Course Listing - by Instructor
| Name | Biography |
|---|---|
| LERN Staff | UFM partners with LERN to offer a wide range of online, self-paced courses designed to expand learning opportunities in the Manhattan community and beyond. These courses support professional development, CEUs, and certificates across areas such as business, leadership, technology, marketing, education, and personal development. All classes are fully asynchronous, with flexible pacing within set start and end dates, making it easy for learners to fit education into their schedules. |
| Daniel Acevedo | |
| Ayumi Amama | Growing up in Osaka, Japan, Ayumi always enjoyed cooking. Since she started making rolled omelets at 7 years old, she has continued learning new techniques and developing new recipes. Ayumi has also taken calligraphy lessons in Japan for about eight years and is trained in architectural design. She enjoys sharing Japanese culture. |
| Danielle Andrews-Butterfield | I turned my love of baking into a business, Fig and Honey Bread Co. I have been baking professionally for close to 10 years. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and skills with the Manhattan community. |
| Gerardo Arana | |
| Carol Barta | Carol Barta is a founding member of the Flint Hills Resilience Coalition and certified permaculturist. |
| Jessa Baxter | A pioneering yoga instructor and entrepreneur, fosters wellness and connection through her passion for helping others and building mindful, supportive communities. |
| Tracey Bearman | Tracey and her husband, Paul, have been proudly serving their community in the pest control business for over 26 years. Together, they’ve built a business grounded in trust, experience, and hometown values. |
| Allen Byrne | |
| Dr. Cantalot | Dr. Cantalot is the long-standing nemesis of Dr. Dolittle and a vocal opponent of animal communication in all forms. He is best known for his decades-long crusade to ensure animals never understand his intentions. With a career built on mutual confusion, Dr. Cantalot brings unmatched experience in being ignored, misunderstood, and confidently incorrect. |
| Craig Coffman | Craig Coffman is an experienced piano and guitar instructor, professional pianist and music director. He has over 30 years experience teaching piano privately. His piano and guitar seminars have been offered live through Community Colleges and Community Education Programs nationwide for over 30 years. Over 30,000 students have attended these popular classes. Now the classes are offered exclusively online and they are more popular than ever. He has a degree in Sociology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Illinois (where he also studied piano) and a Master of Divinity degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. |
| Melissa Copp | Melissa Copp, R.D., L.D., is a registered and licensed dietitian who has always had an interest in health and fitness. She is an ACE certified personal trainer and AFFA certified group fitness instructor who loves teaching classes and assisting clients in their exercise and nutrition journey. Melissa became a Red Cross instructor after being CPR/AED and First Aid certified for many years through her career. She began instructing because it allowed her to teach participants how to turn knowledge into action that can change outcomes in critical moments. She knows that her Red Cross classes empower individuals with confidence, awareness, and the ability to save lives. Each class offers a dynamic and engaging hands-on educational and practical experience. She values the responsibility that comes with representing Red Cross and upholding its mission of preparedness and safety. |
| Lauren Darrah | As a Hy-Vee dietitian, Lauren Darrah, MS, RD, LD is passionate about making a positive impact on her clients and she aims to provide realistic and science-based strategies in those she works with. |
| Angela Durtschi | Angela Durtschi is a licensed Realtor with Alliance Realty and has called Manhattan home since 2011. In real estate since 2018, she has strong knowledge of the process of buying, selling, investing and all things real estate |
| Tyler Elliott | |
| Miriam Fleming | |
| Monica Franco | Monica Franco Franco is an English-Spanish teacher who works in a public high school. Monica has over ten years of experience teaching foreign languages and is a K-State alum who lives in Equador. |
| Ana Franklin | Ana Franklin began practicing yoga in the 1970s. However, Ana's exposure to yoga started in early childhood as her father practiced yoga faithfully every day since 1951, making this a regular part of the household activities. Then in 1963, Ana's mother began to attend yoga class and also became a faithful practitioner. Ana has been teaching yoga since 1984. In the '90s, Ana traveled to Hawaii and took five Yoga Teacher Training sessions from Gary Kraftsow, founder of American Viniyoga Institute. She has also been certified by the Krishnamacharya Health and Yoga Foundation in Chennai, India. "Yoga is a lifelong commitment for me, and with such a rich subject, there is always more to learn, and to teach! I hope to continue doing both for a very long time." |
