KEY STAFF AND LEADERSHIP
KEY STAFF AND LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
PATRICIA DUKES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Dukes provides oversight for all aspects of the Employment Services Training Program. Her resume includes:
Management. Managed up to 100 employees in major behavioral and medical facilities operations across the United States for the past 50 years. Many of these were associated with university programs.
Teaching. Taught at several major universities across the United States, to include the University of Hawaii-Manoa, with her most recent appointment at the John Burns School of Medicine.
Business. Owner of several businesses to include private practice as a speech language pathologist in the State of Hawaii. Has led organizations to several different accreditations including CARF Behavioral Health standards for 15 years; 5 years with NIPSA’s Level III therapeutic certification standards; and 6 years with Department of Health, managing both a Therapeutic Living Program (TLP) and a Special Treatment Facility (STF).
Clinical. Dr. Patricia J. Dukes, has engaged in clinical practices in the areas of mental health, speech pathology and audiology, and special education her entire career working with special needs children and adults diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, deaf and hard of hearing, autism, neuro-developmental disorders, and other mental health disorders, since 1966.
Vocational Training. Dr. Dukes has engaged in the supervision of both pre-vocational and vocational training activities for over 20 years. She has both created and supervised the career paths at Loveland Academy. She has been trained in aquaponic and hydroponic farming and holds a Serv-Safe certificate for training restaurant workers to safely handle food. She supervises all aspects of the CARF accredited Employment Services Training Program and has led the program through successful CARF certifications since 2001.
KATHRYN HURD, CURRICULUM COORDINATOR and MANAGER
Kathryn (Katie) has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a Master of Science degree in cell and molecular biology with an emphasis in genetics from the University of Hawaii-Manoa. She has three years of experience teaching at the university level as a teaching assistant in microbiology. She has written curriculum for all areas of plant management, aquaponic and hydroponic farming, composting, vermaculture, fish husbandry and safe application of herbicides and pesticides. She also led our team through the successful certification of our nursery under the Good Agricultural Practices protocol (GAP). Additionally, Katie started our Farm to Table Bistro and successfully got it licensed as a commercial kitchen through the Department of Health. She is Serv-Safe trained and is developing a curriculum to help others obtain this certification.
JULIE WIGGETT, BUSINESS AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Julie has a degree in English with a major in Written Communications. Previously a realtor and builder, Julie has provided Administrative Leadership to businesses for over 15 years. Currently she manages all aspects of our financial department, as well as supervises the career paths for students learning retail and on-line sales, merchandising, marketing, advertising, office skills and general business management. She guides student interns and volunteers as they learn to take inventory; to prepare lists of products to be ordered; to receive and check in new inventory from vendors; to label and price products; to stock the shelves and to prepare merchandise to be sold in ways appealing to customers. She also manages our on-line business.
KEY STAFF
Professionals are available to guide learning in every area of career development. Current instructors have backgrounds in the areas of: cell and molecular biology, horticulture, sustainable agriculture, psychology, child development, teaching, nutrition, accounting, outdoor education, cosmetology, welding, building trades, culinary arts, written communication, business administration, building trades, organization and leadership, art, ceramics, textiles, floral design and photography.
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KAREN KALAWE
Karen has been an employee of Loveland Academy for 17 years. She worked with Dr. Dukes in her private practice as a skills trainer before she started at Loveland Academy when it opened its doors in 1999. Karen has worked with our youth and young adults in many areas. Initially, she served as a teacher assistant in the classroom, working with children and teens with developmental disabilities. Currently she teaches office skills and restaurant skills. Karen also serves as Loveland Academy's Intake Coordinator and is the person who makes initial contact with all prospective students. |
JENNIFER TANO
Jennifer has worked at Loveland Academy since right after it opened its doors in 1999 and has served Loveland Academy and its clients for 16 years. She has recently been teaching clients both pre-vocational and vocational skills related to working in the nursery's gift shop and restaurant. Pre-vocational skills include the teaching of time management, organization, oral and written communication skills, work ethic, sanitation and cleanliness, work safety rules, safe food handling practices and customer service.
Jen's teaching of vocational skills in the gift shop include working the POS machine and credit card machines; counting the drawer prior to and after each shift; taking inventory; labeling and pricing; merchandising products to have customer appeal; maintaining cleanliness in the floral design, gift shop and on-line sales areas; caring for gift plants; checking in merchandise and stocking shelves.
