Adult Education Instructor

Contact: fred.banschbach@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Contact: jbooth0041@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Contact: jcarroll0085@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Jaime graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2007 with a B.A. in Philosophy and earned his Master's in History in 2013 from NKU. He began teaching History here at Gateway in 2013 and also working in Kenton County Adult Ed. shortly after. Jaime enjoys teaching a variety of subjects and helping our GED students move forward with their personal and academic goals. 

Contact: jaime.crouch@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Contact: sdevillez0002@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Director

Gina started with Gateway in October 2018. She was hired as a Career Navigator and quickly established herself as a leader in the community. In 2023, Gina was appointed by Gateway as the Director of Adult Education. She has a long history of dedication to students and making sure that they succeed. Her passion is helping adults achieve their educational dreams! Gina says, "I love watching and supporting the amazing life changes that can occur when our student's eyes are opened to their potential".  

To find out more about the GED program, email Gina!

Contact: Gina.DeWard@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Coordinator

Alex started his journey as a non-traditional student, studying with Kenton County Adult Education prior to becoming a student at Gateway in 2006. After earning his AA at Gateway in 2009, he went on to Northern Kentucky University to earn his Bachelor's degree in English. After graduating from NKU, he joined the Gateway team, and in the process, earned his Master's degree in English in 2015. Alex is one of our Coordinators and has been at Gateway since 2013. He "loves encouraging non-traditional students to go back to school and complete the credentials they've always dreamed of getting". Alex truly understands where you are starting from.                                                                                                                              

Contact: Alex.Duvall@kctcs.edu 

Adult Education Instructor

After growing up in a small Kentucky town, Sarah graduated high school with a hunger to discover what the wide world was like outside of the bluegrass state. So, she dedicated her college career to learning world languages and studying abroad, learning that the world is full of beautiful cultures, and beautiful peoples. 

She began her career as an elementary- and-middle-school Spanish teacher in the same Kentucky town where she grew up, and spent several years inspiring young students to explore the wide world as she did. 

After volunteering as an ESL instructor, she knew in her heart that she had found her calling. Sarah believes deeply that all people who come to this country deserve the opportunity to be successful here, and believes that learning English can often unlock that opportunity. 

In her free time, you’ll find Sarah at Jungle Jim’s, searching for ingredients from her students’ home countries. Preparing dishes from around the world is an adventure, and Sarah feels lucky to have students who are willing to share their cultures and experiences with her!

Contact: sarah.erickson@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

My teaching career began when I tutored international students at NKU, which eventually led me to spend six years teaching English at a high school in Japan. I then pursued an MA in Applied Linguistics to teach at the post-secondary level. In this sense, Gateway has truly lived up to its name for me, and I now have an incredibly rewarding job. This job allows me to engage with people worldwide and in my hometown. Moreover, people come to earn their GED for various reasons ranging from changing careers to educational aspirations and even as a personal challenge. I am so proud of all my students, those who have already received their GED, and those who continue to do their best to achieve it. 

Contact: jgootee0011@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Barry’s career did not start out in teaching. But when a colleague told him he had a good way of explaining difficult topics he knew he should be teaching. He started out teaching part-time, evening classes, to adults at a local college. After ten years of that, he decided that he wanted to teach English to English language learners.

Since he has a keen interest in world affairs, he really enjoys meeting and getting to know students from around the world and learning about their cultures and languages. As an immigrant himself, he knows the importance of being able to read and speak English.

Barry earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Texas at Dallas.

He enjoys traveling with his wife and two daughters. He has visited several foreign countries and over 30 US states. Driving with his family to the top of Pikes Peak (14,000 feet) in Colorado is one of his best family vacations. In his free time, he enjoys nature, walking, gardening, traveling, and reading.

Keeping his students motivated and encouraged is important to Barry. He enjoys seeing them build confidence in speaking English and having fun learning. He tells them first-hand the importance of learning English and that they can do it if they put their mind to it.

