Course Listing - by Instructor

NameBiography
Ethan Allen

Ethan Allen is an avid photographer and member of the Allen's Camera family business.
Rex Allen

Rex Allen is an avid photographer and part of the Allen's Camera family business.
Carrie Ashcraft Carrie Ashcraft is a Lecturer at Utah Valley University. Her research interests include Teacher Performance Assessments, community building which respects individual, family, and community Funds of Knowledge, and promoting equitable academic practices and access within public schools. Previously, she taught secondary English, History, and mathematics in Idaho and Utah for 15 years and composition at Utah Valley University. Follow her on Twitter: @CarrieAshcraft1
Amy Austin Amy Austin has over 13 years experience in floral design and stays on the cutting edge of fashion and trends. Amy has worked as a designer on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, and now owns Bloomique an Event Florist, and travels the world creating floral masterpieces.
Kellan Baird

Kellan Baird is a professional educator with over 29 years of teaching experience. He has taught woodworking and construction skills to students ranging from middle school to post-secondary. Currently, he is the program coordinator/associate professor for the Cabinetry and Architectural Woodworking program at UVU. Kelly graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Industrial Education and owns and operates a cabinet/furniture shop on the side with 20+ years of experience. He also was a licensed general contractor and enjoys building custom homes and furniture.
Cheska Banez

Cheska Banez is an Art Education Major at Utah Valley University who is passionate about using her talents to help elementary kids reach their best potential. Cheska started exploring the visual arts at the young age of 5 and has since then developed skills in graphite, charcoal, vector art, acrylic, and oil painting. Her love for teaching began at age 12 when she started teaching at church. She continues to practice this craft even in past jobs as a tutor and now as full time ESL teacher to students ages 3-11 years old. She loves the arts and hopes to help ignite a creative spark in the young generation right away, so that the treasures of imagination and honesty will never fade away.
Brett Barker Brett Barker was born and raised in Provo, Utah. He has worked as a software tester for multiple companies in Utah County over the last 10 years, and has been teaching the Extended Education Principals of Software Testing for the last 3 years. Brett lives in Lehi with his wife of 12 years, and their 4 cats. He enjoys reading, watching movies and playing video games in his spare time.
Connie Barker
Hayley Barry Hayley Barry is a hand-lettering artist and calligrapher from Provo UT. Hayley has been working as a freelance lettering artist for the past 2 years and has a background in teaching private hand-lettering workshops as well as teaching for Calligraphy.org. She has done lettering art and calligraphy for clients all over the United States.
Daniel Bean
Gilbert Bennett

Gilbert Bennett has been painting professionally for the past twenty-six years. Gil has a lifelong love with the subjects he paints --trains. Gil's passion for painting trains developed from his relationship with his grandfather a freight agent for the Chicago & North Western Railroad. His talent of drawing grew over the years and migrated toward architecture in relation to his study of architecture; and currently holds M.A. from the University of Utah.

Gil has been painting in both watercolor and oil for close to thirty years. He was commissioned to do 30 paintings, for a company in Minneapolis, mostly of railroad subjects. Gil has painted wildlife, landscape, western art and portraits and his paintings have graced book and magazine covers, articles, calendars and Christmas Cards. In 1999, Railway Reflections was published which is a history of railroads in Utah illustrated using Gil's paintings. Gil currently lives with his wife and four sons in Saratoga Springs, Utah.

Cassie Bingham
Miriam Bowen
Jeff Breglio
Braun Butterfield
Jennifer Call Jennifer Call is a Lecturer of Autism Studies at Utah Valley University. She has taught Special Education in Texas, at an elementary school and in Utah at a residential treatment center for adolescents. She has also worked with families and individuals with autism in their home as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.
Kim Cardwell
Shelby Carroll Shields
Laurie Cerroni
Jenny Cook
Suzy Cox Suzy Cox is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Utah Valley University specializing in Educational Psychology and Technology Integration. Her research and professional interests include learner-centered teaching, differentiation with technology, and educational neuroscience. She has presented at the international Learning & the Brain conference on the use of technology to promote creativity and higher-order thinking and is a passionate advocate for arts programs for children.
Lianna Crosby
Ryan Davis
Chad Deavers
Karla Eagle

