nshenk@skylineliteracy.org

Nelly was born in El Salvador, came to the United States in 2002, and naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2006. She is married and has two grown children, Daniel and Sara. She has a degree in economics and an MBA from El Salvador. Nelly has been working for Skyline Literacy since 2008. She has 28+ years of non-profit experience in her country as well as the United States. Nelly learned English when she came to the USA as an adult, so she knows that learning another language in adulthood is difficult, but achievable if you have the motivation! Her family has been her biggest motivation. Nelly is a member and co-founder of several community efforts to improve services for the immigrant community, including the Welcoming Harrisonburg Council and the Salvadoran Committee (COSPU). Nelly is passionate about leadership, organization and teamwork.

amohammad@skylineliteracy.org

Aveen was born in Erbil, Iraq, and moved to the United States in 2019. She had more than 10 years of experience working in higher education with adult learners, back in her home country. She also got a Masters and PhD Degree in Law while there. After coming to the US, she started working in the education systems and became a substitute teacher. She later went on to get her Masters again, however this time in Adult Education and Human Resource Development. She is passionate about motivating others to learn and has started taking multiple courses for Adult Learners to improve. She joined Skyline Literacy as a Program Manager in July. During her free time, she loves to hang out with her family and drink tea.

kabdalrahman@skylineliteracy.org

Born in Kurdistan, Iraq, Kwestan immigrated to the USA in 2022. She has a four year Bachelor's degree in Biology from Salahaddin-Erbil University. Over the past nine years, she has honed her skills in Laboratory Technology, HR, and Administration, creating a diverse professional background. Beyond work, she finds joy in traveling and shopping.

mpichler@skylineliteracy.org

Maria Pichler joined the Skyline Literacy team with a strong background in language education. Born in Germany, she moved to the US in 2005 and has called the Shenandoah Valley her home since 2009. Maria has a Master's degree in English Literature and Linguistics and Italian Philology. She's always been passionate about learning languages and exploring different cultures.

Before coming to Skyline Literacy, Maria worked for language learning companies Rosetta Stone and Duolingo. Wanting to have a more direct impact in her community, she started volunteering as an English teacher with Skyline Literacy in 2017. Her commitment to helping others learn led her to become a program manager at Skyline, where she now plays a key role in developing educational programs.

Outside of work, Maria likes hiking and traveling with her husband and two sons.  She also enjoys playing the piano, painting, reading, and learning Spanish.

vshowalter@skylineliteracy.org

A native of the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia appreciates the ways that the Harrisonburg community continues to become more diverse each year. She graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a degree in Elementary Education and minors in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and Spanish. Her professional experience has been varied, from teaching English to adult learners in numerous settings to working as an immigration paralegal to being a case manager with migrant farmworkers. She is married and is the mother of three daughters. Growing a garden and cooking/preserving food are priorities for Virginia and her family, as well as playing board games and frequently visiting the library for good books.

rpereira@skylineliteracy.org

mbooth@skylineliteracy.org

Melissa Booth, a native of Pennsylvania, got involved with Skyline Literacy during an undergraduate school internship in the summer of 2019. She joined the team and manages Skyline’s social media, website, fundraiser campaigns and marketing efforts. She graduated from Waynesburg University with a B.A. in Internation Cultural Studies, History, and Spanish. She is married and is the mother of one daughter. She enjoys board games, music, gardening, reading, spending time with friends.

mpineda-hernandez@skylineliteracy.org

Michelle Pineda-Hernandez is a native of Harrisonburg City. Michelle has a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Spanish Translation and Interpretation, English, and Africana Studies from James Madison University. Michelle's biggest passion is creating paths of accessibility for families in the community to further their knowledge despite their educational, socio-economic, or legal backgrounds. Working in the Children's Program has allowed her the opportunity to make a difference and create a safe space for our youth. Aside from working with Skyline Literacy, Michelle works full-time in the mental health field to support children in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area. She looks forward to gaining more knowledge and experience on how to best serve our community.

Kaystyle Madden is a Shenandoah Valley native. She began as a volunteer tutor at Skyline Literacy in 2012, which encouraged her to return to school for a Master’s in Adult & Higher Education. During her graduate studies she came back to Skyline to complete her internship. Kaystyle taught ESL at Lord Fairfax Community College for several years before joining Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board where she currently works as the Employer Network Director. Her passion for life-long learning and workforce development also led her to volunteer as a mentor with American Corporate Partners where she assisted veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce. Her self-described superpower is encouraging others to never stop learning!

Luciano is originally from Santa Clarita, California (Yep, same one as the show!) and has lived in Harrisonburg since 2017. He originally came to Harrisonburg to attend JMU, where he received a degree in Political Science with a minor in Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations. From the day he first moved here, he knew he would call Harrisonburg home. He received his BA in 2020 and an MA from VCU in 2023. He currently serves as the Vice President of C2 Integration, a government contracting firm, and as a commissioner with the Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority. 

Janet is a native of Rockingham County who received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Eastern Mennonite University. After graduation Janet spent 8 years as a Public Health Nurse in the Richmond City area working with populations that included African Americans and Native Americans. After receiving a master's degree in Public Health Nursing from the University of Virginia she worked as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at Western State Hospital. Janet created the nurses' role during the development of the Free Clinic in Harrisonburg. She then earned a PhD at George Mason University and spent 20 years as a Professor of Nursing at Eastern Mennonite University. During this time Janet 's main focus was with mental health issues as she taught psychiatric nursing. At EMU she was also Director of the RN to BSN program and helped to develop the RN to BSN program at EMU's branch campus in Lancaster PA.

