Teaching Artists

Tim Moran, a member of SAG-AFTRA with a Bachelor of Arts in Theater, has been teaching acting to children from ages 6 to 18 for over a decade. Tim has performed on camera and on stage throughout the tri-state area. He has worked in comedy, drama, musical theater, Shakespeare and sketch comedy. His credits include “Arsenic and Old Lace” (Mortimer), “12 Angry Jurors” (Juror #8), “Moon Over Buffalo” (Paul), “Romeo and Juliet” (Capulet), “You Can’t Take It with You” (Tony), “The Last Place on Earth” (Curtis), and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (George Bailey).

Yamini Pathak is the author of the poetry chapbooks “Atlas of Lost Places” (Milk and Cake Press, 2020) and “Breath Fire Water Song” (Ghost City Press, 2021). Her poems are forthcoming or have appeared in Poetry Northwest, About Place Journal, Tupelo Quarterly, Vida Review, Waxwing and elsewhere. She is a Poet in Schools for the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, serves as poetry editor for “Inch” micro-chapbooks at Bull City Press, is a production assistant for Tupelo Quarterly, and works as a translations reader for Lunch Ticket. Yamini has received her MFA in Poetry from Antioch University, Los Angeles, and is an alumnus of VONA/Voices and Community of Writers. Born in India, she lives with her family in West Windsor, New Jersey.

Natalie has a degree in vocal music education from The College of New Jersey. She has performed in musicals since she was in elementary school, and started singing opera while in college. She’s held lead roles in TCNJ’s Lyric Theater productions (musical theater and opera) and chorus roles in La Boheme Opera Company’s productions. Natalie is currently a general music and chorus teacher at two elementary schools in Hamilton Township.

Pratibha Raju is an artist and a visual art teacher. Pratibha earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts specializing in Drawing and Painting in 1998 in India. Since then she has been practicing and teaching drawing and painting in different styles and mediums. She has exhibited her paintings in oil and acrylic at the College Annual Art Shows and at the Piscataway and Coram, Long Island, libraries. Her watercolor landscape paintings were selected for the Plainsboro Preserve juried art shows for the last two years. Pratibha has completed many art and teaching courses online from the British Council and Coursera. She has taught in many schools for the last 20 years, including the IB school in India with emphasis on holistic teaching. Click here to know more: http://enjoying-paintings.webnode.com/

Ellen Renee’s proven musical theatre teaching method combines structure in a challenging and fun way. A performing arts industry veteran, she has been on stage since age 6. Ellen Renee got her start under a Juilliard-trained professional and has performed professionally for many years on stages in New Jersey, New York (Radio City) and Atlantic City performing in the musicals “Pippin,” “Cabaret” and Oklahoma, to name a few. Ellen Renee teaches novice through professional levels and was the director of a 450-student Academy of Performing Arts for over 10 years. Ellen Renee has trained and placed many artists in lead roles on Broadway in “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera,” as well as star performances on the “Main Stage at Walt Disney World, Florida.” Her students have gone on to professional venues and stage performances, appeared in commercials and print work ads, and been seen on major channels.

Richard Romero is a renowned teaching artist based in Bordentown, NJ, with over a decade of experience in teaching drawing and painting. He holds a master’s degree from Drew University and has further honed his skills at prestigious institutions such as the Arts Students League of New York, The National Academy of New York, and The New York Art Academy.

Throughout his career, Richard has been recognized with several awards and grants, and his exceptional talent is showcased in the publication “Classical Life Drawing Studio: Lessons & Teachings in the Art of Figure Drawing.” His artworks are part of numerous private collections and have been exhibited in esteemed venues including the Museum of Queens, Drew University Gallery, and the National Art Museum of New York.

Richard brings his extensive knowledge and passion for art to his watercolor classes, inspiring students to explore their creativity and develop their skills. To view Richard’s work, visit richardromeroart.com.

Marsha Rudolph, MA, RYT, has been teaching breath awareness for the last 20 years and yoga for the last 10 years. Her specialty is working with people who may feel too intimidated to take a more challenging yoga class, especially those who may be struggling with their weight, have some physical limitations, are at midlife or beyond, or just want a class of gentle stretching and postures to increase flexibility or complement a more vigorous exercise routine. Marsha works as a Community Health Educator at Capital Health System.

Anusha Saran is a mixed media artist from West Windsor, NJ, who is best known for her multimedia paintings with intricate fine line pen details. Her work has been exhibited and won several awards in India and the U.S. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and master’s degree in Design from the National Institute of Design (NID), India, specializing in Ceramic and Glass Design. She also teaches art to children and loves to share her knowledge of design experience to help them explore their creative edge.

Daphne Sardis is a New Jersey-based filmmaker, writer, and actor. Her most recent short film credits include Ioanna (Writer/Director) and Diary of a Simpy Kid: The Documentary (Director). She is currently studying Digital Filmmaking and English at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where she is also a Writing Center tutor. Her most recent theatre credits include Company (Bobby), 9 to 5 (Director), American Idiot (St. Jimmy), Into the Woods (The Witch), Hair (Claude), and tick, Tick... BOOM! (Jon). She is also a teaching instructor at Ferrell Studios where she brings the fundamentals of filmmaking and screenwriting to students all over the country. For more of her work check out her website.