| Alejandra Garcia | |
| Lisa Hatt | Tea educator and owner of a handcrafted tea business, Lisa shares her passion for loose-leaf tea through engaging classes and tastings. She has taught at the Midwest Tea Festival and been invited to teach at the Nevada Tea Festival. |
| Gaige Huber | I am a 5th grader who has experience keeping chickens, goats, and pigs. My family has kept chickens for more than 6 years. I am an animal lover. My favorite breeds of chickens are silkies and polish chickens. |
| Mindy Huber | I currently work as a Level 4 Special Education Teacher. I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees through Kansas State University. Prior to teaching I worked as a paraprofessional for several years and I worked for 3.5 years with adults with disabilities; supporting individuals with disabilities is a passion of mine is a part of my every day life. |
| Bronwyn Laherty | Bronwyn is a local filmmaker and videographer who recently moved to Manhattan after studying film production at the University of Utah. Alex is a local artist who regularly films videos with their phone to build and promote their business. |
| Annika Lindt | |
| Sue Maes | Terry Olson is the retired owner of Eastside & Westside Markets, where she sold plants and produce for 43 years. In retirement, she enjoys volunteering at K-State Gardens and leading school kids on hikes as a docent at Konza Prairie. Other class leaders are Sue Maes, who has taught Edible Native Plants for UFM for over 4 decades, and Kelly Yarbrough, a local artist who organizes the annual "Seed Swap" event at the Discovery Center. |
| Pedro Melendez | Pedro is a graduate of K-State with 2 bachlers degrees in studio art. He has been painting miniatures for over 5 yrs, for himself and through commissions. He has also taught classes at The Village Geek, one of our local game stores. |
| Kamryn Mendoza | |
| David Moore | |
| Naho Nagai | |
| Debbie Newton | Debbie has been a certified yoga teacher (CYT) since 2007. |
| Debbie Nuss | Debbie has been a member of the League of Women Voters since 1991 and served as president of the League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County from 2002-2004. During that time, the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) took a position that voter-verified paper ballots were not necessary to ensure election integrity in connection with the use of direct recording electronic voting machines. Debbie and other League members from across the nation organized to challenge the national League's uninformed and ill-advised position and at the 2004 LWVUS national convention successfully passed a resolution requiring LWVUS to support voting systems that are secure, accurate, recountable, and accessible (i.e. includes the use of voter-verified paper ballots). A long-time Manhattan resident, Debbie currently serves on the board of directors of the Manhattan/Riley County Preservation Alliance, Sunflower CASA Project, Flint Hills Human Rights Project, and Opportunity Preschool. She is self-employed as a private project consultant, providing grant writing, project development, and project management services to nonprofit organizations and government entities. At present she is also part-time Education Coordinator for the Riley County Seniors' Service Center. |
| Terry Olson | Terry Olson is the retired owner of Eastside & Westside Markets, where she sold plants and produce for 43 years. In retirement, she enjoys volunteering at K-State Gardens and leading school kids on hikes as a docent at Konza Prairie. Other class leaders are Sue Maes, who has taught Edible Native Plants for UFM for over 4 decades, and Kelly Yarbrough, a local artist who organizes the annual "Seed Swap" event at the Discovery Center. |
| Josh Pappan | Josh, a Kansas native with 28 years of skateboarding experience, is dedicated to sharing his passion and expertise with the community, inspiring others to discover the joy of skateboarding. |
| Gloria Park | Gloria Park is a Korean immigrant and psychiatric nurse practitioner who believes healing happens both in clinical settings and in everyday moments of connection. Her work is rooted in care, culture, and community, with a deep appreciation for food, storytelling, and shared experiences that nourish both body and soul. |
| Nicky Peters | Nicky is an Army veteran who graduated from K-State after six years of active service. Art has always been their happy place, and they have always enjoyed sharing their creations with others. |
| Kristen Philip | Kristen has worked at Oz Winery since 2013 and will become its owner in 2026. She and her husband, Alec, are raising their family in Wamego, inspired by its community and the winery’s creative, magical spirit. |
