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.

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 led her to join Skyline Literacy in 2024 as program manager first, then tutor manager. In this role she is responsible for recruiting and training Skyline's many volunteers and tutors.   

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.

hwittmer@skylineliteracy.org

Originally from Kansas, Hannah has lived in Harrisonburg since 2015. She graduated from Truman State University with a degree in Psychology. Prior to joining the team at Skyline, she worked for the Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center, a national community organizing network. Locally, she’s been involved efforts to reduce incarceration in the Shenandoah Valley.

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.

Heather Joffe has called Harrisonburg home since 2014. She brings 20 years of experience designing and managing programs in Latin America, in economic growth, access to credit, sustainable agriculture, and climate change adaptation. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in El Salvador, and she's lived or worked in Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia. When she lived in Washington, D.C., Heather loved volunteering as an instructor for adult ESL and citizenship classes, paving the way for her commitment to Skyline's mission. She's honored to support Skyline Literacy's work of empowering community members through literacy. Whenever she can, Heather enjoys exploring the nearby forest and lakes, with and without her two children.

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. 

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.

Tammy Scott has lived in Harrisonburg for over 40 years and has been in the banking industry for over 35 of those years. During that time, she has helped local families and businesses achieve their financial goals, building long lasting relationships.

Community involvement has been one of the most rewarding parts of her career. Tammy has served on the board of Pilot Club of Harrisonburg, an organization committed to promoting brain health and safety.

As a passionate advocate for financial literacy, Tammy has enjoyed making others feel more confident and empowered in their everyday lives. She is excited to support Skyline Literacy and contribute to its mission of helping people grow, learn, and thrive.

Harold is a retired Professor of Marketing and business consultant.  He and his wife came to JMU with the expectation of staying 5 years.  However, JMU, Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley proved to be the perfect fit for them and they have stayed for 40 years.  They especially love the diversity and giving nature of the community and its support for hundreds of nonprofits.  His work background includes consulting with large and small companies, working in marketing with Johnson & Johnson, USAID in Jordan, teaching in France, Belgium and three different universities in the U.S.  He and his wife especially enjoy traveling in their van in the U.S. and Canada.