter( born 2023)!
Ellen Schwartz: English as a Second Language Teacher
Ellen has been teaching for about 35 years. She taught children with learning disabilities and in the regular classroom (elementary) for 7 years. She was a director/teacher of EFL in Costa Rica for 2 years. Since 1995, she has taught ESL in private language schools and adult schools in the Bay Area. She has been teaching at Napa Valley Adult since 2006. During her years at Napa she has taught classes in ESL- conversation, grammar, writing, pronunciation, and beginning computer skills for ESL students.
- International Certificate in TESL/TEFL, St Giles College, SF, CA
- M.Ed.Elementary and Special Education, Lesley College, Cambridge, MA
- B.A. Psychology, Case-Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
Sam Shweiky: High School Diploma & GED Teacher
Sam is a proud Napa native who enjoyed working in the wine industry before being inspired to go back to graduate school to become a teacher. It was a great decision! He loves watching and playing sports with his son, especially when followed by post-game burgers.
- Multiple Subject Credential, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA
- Education Specialist Credential, Dominican University, San Rafael, CA
- MBA, Sonoma State University, Cotati, CA
- B.S. Management, Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA
Karla Silva: English as a Second Language Teacher
Karla has been a teacher for NVUSD for 17 years.
- B.A Cal State East Bay
- M.A Touro University
james sittler: adult basic education math teacher
Alejandra Soto: lead esl teacher
Alejandra is currently lead teacher for the ESL department at NVAE. She is passionate about teaching and supporting our students’ education. She has a bilingual Spanish/English educational background from Napa Valley College and Sonoma State University. She is obtaining a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Spanish and currently pursuing a Bilingual Teaching Credential. She is happy to support our NVAE ESL students and teachers.
- B.A. Spanish, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA.
Carolyn Staats: Certified Nursing Assistant Program Teacher
After retiring from Nursing from the State of CA for 34 years, Carolyn had the honor of being at NVAE. She has been teaching the CNA Program for 20 years, 4 years at NVAE. She also enjoys traveling, being with family, tandem skydiving and playing bassoon in the orchestra.
- Bachelors of Science in Nursing, Public Health Nurse, University of Phoenix, 2014
- Designated Subjects Adult Education Teaching Credential, Sacramento State University, 2005
- ADN Napa Valley College, 1989
- Psychiatric Technician Napa Valley College, 1981
tamara steuck: english as a second language teacher
Tamara moved to Napa in 1983 and worked as the Banquet Manager at Silverado Resort for 34 years. She also subbed for ESL classes at NVAE for about 10 of those years. After retiring, Tamara continued to substitute and is one of the teachers for the ESL classes in St. Helena, where she now lives.
-
California State University, Sonoma
Eric Treskon: CNA Instructional Support
Zahid Vargas: Adults Supporting K-12 Instructor
Zahid began his higher education at Napa Valley Community College. He was a Math volunteer tutor and always felt the passion of supporting students. That was his open door to start his career in teaching and supporting adult students. Zahid worked in K-12 education for seven years previous to working at Napa Valley Adult Education. He is really happy to teach and be part of Adult Education.
- B.A Spanish, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park
- M.A TESOL in progress, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park
Evelyn Wilson: Office Assistant Program Teacher
Evelyn was an Instructor at Empire Business College before coming to Napa Valley Adult Education. She taught everything from Basic Skills to Law. Ms. Wilson has worked for many years in education. She has taught students from preschoolers to adults, in several subject areas, and has a variety of education management and administrative experience. She has worked as an entrepreneur in family businesses, as a volunteer in community organizations, professionally as an editor and manager in legal publishing, and practicing business law.
- J.D. UC Hastings, B.A
- Business Administration & B.A. History, University of Washington