Karla Eagle was the owner/manager of La Paella Gourmet Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico. She was a chef/instructor at the Gourmet International Food in Mexico City Mexico. Owner/manager Tortes Mexicana’s I and II in Mexico City Mexico. She has had extensive background in the cooking preparation of Mexican food for many years. The diplomas that she has received from different cooking schools are:
Gastronomy diploma, (Lopez y Gomez Gourmet) Madrid and Malaga, Spain
Spanish Gourmet Cuisine diploma, (Lopez y Gomez Gourmet) Madrid, Spain
International Cuisine diploma (Escuela de Gastronomia- Lefty Gordon) Mexico City, Mexico
Mukimono diploma (Escuela de Gastronomia – Lefty Gordon) Mexico City, Mexico
Spanish Cake Decorating and Sugar confections diploma (Alta Cocona- Bety Zozayacorrea) Mexico City, Mexico
Mark Edwards
Nikki (Nadira) Ekenstam
Marlin Eldred Marlin Eldred has vast experience in municipal, county and private economic development. Specifically, he has served over 16 years helping private and public entities expand their economic programs. Most recently, he is the Economic Development Director of Lehi City, where he is responsible for business retention and recruitment, downtown revitalization, community engagement and helping to create a better quality of life for Lehi residents. He is also the President and CEO of Economic Development Planning Group where he has worked with numerous rural communities and counties in the State of Utah. Projects include contract negotiations, Economic Development Strategic Planning, meeting facilitation and consensus building, Community Development Area Creation, Sales Tax Leakage Study and more. With his diverse background Mr. Eldred can help municipalities determine the realities of where they are at with economic development, create a feasible path and generate goals to accomplish desired outcomes. Relationship building and a defined path are two critical keys to success. He is married to the love of his life, Jill, and they have four wonderful children and one grandchild. He enjoys being in the outdoors with family.
Liz Evans
Garth Fielding
Joshua Forsyth Joshua Forsyth has been a paramedic for 15 years and worked 14 of those years for Provo City Fire where he was also a member of the education committee and head of the critical care committee.

After earning his RN, he worked in the Shock Trauma ICU and ED at the Intermountain Medical Center. He has taught in UVU's paramedic program for 7 years where he was also the coordinator for the CCEMTP course. Currently Josh is a flight nurse for AirMed and is a member of the education committee.

He is married to Saint Amy whose three miracles include putting up with Josh for 14 years, mothering 5 kids (all of whom have obvious "Josh" traits), and staying incredibly gorgeous after living for 14 years with the aforementioned tribulations.

Susan Guinn
Holli Harris Holli Harris has been practicing mindfulness for 8 years. In 2016, she obtained her yoga and meditation certification in India. Soon after, Holli founded Elevate Corporate Wellness, an organization dedicated to helping corporations create wellness programs rooted in mindfulness and yoga. Holli has taught Elevate's curriculum for over 20 companies and organizations including Nature's Sunshine Products, Vivint Smart Home, and Associated Food Stores. Holli has continued her education through Google's Search Inside Yourself mindfulness training, the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course, and the Sacred Falls Meditation Center on Oahu.
Emily Hedrick
Amber Hendrickson
Mike Howard
Thomas Howard
Sandra Hughes
Jeff Hutchinson

Jeff Hutchinson has a BS degree from BYU in Computer Aided Engineering and has worked for many years in the Information Technology field supporting and maintaining computers. He also owned a computer training and consulting firm in San Francisco, California. After selling his business in 2001, he has worked as a computer applications instructor throughout the country teaching a variety of classes, such as: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote), Project, Visio, Publisher, PowerPivot, Excel Visual Basic, Adobe Products (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and Acrobat), Project Management Techniques, Office 365, Lotus Notes, Crystal Reports (database reporting), Microsoft Access, HTML programming, Cascade Style Sheets, Dreamweaver, Trivantis Lectora (elearning development), and Camtasia (video editing).
Kelley Ingols
Ensemble Instructor Team
Seth Iorg

Seth Iorg and Simply Coding have put on summer camps for kids for the last 3 summers at various locations and taught well over 1000 of our youth how to code. Before Simply Coding, Seth was running an online company hiring and managing programmers. That is when he and a friend got the idea to start teaching coding to kids! Since then he has written courses for kids to learn how to code in JavaScript, Java, HTML, CSS, Swift, and PHP & Python. Simply Coding’s courses are in Charter Schools throughout the valley and with home schooler’s nationwide. The best way to learn is to get the students excited about creating and coding their own ideas. Our camps and courses are all project-based tutorials that give kids a great foundation to use as a resource for them to start developing custom programs.
Jennifer Jenkins

