Instructors

Our instructors: Bill Barry, Lisa Bequette, Cezary Janikow, Clarence Johnson, Dick Koerper, Julia Otto, Frank Richey, Karen Rohne, Dawn Robinson, and Andrew Schwartz.

Bill Barry brings over 10 years of practical experience and an easy-to-follow teaching style to the classroom. He built his computer knowledge while working for 3 years in medical research and for 6 years in maintenance management and technical support at St. Louis area companies. His experience includes Microsoft Office products, programming languages, HTML, and JavaScript. Bill holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Lisa Bequette brings to the classroom her love of teaching and practical experience using a variety of applications from her previous positions in the mortgage industry. Her ability to adjust her classroom presentation to best match the class makes her a great fit for the beginner through advanced students. Before joining the Microcomputer Program, Lisa taught a variety of business application products at the Computer Learning Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on Management and a minor in Economics, from Southeast Missouri State University.

Cezary Janikow is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His interests include evolutionary computation, artificial intelligence, fuzzy representation, and software engineering. He has consulted for the U.S. Navy and NASA, doing both basic research and software design/development in C and C++. Cezary is the author of three public domain software packages, one supported by NASA/Johnson Space Center and another by the National Science Foundation. He has a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and an M.A. and B.A. in computer science from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Clarence Johnson has more than 15 years' experience as a computer/network engineer. His background in electrical engineering includes design and development of electronic circuit cards and network design on a variety of systems. He has experience with operating systems (UNIX, Linux, and Windows), programming, network devices, and networking protocols. Clarence worked for Southwestern Bell as a UNIX system administrator/programmer; Emerson Electric as an electrical engineer; and UM-St. Louis Microcomputer Program as a network consultant. Currently Clarence designs and develops new technical courses for the University and is president of his own computer consulting company. He received his BSEET from DeVry Institute of Technology and has done graduate studies at the University of Missouri-Rolla.

Dick Koerper weaves humor and practical examples into his classes. With more than 20 years of experience in the computer field, he has worked with operating systems since the '70s. For eight years, Dick provided a variety of computer-related services at the Beverly Farms Foundation for developmentally challenged individuals. He conducted computer training classes for staff, did troubleshooting, and refitted computers with adaptive equipment to make them accessible to the physically challenged. Dick's areas of expertise include operating systems (Macintosh, Windows), graphics, Web page design, the Internet, spreadsheets, and databases. He seems to have a knack for translating technical concepts into clear language and putting it all into a real-life context. Dick has a B.A. in education from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

Julia Otto has worked as a free-lance training consultant since 1988. Her consulting experience includes corporate training and course development. Julia's application experience includes spreadsheets, databases, word processors, and the Internet. While she has a special talent for helping beginning students feel at ease, Julia brings in-depth knowledge and high energy that challenges more advanced students as well. Building on her practical business knowledge gained at AT&T and Southwestern Bell, Julia blends real-life examples into her teaching. She holds a B.A. in finance from the University of Illinois.

Frank Richey has been teaching for the Microcomputer Program since 1992. He teaches a wide range of classes, from introductory to technical. Frank began his training career as a sales manager at Cubic Systems, where he taught new sales staff and clients business software applications. Later, as owner of his own company, he developed databases for small businesses and trained users. His experience as a business owner has given him a first-hand awareness of the needs of businesses today. His specialties are Access, networking with Windows XP and 2003, and SQL Server. He holds a B.S. in psychology and marketing from Southwest Missouri State University.

Dawn Robinson Dawn teaches her classes in a detailed and easy-to-understand format. She has worked as a software trainer since 1996, teaching beginning through advanced levels of courseware. She has also custom designed computer training for various businesses to meet their special needs and has provided help desk support and consulting for both individual computer users and business groups, such as law firms, secretarial, and sales groups. Dawn is experienced in a wide variety of applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and Web page design. She received her B.A. in Architectural Design at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Karen Rohne has been an editor for more than 20 years, working in both the public and private sectors in Washington, D.C., Chicago, and St. Louis. Her experience includes the production of brochures, newsletters, journals, and books. She brings to our desktop publishing courses a thorough knowledge of design, layout, and the printing process, combined with extensive experience in page layout programs. She received her B.A. from Grinnell College and her master's degree in English from the University of Chicago.

Andrew Schwartz is president of his own computer consulting and development company, specializing in database management and information analysis applications. He has more than 35 years of experience creating and maintaining databases on computers ranging in size from mainframes to PCs to the Internet. Andrew is the author of four database application books published by Que Corporation. His book, Quattro Pro for Windows, was translated into several languages, including Portuguese, Hebrew, Polish, and Slovenian. In addition, he has written many articles for PC Magazine and other publications. Andrew served as president of the St. Louis Users Group for the PC for five years. He has been teaching for the Microcomputer Program since 1987. He holds a B.A. from Amherst College and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College.