Jen's teaching of skills in the bistro include food preparation, safe food handling practices, taking orders, delivering food, cleaning dishes and kitchen to commercial kitchen standards and serving food to customers.
Jennifer has worked at Loveland Academy since right after it opened its doors in 1999 and has served Loveland Academy and its clients for 16 years. She has recently been teaching clients both pre-vocational and vocational skills related to working in the nursery's gift shop and restaurant. Pre-vocational skills include the teaching of time management, organization, oral and written communication skills, work ethic, sanitation and cleanliness, work safety rules, safe food handling practices and customer service.
Jen's teaching of vocational skills in the gift shop include working the POS machine and credit card machines; counting the drawer prior to and after each shift; taking inventory; labeling and pricing; merchandising products to have customer appeal; maintaining cleanliness in the floral design, gift shop and on-line sales areas; caring for gift plants; checking in merchandise and stocking shelves.
Jen's teaching of skills in the bistro include food preparation, safe food handling practices, taking orders, delivering food, cleaning dishes and kitchen to commercial kitchen standards and serving food to customers.
LUCILLE MORELLI
Lucy (on left in above picture) has been an art teacher at Loveland Academy almost since its inception. For 16 years, students in Miss Lucy's art classes have developed self-esteem and self-confidence as they have engaged in the therapeutic activity of pounding, molding and modeling with clay. Students in her ceramics classes have produced many items for sale in the gift shop including, pots, vases, garden markers, and decorative plaques and ornaments. Recently, a grand opening of Loveland Academy art work, in the form of mosaic tiles, was held at the Keiki Zoo entrance at the Honolulu Zoo. Lucy and her Loveland Academy students are currently working on a set of three massive mosaic tile scenes (animals on land, in the air and in the water) which will adorn the wall of the student's outdoor learning center at Waiahole Nursery & Garden Center. Lucy, herself, is an accomplished artist. She was won awards for Raku and has designed many textile and fabric prints, many of which have been made into clothing and sold locally. She has an art degree with an emphasis in textiles.
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ELENA HAMM
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Elena has been a teacher at Loveland Academy for over 15 years. She received her degree in education from Brigham Young University. Elena began her career as a preschool teacher at Central Union Church and later became a kindergarten teacher in the Hawaii Department of Education. She has worked as a special education resource teacher in the DOE for elementary grades, as well as at Loveland Academy. In recent years, Elena has been teaching vocational education to older youth and young adults with special needs. She has a long history of working with young adults, both typically developing college students and young college graduates as interns and student teachers, as well as with special needs youth and young adults. She has been an instructor, supervisor and role model to those young adults learning to become skills trainers and personal assistants.
Her role in our vocational education training program has been varied, teaching child development, culinary arts,
commercial arts and crafts (making items for sale in our gift shop, including flower lei and greeting cards), as well as housekeeping skills.
MARK MASAKI
Mark has been with Loveland Academy for over a decade. He has a degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has many years of experience as a skills trainer. Mark began with Loveland Academy in 2005 working with typical preschool children in the Lokahi Montessori Preschool. Later he began working with special needs children, youth and young adults as a skills trainer. He has been a role model for many young and inexperienced skills trainers and has proven his ability to lead them, both as a trainer and as a role model. In the current program, Mark provides vocational training to youth and young adults with disabilities, training them to work in the nursery, gift shop and bistro.
ANDREW FOX
Andy, who has his masters degree in education, has been with Loveland Academy for over 11 years. Over this time, he has taught elementary through high students. He currently teaches in the vocational program, providing instruction and mentorship to youth and young adults, primarily in the areas of nursery plants, yard and landscape maintenance, aquaponics and culinary arts. His expertise is in hands-on teaching, combining academics in interesting ways with vocational education to motivate students to learn. Andy also has experience training new skills trainers and personal assistants (and takes on a supervisory and leadership role in teaching interns, volunteers and new skills trainers) as they learn to work with youth and young adults with special needs.
