faculty
- Shari Blaukopf (email)
- Shari is a new teacher that has extensive graphic arts knowledge as she has been working in graphic design for 20 years. Her design experience lies mostly with annual reports, newsletters and packaging. She also has a keen sense of design and a great sense of humor. She brings in her extensive knowledge into the classroom where students are given "real" projects to work and enhance their sense of design.
- Liliane Bohbot (site | email)
- Liliane
began her design career as a portrait artist, travelling through many
countries earning her living from street portraiture. Returning home to
Montreal, she pursued a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at Concordia
University (Interdisciplinary Arts), graduating with distinction. While
still painting and exploring new media during her Masters' in Art
Education, she discovered computer art and went on to exhibit her work
and win several art competitions.
In addition to teaching full time at John Abbott College, Liliane freelances in both traditional and new media, and teaches part-time at Concordia University in Graphic Design. - Ginette DiFrancesco (email)
- In school forever!
Université du Québec – BA Special Education
McGill University BA Education – Concentration Business/Computers
Started teaching in the 70s. Teaching software applications since the early 80s and kept abreast of new technologies throughout the years with studies, research and workshops. My commitment to students in their search for an interesting life is my driving force. To keep students interested in learning and spark their curiosity for more is what motivates me to find the best approach to make this plan happen.
Worked on many curriculum and course developments at Vanier, Dawson and JAC for Continuing Education, Business Training, Back to Work Programs, Stage Integration, Business Committees and ultimately participated in the evolution of our Office Systems Technologies program into PDHT at JAC.
I also challenged myself by working for Students Services at JAC in the Employment Centre, Career Advising Department as well as the Cree Centre with great pleasure. Early on I worked for major companies (Bell,Xerox etc.) and owned businesses (from retail to customer service evaluation) throughout the years. I keep a finger on the pulse of the business world in my community and the world as I am often given the opportunity to participate in projects with friends and family.
Lively life with brothers, sisters, friends, husband and two amazing grown children with motivating lives that keep us posted on what’s in or out, add a funny looking dog, an eternal budgie and a resilient fish to the mix and voila!!!
An artist at heart I nurse my creativity with watercolour with the help of exceptional patient teachers. I am also a committed member of the Women Centre in Pointe Claire where I learn, share, and nurture friendship. I love hands-on renovations, decorating, gardening, sewing etc and am looking forward to full time traveling hopefully with grandchildren so I can teach them about life wonders.
My motto:
Breathe in
Get to work! What am I paying you for!
Bonus points for that witty idea
Keep learning
- Jane Hannah (site | email)
- Graphic
artist, typographer, calligrapher, illustrator and teacher, Jane was
fortunate enough to have worked for 20 years with highly talented
individuals in typography and graphic design. Her academic journey
began with a focus on music, health science and graphic arts. Jane
obtained a Graphic Arts degree in 1983, followed by a Bachelor’s degree
in Education from the University of Sherbrooke as well as a Diploma in Education, which is a part of the Master's degree in Education once the research thesis completed.
Jane also practices and teaches Taoist Tai Chi and knows four different forms of the art: Tai Chi, Lok Hup Ba Fa, Sabre and Sword. Tai Chi is a discipline and an art form that stems throughout the body, fills the heart and calms the mind. - Homa Nasseri (email)
- Homa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Science and has also completed a diploma in Fashion Design and Pattern Making. Currently, she is completing a Master’s Degree in Education. Her extensive work experience includes; ten years teaching, over five years of computer consulting, and five years of working as a fashion designer and pattern maker.
- Susan Regan (email)
- Graduating from Lindsay Place High School in Pointe Claire, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from McGill University. Susan then studied for a Master’s degree in English Literature and obtained an Master’s degree in Educational Studies. She graduated with her PhD in Humanities from Concordia University, where she taught philosophy of education in the evenings for 8 years. Susan has taught at John Abbott for 25 years. She enjoys British mysteries, cemeteries, movies, traveling, aerobics, and art history. She is married to a former John Abbott math teacher and has a 25 year old daughter who is a gifted writer and a student at McGill.
- Jan Richman (email)
- I wanted to be a college professor like my Dad
ever since I went to work with him and he let me stand on a chair and scribble
on the blackboards with chalk. I used to give math quizzes to the kids I
babysat for. In spite of this, I was still much in demand as a babysitter.
I got my Bachelor’s of Science in Math and Computer Science and minored in Theatre and Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. Then I went on to get my Master’s of Science in Statistics and Psychology at Carnegie-Mellon University. After working for a year programming in Computer Assisted Instruction, I went back to school for my doctorate at the University of Pittsburgh.
For seven years I travelled around as a nomadic university professor. I replaced faculty on one and two year contracts teaching psychology and statistics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Saskatchewan at Saskatoon. I wrote a couple of statistics songs to make statistics easier and performed them at coffee houses along with other songs I wrote. I also did layout and writing for a woman’s magazine. I got a lot of compliments on the comic strip I created.
I fell in love with San Francisco when I was visiting my sister and trained computer science tutors at Berkeley for a year. Then I came back to Canada to teach in the math department at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Finally I came to Montreal to teach Educational Technology at Concordia University. I taught Instructional Design (I love making handouts!) and programming on Apple II microcomputers.
I freelanced for CBC radio and TV for several years, documentaries and teleplays, and it was exciting, but it never developed into a fulltime job. So I started working at John Abbott as head of audio-visual services. They put me in charge of the PCC lab, which was in the library at that time. My favourite computer was the first Macintosh computer, the first one to come with a mouse.
I liked making promotional videos for John Abbott and running the computer labs, but I missed the independence and creativity of teaching. Susan talked me into interviewing for the Math department. Coincidentally, Dock Anson, her husband-to-be, was on the committee that hired me. When a new program started up, Susan Regan talked me into teaching Office Systems Management. So Susan and her husband are responsible for my teaching career at Abbott! It was way more fun to teach computer software than it was to teach statistics and trig. Students love it.
In 1999 we changed over to a new program, PDHT, and the software is even cooler. All of a sudden I got lots of clients wanting me to make them brochures, business cards, web sites, and animations.
But my first love is still teaching. I wake up in the morning excited about going to work. I can’t wait to show you guys what I know and see the cool things you’re doing. Not only are you an amazingly creative and talented bunch, but you’re also very generous about showing me new tricks in Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark. My philosophy of life is “Follow your interests. You’ll never know what they’ll come in handy.” - Rick Rock (email)
- Rick worked his way through college by freelancing his illustration and graphic design skills. He created original graphic poster illustrations for Le Chateau stores, publication designs for Montreal Star's Scene magazine, the National Enquirer and the Financial Times of Canada and brochures and program covers for Dawson College and Concordia University. Since 1984 Rick has trained professionals, corporations and post-secondary students and teachers in a variety of computer and visual arts related subjects from photography, illustration and design to 3D animation and desktop publishing.
February 14, 2009