Jessica Schadt is a lifelong artist, athlete and fitness enthusiast with a professional creative background. She has been teaching and performing circus arts since 2010. Jessie also teaches studio arts/crafts classes and camps for kids. She has experience teaching students of all ages, from kids to adults. To learn more, please visit her website: www.jessieshoops.com.

Dressler Smith is a painter, author and colorist who favors tranquil landscapes crediting the inspiration of her art to “the beauty of things created by God and not by man.” Her work has been acquired by Oprah Winfrey, the late Coretta Scott King and Randall Cunningham.

2016 South Jersey Magazine noted Dressler Smith as one of “20 remarkable ladies who strive to make South Jersey a better place”. She also appeared in the May 2001 issue of Essence Magazine. Her book, The Inspirational Journey of Dressler Smith, highlights a life in art and in vocal music. Many of her works focus on landscapes of the sunrise, morning light and morning skies symbolizing new beginnings. Dressler’s series of works include her morning series of Landscapes, the In the Midst series (evening Landscapes), Garden and Quilt series, and her Abstract Rhythm series.

In addition to her work as a painter, Dressler is developing recognition as a stain glass window designer. She has designed the circular stained glass windows for the First Nazarene Baptist Church in Camden, NJ, and for the Asbury United Methodist Church in Woodlynne, NJ (2009). The focal point of her stain glass window design named “Sunday Morning” (29 feet wide) was installed in the St. John Baptist Church in East Camden, NJ in 2000.

She continues to pursue her passion for artistic expression while sharing her abilities with others as an adjunct faculty member for the last 25 years at Camden County College. Dressler also teaches at Arts Council of Princeton and continuing education at the Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Dressler’s awards include the Candace Award from the Coalition of 100 Black Women. Chisholm Award for achievement in art from the Philadelphia Congress of the national Political Congress of Black Women. In 1995, she designed the cover for the Days of Hope Calendar sponsored by Core States Bank, for which they received the Pepper Pot Award.

Sarika Soman holds a master’s degree in Fine Arts (Painting Specialization) from India. With over 15 years of experience in drawing and painting, she is best known for her colorful and vibrant watercolor landscapes, still lifes and abstract paintings. She has showcased her work in group shows as well as solo exhibitions. She is passionate about art education and believes strongly in teaching both children and adults the skills that can enable them to draw and paint realistically. Her favorite quote of Claude Monet: “The richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.”

Lisa Steinberg received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design and Illustration in Brooklyn at the Pratt Institute. Her first job out of college was creating and styling window displays for Macy’s in New York. After leaving Macy’s, she started a business in fashion design and created many fashion illustrations for publications such as WWD, DNR and Vogue, as well as many design and fabric companies such as Cotton Inc., Speedo, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Lisa is currently a visiting associate professor at Pratt Institute and was previously an adjunct at Parsons School of Design within the Fashion Design Departments. After relocating to New Jersey, she started teaching at Philadelphia University and working as program coordinator and senior adjunct professor in the Fashion Department at Rowan College at Burlington County. Lisa has extensive knowledge in teaching Textiles, History of Fashion Design, and Fashion Illustration. She has created many fashion workshops for teens and youth interested in fashion. Lisa is the author of “Beginner’s Guide to Sketching the Fashion Figure,” published by Fairchild Bloomsbury.

Jessica Tackes is an art historian, educator and artist. In her artistic practice, she makes hyper-realistic still-life portraits of silverware and food using different media including oils, acrylics, watercolor and charcoal. Since becoming a mom for the first time, she has also started creating works about her experiences with pregnancy and motherhood. In her professional career, she loves to teach and most recently worked as an educator for kids, teens and adults at a private art school in Bethesda, MD, before moving to Princeton, NJ, with her husband and daughter. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Drawing and Art History from Illinois State University in 2018 and her Master of Arts from American University in 2021. You can see her work on her website, www.jessicatackes.com.

Katie Truk received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University. She has been teaching multimedia classes for children and adults of all ages and levels since 2001 through personal lessons, visiting artist grants, and in places such as Creative Hands in Madison, Let’s Create in Boonton, Messy Artist in South Orange, Visual Art Center in Summit, and the West Windsor Arts Center in West Windsor. In her studio the medium of choice is pantyhose. She combines the translucent and sensual nature of pantyhose and the rigidity of wire to create sculptures of complex depth and personality. These sculptures have been featured around the tri-state area.

Elissa Verso is an accomplished ballet dancer and certified instructor based in northern and central New Jersey. She received her early training from her parents, both former professional dancers, at their studio, The Dance Center of New Jersey. She later went on to study at the Princeton Ballet School and, in her final years of study, at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet in New York City as a full-time student. In 2015, Elissa earned her certification in Levels Pre-Primary through Level 5 in the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum and has since brought her passion for dance to students throughout New Jersey. Most recently, Elissa has earned her Mat I and Mat II certifications through Power Pilates and is excited to be able to incorporate Pilates and developmentally appropriate principles of core training into classes for students of all ages.