MICHAEL PACCIONE
Mike is often asked to share his expertise in nursery plants, as well as in culinary arts, with our interns, volunteers and students. This is Mike's 5th year with Loveland Academy's Vocational Training Program in Waiahole. He previously worked for Dr. Dukes off site. Mike, who has his degree in psychology, is comfortable being a mentor to both typical adults and those with special needs. Mike has knowledge of native Hawaiian plants, canoe plants, edible plants, orchids and fruit trees. He is also experienced in aquaponics and took coursework in aquaponics at Windward Community College. With Dr. Dukes, Mike set up the aquaponic system we use to train our students, young and old.
ROBBIE CURRIE
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Robbie mentors volunteers, interns and students in the areas of building trades and maintenance. He has experience in all areas of building and has led many of the recent building projects on campus. When possible, he allows students to observe and to take an active role in his on-going projects. He also helps design projects, acquires materials and takes a leadership role getting projects started. He has been able to incorporate our adults with disabilities into building projects as they are able. This may be prepping the work area, cleaning up or carrying materials needed for the job. Students like working with Robbie and take pride in seeing the finished projects. Interns from other countries have learned to build aquaponic systems with Robbie's help and have taken their newly gained knowledge back to their countries with the idea of starting sustainable farms.
THERAPY STAFF
As mentioned previously in this website, the Loveland Academy Program delivers services to both typical students and to those with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities. The following therapists have been involved with our program for many years. Other therapists are available to assist as needed.
DR. GEORGE BERGHOLZ, MENTAL HEALTH and ART THERAPIST
Dr. "George", as he is affectionately called by staff and students alike, has his doctoral degree in psychology and is one of the only (if not the only) practicing art therapists in the state of Hawaii. He is also trained in martial arts. Dr. Bergholz uses a combination of methods and strategies to reach a wide variety of clients and address their concerns. He has been working with Loveland Academy students off and on for the past 17 years. Dr. Bergholz uses both individual and group therapy with students to address their mental health needs, as requested. He is very open to self referral. He works with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation so he knows the skills and behaviors that are needed to successfully compete in today's workforce. Dr. George targets those goals as well as any others that the individual student requests help with, including those that affect social and emotional life, both at home and in the community. Additionally, he has expertise in addressing the student's recreational and leisure time skills as needed or requested. Through art and other therapies, Dr. Bergholz is able to address a unique variety of issues, including those related to history of abuse, PTSD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, adult ADHD, and developmental disabilities. He has truly made a significant difference in the lives of many of our clients. It is truly amazing how far some of our clients have come. Many, who were previously thought to be unemployable, now have steady jobs with good benefits and an above average quality of life.
LEONORA CHING, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Leonora has spent a lifetime working in the field of mental health as an occupational therapist. She has worked in psychiatric hospitals, day treatment programs and in residential treatment facilities helping clients with mental health issues address their occupational, vocational, emotional and daily living needs. She has worked with Loveland Academy students for several years and her treatment has been successful for a wide variety of mental health diagnoses. She currently works with Loveland Academy interns, volunteers, staff and students as they all work alongside one another in an inclusive work environment. Leonora knows how to model appropriate work skills, as well as teach them directly. She has been highly successful in helping our young adult clients with autism to gain the skills necessary to enter the workforce and compete for jobs. Leonora is internationally known as the "Pickle Lady" and has been interviewed in magazines and on television. She has her own cookbooks and is in high demand for doing cooking demonstrations for a wide range of events. We are proud to have had her mentoring our students for the past 6 years.
DR. PATRICIA DUKES, SLP/CCC, SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGIST
Sometimes, students have speech articulation or language issues that create a barrier to employment. Other times, their speech and language skills are adequate, but they lack the social language skills necessary to interview well, get a job and then keep the job after they have been hired. Communication in the workplace is a difficult skill to master, even for workers who do not have any diagnosed speech, language or communication issues. Dr. Dukes uses a hands-on approach, working with each client as s/he directly faces the communication challenge in the workplace. She believes that teaching these skills outside the natural context is not worthwhile and that students cannot learn workplace communication skills in a therapy room. Dr. Dukes has 50 years of successful experience helping her clients master the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace. Her extensive experience is cited elsewhere in the leadership section of this website. Additionally, since speech communication skills are used throughout the day across all life scenarios, Dr. Dukes also teaches those who live and work with her clients to communicate with them more effectively. She knows that communication is a "two-way street" and that all persons in the client's environment should be trained in ways that will encourage successful communication.