Central Lakes College recently announced the hiring of six full-time
instructors – three in English, three in mathematics -- for the 2012-13
academic year. Selected
for the English posts were CLC adjuncts Lori-Beth Larsen and Adam Marcotte of
Brainerd and Brandy Hoffmann, a writing studies instructor at the University of
Minnesota-Duluth. Selected for the mathematics posts
were CLC adjunct Anne Nelson-Fisher of Brainerd, Mamfe Osafo of Mankato, and
Deana Bobzien of Kewanee, Ill.
Larsen has taught at
CLC for three years and has over 15 years’ experience in education. She earned
her Master of Arts in English from St. Cloud State University and a bachelor’s
degree in music from the University of Hawaii. She began her career in
Minneapolis as a teacher of English as a Second Language.
Marcotte is in his second year at
CLC. His experience includes eight years in upstate New York as a
secondary-level English teacher and six years at a U.S.-based community and
technical college for American service members in Asia. He holds a master’s in
English literature from State University of New York at Cortland. His English
BA is from Ithaca College.
Hoffmann, a 1993 Brainerd High
School graduate, in 2011 earned an Outstanding Teaching Award from the UMD
College of Liberal Arts. In 2005 she received a $5,000 graduate assistant
fellowship based on demonstrated talent and interest in English studies. She
earned her master’s from UMD in 2005. She was a graduate instructor from 2003-2005 (while earning her MA in English) and
was then promoted to full time instructor in the Department of Writing Studies. She has taught full time for the UMD Writing Studies Department for seven years.
Nelson-Fisher has been an adjunct
instructor at CLC from 1998-2005 and 2007-present. She also served as a
long-term substitute teacher for Advanced Placement calculus in the Brainerd
School District (2011) and was a University of Iowa graduate teaching assistant
from 1994-97. She earned her BA in mathematics from the College of St. Benedict
and her master’s degree from the University of Iowa.
Osafo has been a math instructor in
the Mathematics and Statistics Department of Minnesota State University,
Mankato, teaching algebra and developmental mathematics. In 2006-07 he was an
assistant statistician for the Ghana Statistical Service Ministries. Osafo’s degrees
are from MSU (masters in math, statistics option) and University of Cape Coast
Ghana (bachelors).
Bobzien
has been a mathematics professor at Black Hawk College in Keanee, Ill., since
2002. From 2005-10 she served as co-chair of the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department. She has held teaching posts at Springfield College (Ill.),
Williamsville High School (Ill.), and Rochester Junior and Senior High (Ill.). Bobzien
earned a master’s in math education from the University of Illinois at
Springfield and a bachelor’s from Western Illinois University.