In the past 5 years Janet has been on the executive board of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham NAACP serving as community liaison. Janet is also on the Community Advisory Committee to the Chief of Police of the Harrisonburg Police Department. Within the last two years she has served on the board of the Welcoming Harrisonburg Council and Skyline Literacy. Janet is compassionate regarding the needs of individuals new to our country. She volunteers for Meals on Wheels and the backpack food program in Rockingham County Public Schools. Janet is very enthusiastic about the role that Skyline Literacy has adopted addressing the issues of homelessness, hunger, and chronic poverty. She is honored to be a part of this incredible organization.

Sam Nickels recently retired from 35 years in the nonprofit sector as a case manager in human service organizations. He also did fundraising, grant writing, and executive leadership. He's lived in Washington DC, Florida, and 5 years in El Salvador before coming to Harrisonburg in 2001. Currently he supports nonprofits like Skyline Literacy, works on property management and housing development for very low income persons with histories of homelessness, and testifies in asylum cases as a country conditions expert on the mental health system in Central American countries. He plays the french horn and piano, and is a trained 200-hour yoga instructor. He's trying to figure out how to cut down on sweets; if you know a secret, please share it with him!

Rev. Stan Farthing is the pastor of the Zetta Presbyterian Church in rural Augusta County. He is also the co-owner, with his wife Candace, of LDA Creations / Silver Lake Workshops, which operates in the historic, restored Silver Lake Mill in Dayton, VA. The company decorates ceramics, glass, wood and other materials for customers such as Mount Vernon and Monticello, as well as businesses, nonprofits and congregations. He and Candace live in Dayton with their two Scotties.

Laura Feichtinger-McGrath relocated to the Shenandoah Valley in 1998 after several years living and working in Eastern Europe and Alaska. She earned a Master's Degree in Linguistics from Old Dominion University and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Ithaca College. She is presently the Director of English Learner Programs/Title III for Harrisonburg City Public Schools and has been with HPCS for over 20 years. She and her husband, Pat McGrath, have two boys, a cat and a dog. In her free time, she loves to escape into Young Adult Fiction.

Russell lives and works in Harrisonburg with his wife and 3 children. He is the co-CEO of On the Road Collaborative, a youth development organization founded in Harrisonburg in 2015. Russell spent 7 years living in Kiev, Ukraine, where he learned Russian and Ukrainian and first began to see himself primarily as a global citizen. After attending JMU, and spending 9 years as a classroom teacher, he served as Executive Director of NewBridges Immigrant Resource Center. In that time, he grew in his understanding of the needs of the immigrant community in the Valley. 

The Rev. Melissa May grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, fell in love with creative writing and theology, and discovered a call to ministry through volunteer work with the Iona Community in Scotland. She earned Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees at United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, PA before she engaged in initial work in congregational youth ministry. Her next adventure was serving as a curriculum developer and Bible Camp leader with On Eagle's Wings Ecumenical Ministries in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta, and Saskatchewan in Canada. After a brief return to congregational ministry in Nome, Alaska, Melissa returned east, pursuing part-time pastoral work and trying out a long-held dream of teaching English to speakers of other languages. In addition to preaching at various churches in the central Shenandoah Valley, Melissa is now an instructor of adult English Language Learners at Eastern Mennonite University's Intensive English Program. When she has a bit of free time, she loves playing board games, teaming up for trivia nights, and going geocaching.

Cynthia Prieto is honored to be invited to work with this amazing cause. She has just retired from 34 years as an educator, and literacy and language skills are near and dear to her heart. She is a bilingual, bicultural Hispanic American. Most of her adventures overseas have included trying to communicate with people in other languages. Communication always leads to laughter, learning and great memories. Moreover, speaking multiple languages opens doors for opportunities and growth. She hopes to bring to Skyline Literacy a passion for lifelong learning, a drive to help people make their lives better, easier, more vibrant. By helping members get their education and their citizenship, we are strengthening our community. It is a pleasure to serve on this Board.

Scott Richardson, Vice President of Residential Living, rejoined the VMRC team in September of 2020. Scott began his career in senior services at VMRC back in 2000 joining the team to run the just-opened Wellness Center. Since then, Scott has served in a variety of roles at communities located in Williamsburg VA, Pittsboro NC, and Charlotte NC. He holds the Certified Aging Services Professional credential along with certification from the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners. His current responsibilities include providing leadership and quality assurance for the four Residential Living facilities and the Dining Services team. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Management from Sir Sandford Fleming College in Ontario, Canada. Scott’s hobbies include playing golf, tennis, running for fitness and hanging out with his wife Peggy and Labradoodle Oliver.

Dr. Laura Zarrugh received her doctoral degree in cultural anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. She has taught at JMU, Bridgewater College and BRCC, and conducted research on immigrants and refugees in Mexico, California, and Virginia. She has been a volunteer tutor and grant writer for Skyline Literacy for ten years. She is currently the president of the Harrisonburg branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).