With her degree in History and Secondary Education, Jennifer Jenkins had every intention of teaching teens to love George Washington, the Napoleonic Wars, and Ancient Sparta...until the writing began. Author of Young Adult fantasy and co-founder of Teen Author Boot Camp, she divides her time between reading, writing music, taking spontaneous trips, and researching random events from the past. NAMELESS, a Young Adult tribal fantasy, releases October 6, 2015 with Month9Books. She is represented by Amy Jameson. Visit Jennifer at jajenkins.com
Charlie Jensen
Kathy Jensen Kathy Jensen has been in the real estate business for 16 years. She has owned her own company for 13 years specializing in assisting first-time home buyers. Her philosophy is to teach before and during the home buying process.
Jacob Kent
Cameron Knudsen
Jim Kohler
Cynthia Krebs
Sharee Laidlaw
Hannah Lambert
Natasha LeBaron
Carlie Leavitt
Jennifer Mangum-Whaley
Susan Martin
Christopher Martinez
Lilian Matheson
Marynika Miche
Kaleb Money
Roberto Morales
Clayton Morgan Clayton Morgan has been a landlord for seven years and owns multiple rental properties. Prior to owning properties he worked as a contractor and construction project manager for over ten years, which included management of commercial properties for institutions and corporations. Clayton also draws on his experience working for municipalities where he authored zoning and design codes.
Theresa Morin Theresa Morin is a certified crystal healer and explores of all forms of energy healing. In 2003, she realized the quality of one's life was directly related to one's emotional health. Theresa developed a unique approach to emotional healing with the crystal bowls. The crystal bowl experience is unique and fun and will stay with you for days! The mesmerizing sound of the crystal bowls brings you effortlessly into a deep state of relaxation while it balances your body and brings your vibrational energy into alignment. Your mind, emotions, and physical body will follow into a wonderful, peaceful, and balanced state. Join Theresa today to begin your healing journey.
Leisa Mukai
Guy Nelson

Guy Nelson has been a woodcarver for over 30 years and enjoys teaching people how to make their own characters. He has taught hundreds of boy scouts and carved over 6,400 scout bolos.
Katie Nelson
Leif Erik Nielson
Tyler Pack

Tyler Pack has taught Italian in some degree or another for the last 8 years of his life. After an LDS mission to North Central Italy, Tyler graduated with a BFA in Illustration and a BA in Italian at BYU. During his undergraduate degrees he taught Italian 102, 201, and Conversation Classes, as well as worked and studied in Siena, Italy during the spring of 2006.

After undergraduate work, Tyler graduated with an MA in Italian (Emphasis in Art History and Communication) from Middlebury College's Satellite Program in Florence, Italy, taking classes from both Middlebury and the University of Florence. Thesis defended: The Demonic Iconography of The Divine Comedy.
Amanda Parramoure
Bobbi Pendell
Shantel Price
Joe Putnam
Jeff Reynolds
Beverly Richards Schulz
Ellen Richey
Erin Riggs Enjoys teaching and seeing the creativity in all of us

Erin Riggs recently moved to Utah from Portland, Oregon, to join UVU as the University Herbarium/Plant Museum Curator. She works with UVU to fulfill their mission as a teaching institution building lifelong learners and leaders. In addition to botanical science and outdoors she has an artistic side. Erin's favorite people are inquisitive lifelong learners, volunteers and citizen scientists.

Erin worked in a 2-year Apprenticeship, learning tapestry techniques including American, Gobelin and Aubusson with Master Tapestry artist Pam Patrie. pampatriestudios@yahoo.com

Through Erin's over 12 years weaving experience she has taken many continuing education weaving classes, offered through private instructors including: floor loom, rigid heddle loom, color in weaving, iridescence, fiber types, spinning. Erin also has fun with off-loom weaving techniques of traditional North American flat braiding Inkle loom (band weaving). And she likes weaving historic fabrics.
Holly Robbins