Contact: bharsaran0001@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Coordinator

Hi! My name is Alex Huff. This will be my 5th year teaching GED reading and social studies at Gateway Community and Technical College. This is also my second year as a Career Navigator for Boone County Skills U. Before accepting my career at Gateway, I taught in a 4th-grade classroom at Gallatin County Elementary. I graduated from Simon Kenton High School in 2008 and then enrolled at Northern Kentucky University where I earned a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 2013. 

The best part of my job is building relationships with students and watching them grow and achieve their goals. I love talking with students, hearing about their families, and making a true connection.  I believe that each student needs a strong support system to be successful. It is my goal as an educator to create these support systems within my classroom. This is evident in the way students form relationships in and out of the classroom. We celebrate successes and support each other when things may not be going as planned. As one of our program Coordinators, it is my job to make sure that you stay on track and achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. 

I recently got married, so I am enjoying the newlywed life! In my spare time, I enjoy crafting, cooking, boating, and hanging out with friends and family.  

 I can't wait to meet you! 

Contact: alex.dicke@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Nancy Noll is an Adult Education Specialist with NKY Adult Education at Gateway Community and Technical College. She instructs all levels of English for English language learners, including conversation and pronunciation, and has been teaching with this program since 2013. With over 20 years of English language teaching experience, Nancy is passionate about helping students gain confidence using English through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with a focus on comparative cultures from the University of Kentucky. Her two boys and dog keep her busy outside of class. She also enjoys camping, hiking, gardening, and jewelry-making in her spare time. 

Contact: nancy.noll@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Contact: pollier0002@kctcs.edu

College and Career Navigator

Contact: patti.ottino@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

Betsy is an experienced adult education provider and has a long list of accomplishments. Over the years, she has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of students, find their way. Betsy earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education from Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, OH. She has been teaching adults at Gateway Community & Technical College for 19 years. Being the awesome Math teacher that she is, she actually claims to have hated math when she was younger, "but now I love algebra!" Betsy has a way of explaining math in a way that makes sense and is fun to learn!                                                                                                              

Contact: Elizabeth.Popple@kctcs.edu    

Adult Education Instructor

Contact: jon.reynolds@kctcs.edu

Data & Assessment Specialist

Contact: pshoemaker0003@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

I joined the Adult Education team serving Grant, Owen & Pendleton Counties in January 2022. I enjoy helping students gain their GED and move on to achieve their higher goals. When I am not working, I enjoy crafting, painting, and spending time with family and friends. 

Contact: joanna.surgener@kctcs.edu

Data & Assessment Specialist

Contact: pshoemaker0003@kctcs.edu

Data & Assessment Specialist

Contact: jvonderhaar0002@kctcs.edu

Adult Education Instructor

After growing up in a family of teachers, Leigh followed her interest in art and earned a BFA degree in graphic design from Marshall University. She enjoyed the creativity of design, but later realized teaching was her passion, so she obtained an elementary education certificate from Cleveland State, then later, a master’s degree from NKU. 

Before moving to adult education, Leigh taught elementary students in Cleveland, New Orleans, Newport, and Union. Because each class brings unique experiences and rewards, her favorite has always been the one she is currently teaching. GED math has been her favorite for the past 10 years while working for NKY Adult Education.

Leigh loves building relationships and celebrating the “aha” moments when things click. She is grateful for the opportunity to hear about students’ previous learning experiences as well as current ambitions, so please share your story with her! Increasing confidence, while making math less scary and more fun, is her goal.

When she’s not working, Leigh cherishes quality time with family and friends. She and her husband have 3 daughters, a son-in-law, 3 dogs, and 2 grand pups who bring much happiness. She enjoys visiting thrift shops, walking outdoors (especially on the beach), and traveling to small artsy towns. Her simple pleasures include: the fall, a great book, HGTV, and Chuy’s tortilla chips with creamy jalapeno dip. 

​A personal note from Leigh...

The quote below is one of my favorites from Winston Churchill.

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” 

The GED journey is indeed difficult, but each of us has the power to choose how we “see” it. With fresh eyes and a positive attitude, this challenge becomes the perfect opportunity to redirect the future. Let’s do this together! I look forward to meeting you.

Contact: lworley0009@kctcs.edu