| Little Apple Pilates | Little Apple Pilates is a fitness boutique that specializes in alternative fitness. Traditionally weight lifting and cardio such as running have been available to the masses. For those who need more instruction, personalized class workouts, and innovative methodologies, we are for you. People often joke that we provide workouts for people who don't like to workout. However, we also can give you an edge in your performance and biomechanics if you are concerned about injury prevention and care or if you have an injury. We are a small community where we know our students by name. |
| Noor Rizvi | Dr. Rizvi holds a PhD in English Language Teaching/Applied Linguistics. She is currently a faculty member at Manhattan Area Technical College, where she teaches Expository Writing.Originally from India, Dr. Rizvi was also a Fulbright Program recipient at the University of Kansas, where she taught two semesters in the Hindi language program. She enjoys teaching, sharing different cultures, and exploring them. She also loves hiking and spending time in nature. |
| Joslyn Roadstrom | |
| Don Sae Kang | |
| Landon Sae Kang | |
| Jessica Schierkolk Long | Jessica, a Wamego native, is a mother of six and lifelong entrepreneur. A cosmetologist for nearly fifteen years, opening her own salon in 2021 and added face painting in 2023, she has been extending her passion for creativity across four family-run businesses. |
| Kathrine Schlageck | Kathrine Schlageck, former Curator of Education at the Beach Museum of Art, has over 40 years’ experience engaging diverse audiences. She is a trained Visual Thinking Strategies facilitator with a MA in Museum Studies. |
| John Schwartz | Married to Jeanette 32 years, five children ages 27 to 14, in my 30th year on staff with Ichthus |
| Vaishali Sharda | Born and raised in northern India, Vaishali moved to the US to work on her PhD. She grew up watching her mother cook everything from scratch in the small town they lived in. Her passion for cooking grew when she met her husband who is an avid foodie. She blogs about her adventures in the kitchen at www.kitchendocs.com and works at K State as faculty in climate and water resources management. |
| Robert Smith | Robert Smith was born in Nebraska and attended the University of Nebraska, where he majored in history. Bob has always had a love for history and a particular interest in military history, as he comes from a military family. Prior to his return to academia and advanced degrees, Bob managed a family-operated business where he learned management and organizational skills. He returned to academia in 1998, attending Kansas State University, receiving a Master of Arts in military history in 2004 and a Ph.D. in military history in December 2008. Currently, Bob is the Director of the Fort Riley Museum Complex, Fort Riley, Kansas. |
| Peakform Sports | |
| LERN Staff | |
| Neal Strathman | Hello, I am a retired 22-year-Veteran of the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves. I started my appreciation of whiskey (American and Irish) and whisky (Scottish, Canadian, or Japanese) shortly after turning 21 while stationed near Seattle. It was a great benefit having disposable income that I could use to explore more expensive Scotches, Ryes, Irish whiskeys, and Bourbons. I joined the Navy Reserves at the age of 30 where I was deployed to Japan several times assisting in radiation surveys after the Fukashima reactor accident and shipyard maintenance. It was here that I discovered the possibility of good whisky being made in any place where care is taken to ensure quality. I am grateful for the ability to share my passion for great drinks with friends and family. |
| Justin Teel | |
| Cricket Thurston | Cricket Thurston is a 2025 K-State graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. They’ve been selected for 4 separate Scholarship Exhibitions on the K-State campus and will be pursuing a Master’s degree of Fine Arts. |
| Rachel Wahle | Rachel Wahle is a skincare and makeup artist with 20+ years of experience. She's passionate about helping others enhance their natural beauty in a way that makes them feel confident inside and out. |
| Stan Wilson | Stan Wilson has studied martial arts since 1970 and has a black belt in Hakkoryu Jujutsu and a black sash in Pai Lum Kung Fu. |
| Kelly Yarbrough | Terry Olson is the retired owner of Eastside & Westside Markets, where she sold plants and produce for 43 years. In retirement, she enjoys volunteering at K-State Gardens and leading school kids on hikes as a docent at Konza Prairie. Other class leaders are Sue Maes, who has taught Edible Native Plants for UFM for over 4 decades, and Kelly Yarbrough, a local artist who organizes the annual "Seed Swap" event at the Discovery Center. |
| Penni Zelinkoff |