Holly Robbins has been a beginning Russian instructor for the last 25 years. She is also an editor/copywriter by day and a singer/songwriter performer by night. She has five kids and lives just up the street from UVU.
With Russian's unfamiliar sounds and written characters, Russian can initially seem overwhelming to a lot of beginning students, especially if you've ever tried to go it alone. My approach is to meet you right where you're at and to show you that 1) you know more about learning any foreign language than you may currently realize, and 2) it is significantly more enjoyable and doable with someone who makes it enjoyable. Whether you're planning a trip to Russia, want a fun bonding activity with a friend, sibling or teen or are hoping to understand your Russian in-laws better, this class is for you!
Wendy Shapero
Melynn Sheet
Jason Slack

Jason V Slack, PhD is the Associate Dean - College of Science and Health at Utah Valley University. He received his doctorate in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Utah, masters in Physical Education at Brigham Young University, and his bachelors in Physical Education from Southern Utah University. He has been a wellness consultant for Neways International and is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine. He has served as coach for several teams and honorably served in the Utah National Guard. He has written and presented extensively on wellness and exercise.
Don Smith

Award winning Pipe Major Don Smith has studied with some of the world’s premier pipers. He has over 30 years of experience playing and instructing on the Great Highland Bagpipe. Don is a professional educator, and has traveled extensively performing, and refining his craft. He loves to meet new people, and enjoys helping them discover their hidden talents, and untapped abilities through learning to play, and perform on this unique and culturally rich instrument.
Judy Sommerfeldt

Judy Sommerfeldt is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a major in English and a minor in French. She taught secondary education after earning her bachelor's degree. Books have always been an important part of her life but it was in a calligraphy workshop eighteen years ago that she was introduced to the beauty and joy of handmade books. Since that time she has taken every opportunity to study and learn the art and craft of making one-of-a-kind book structures. She currently teaches bookbinding at BYU.
Jim Spainhower
Center Stage Staff
Ginelle Swenson
Ovidia Tarin
Katie Taylor
Doris Trujillo Doris Hudson Trujillo, has had a varied career in the arts and education. An accomplished choreographer Hudson Trujillo has presented her works internationally and will be returning to NYC this fall to present her work Journey on the Wave Rising Festival. She served as the Dance Consultant to the Utah State Board of Education and President of the Utah Dance Education Organization. Doris is an Associate Professor of Dance at Utah Valley University.
Summer Valente
Violeta Vasilevska
Trevor Warburton Trevor Warburton is an assistant professor of secondary education at Utah Valley University. He is especially interested in building capacity in teachers to infuse equity practices into their daily teaching, with an emphasis in mathematics. He taught high school mathematics in rural Colorado. He has also taught mathematics and teacher education at various community colleges and the University of Utah and worked in Jordan School District as math coach for the special education department. Follow him on Twitter: @twarburton80
Jonathan Westover
Hannah Williams-Schindler

Hannah Schindler is a UVU graduate with a BA in Spanish. She served a Spanish speaking mission in Minnesota for the LDS faith. She is a snowboarder and enjoys climbing, biking, and anything outdoors.
Hilda Woodbury
Kassandra Worsley
Billy Wright

Billy Wright joined the UVU country dance team "Fire and Ice" in 2001 and enjoyed competing as a team and individually in Texas two-step and West Coast Swing. The Fire and Ice dance team traveled from California to Canada and took first place in many competitions. He took 2nd place in a lead follow two step competition in Las Vegas Nevada in 2004. Since 2001 he has taken various dance classes in Ballroom and Country swing at BYU and UVU. He was a teaching assistant at BYU for a couple years and a teacher for a few semesters. He has also taught and competed Jack and Jill (lead and follow) West Coast swing locally and in California since 2005 and has placed in a couple of different venues. He began teaching for UVU in 2010 and has enjoyed teaching here ever since. He also enjoys teaching for church, business and community groups as well. Dancing has always been a passion of his and his goal is to get as many couples dancing as possible.
Sofia Ybarra

Sofia Ybarra was born and raised in Utah. She completed her BA in Community Health Education at UVU and TESOL certification at Anaheim University. Sofia loves teaching ESL in UVU's Professional and Continuing Education program. It's great to meet such diverse people, and it makes her so happy to know she can help them learn a skill that will help them improve their lives.
Jeanne Zimerle Jeanne Zimerle graduated from Lehi High and spent most of her adult years living in Phoenix, Arizona. She worked at high end resorts planning and executing theme and décor parties and activities for convention groups for 18 years. She has a passion for design and it has been a big part of her life. Her 6 week course teaches all the basic fundamentals that go into creating a beautiful and functional home.