Born in San Francisco, California many years ago of immigrant parents from Northern Italy, about sixty miles north of Venice. Ever since I was a young student, I have loved learning about other cultures and languages. And of course all about their food that I love to cook. As a result of this passion, I have traveled around the world, attending university in Italy and visiting over 90 countries.

I completed my undergraduate and graduate studies at San Francisco State University. After receiving an MA in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) in 1977, I trained teachers in Algeria at the Institute of Electronics and Electricity (1977-78) and then spent a year in Prishtina, Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia on a Fulbright Lectureship. In 1985, after spending seven years coordinating the SSALI program (Sonoma State American Language Institute) at Sonoma State University, I came to Santa Rosa Junior College, where I have mainly taught ESL classes in grammar, writing and oral communication. I also have taught beginning Italian conversation and English 100B and 1A with the Puente Program.

My wife, Julie, also has taught  on this campus in College Skills math, but we try not to talk about work when at home. We have two children, a daughter who is a contracts attorney at the University of Hawaii and a son who is medical social worker with Kaiser Permanente. I enjoy traveling, especially leading study tours in  Italy and  Greece, and have traveled extensively throughout  Europe, Africa, Southeast  and South Asia, North, and  South and Central America. I was fortunate to join two volunteer tours training teachers in Ambato, Ecuador. I have  led  six tours to Cuba through Global Exchange and look forward to returning one day. 

Hope to see you in one of my classes. Good luck with your studies at Santa Rosa Junior College.