PATRICIA EGGLESTON, Adult Basic Education and GED Program Coordinator
patricia.e@oaklandliteracy.com
Patricia brings many years of experience teaching and leading educational programs in disadvantaged communities for youth and adults who want to finish their high school diploma or earn a GED. With master’s degrees in educational leadership and organizational management from Madonna University, as well as a school administrator’s certificate, Patricia is a believer in finding innovative solutions to educational challenges and fostering positive relationships to improve learner outcomes. In her present role, she helps train volunteer GED, reading, and math tutors, orients students to the tutoring program, and provides ongoing support to tutors and students.
AMY ELWERT, ESL Program Coordinator
Amy is enthusiastic about helping adults reach their academic and personal goals by using her social work training and previous work experience in higher education. Prior to joining Oakland Literacy Council, Amy served as a volunteer tutor, helped connect English language learners with academic support as a paraprofessional at Oakland Community College, and helped refugees access transportation, childcare, health care and other resources. She recognizes the key role that secondary language development plays in refugees’ and immigrants’ resettlement and integration in a new environment. Amy earned a master’s degree in social work in 2022 at Wayne State University and is currently pursuing a licensed Master of Social Work. Amy’s role with the Oakland Literacy team includes onboarding new English language learners, training volunteers to tutor these learners, and supporting the pairs during their work together.
LISA MACHESKY, Executive Director
Lisa has over two decades of experience leading nonprofits in Oakland County and has been involved in many nonprofit organizations as a board member and volunteer. She previously served as executive director of The Baldwin Center in Pontiac and executive director of the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition. Lisa is passionate about growing nonprofit organizations and establishing connections between them and the communities they serve. Currently, she is focused on expanding Oakland Literacy Council’s capacity to meet the demand for literacy instruction in Oakland County, where an estimated 105,000 adults are considered functionally illiterate, and even more residents lack basic math skills. Lisa holds an MBA from Oakland University and a bachelor’s degree from Albion College. She has been with OLC since 2017. Named a 2023 Aspen Institute Detroit Workforce Academy Fellow, Lisa has been instrumental to the growth of the organization over the last decade.
LUCIA PRUNEDA-ALVAREZ, ESL Program Coordinator
A native of Mexico, Lucia combines her personal experience as an immigrant and her professional background as a teacher to her present role. At Oakland Literacy Council, Lucia uses her Spanish-speaking skills to help connect members of the local Hispanic community with volunteer tutors who can provide English lessons. With a PhD in biomedical science, Lucia worked as a high school science teacher and researcher in Mexico and Europe before moving to the United States with her husband and children.
PATRICIA SHAYNE, Digital Literacy Coordinator
The intersection of education and technology has been a core part of Patti’s career for over two decades. She has served as the director of technology for the Frankel Academy and Edison Schools. Currently, Patti is also an adult educator for the Troy School District, supporting adult students as they seek to obtain their GED. She holds a master’s degree in Adult and Continuing Education and a BS in Kinesiology and Biology and from Michigan State University. She has a State of Michigan Teaching Certification, a Library Media Specialist Endorsement from Wayne State University, and a G-Suite for Education Certification from Google. In her present role with OLC, Patti provides trains digital literacy tutors and provides computer and Internet instruction for our learners and coordinates the laptop program.
SOUAD SARAKBI, Data and Assessment Coordinator
Souad, a new U.S. citizen, came to the United States as a refugee from Syria. She speaks both Arabic and English. In Syria, Souad was a practicing attorney. She is a certified CASAS e-test coordinator and proctor and has served as an administrative assistant for the Troy Adult Education TRAC program. Souad recently completed Comprehensive Overview of Immigration Law, a course taught by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. In addition to her legal background, Souad holds an MA in Social Justice from Marygrove College. At OLC, she is responsible for intake, student testing, and managing data, including monthly instructional hour reporting.
ANGIE RIGHTER, Financial Coordinator
Angie a professional with both education and finance experience. For the past decade Angie used her Elementary Education and Teaching degree from Oakland University as an early education teacher but returned to her finance roots in 2023 when she was hired as the OLC Financial Coordinator. As the Financial Coordinator, she brings over 15 years of combined experience in accounting, banking and non-profit finance. Her skills in budgeting, fund accounting, and financial statement preparation and analysis allow her to navigate the complexities of Oakland Literacy Council’s financial tasks with confidence and precision. In addition to her BBA in Business from the University of Georgia and a MBA from Arizona State University, she has participated in non-profit development education as well as recently completing Quick Books Online certification. This knowledge has contributed to the efficiency and integrity of the OLC financial management.
LAURIE WEEKS, Program Director
Laurie Weeks, the former tutor coordinator, is now the Program Director who oversees program staff and develops new programming. Laurie first came to OLC in 2015 as a volunteer tutor. Prior to that time, she was a journalist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Dow Jones News Service. Laurie also taught composition at Oakland Community College and served as a writing and ESL tutor in the OCC Academic Support Center. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Spalding University and a BA in English from the University of Michigan. She also has a Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)/ Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). In her present role, Laurie is leading an effort sponsored by the State of Michigan to develop an Integrated Education and Training (IET) program for entry-level manufacturing for new immigrants. She also continues to volunteer her time as an ESL tutor.
Contract Trainers:
DINAH RAMIREZ, Tutor Trainer
Dinah was motivated to become a volunteer tutor at the Oakland Literacy Council based on her experience as a child of immigrants. Dinah is an experienced instructional designer and consultant with 17 years of combined work experience in product training, implementation, sales, account management, and customer success. She holds an MBA from Wayne State University and a BA in Sociology (specializing in Economy, Business and Society) with a minor in Applied Statistics from the University of Michigan. At OLC, Dinah leads training for ESL tutors.
TIFFANY VOJNOVSKI, Tutor Trainer
Tiffany draws upon her personal passion for learning new languages and her professional experience as a teacher and instructional designer in her role as tutor trainer. Tiffany began her career as an instructor for English language learners, has had classroom teaching experience at the middle-school level, and tutors English language learners privately. A former volunteer tutor for OLC, Tiffany has worked as an instructional designer for corporate training entities including GP Strategies and SweetRush, creating web-based and instructor-led training programs for corporations throughout the country. Tiffany leads OLC training for ESL tutors.
