Answer - TISHE Core Staff

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

2007 TISHE Core Staff

Nora Gelperin, M.Ed., Nora Gelperin, M.Ed., oversees Answer’s Sexuality Education Training Initiative. She is also founder of the organization’s annual Training Institute in Sexual Health Education (TISHE), and a sexuality expert for the weekly live chats on the Sex, Etc. Web site, Sexetc.org. Ms. Gelperin develops, markets and conducts training workshops for teachers and community agency staff in New Jersey and nationwide. Previously, Ms. Gelperin was an adjunct instructor of Human Sexuality at Temple University and Montclair State University, and a community educator with the Planned Parenthoods of Western Washington and Greater Northern New Jersey. She earned her Master of Education in School Health Education degree from Temple University. Ms. Gelperin has written curricula for the Teen PEP manual, Discussion Guides for Sex, Etc. and numerous articles on adolescent sexual health.

Eva Goldfarb, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Montclair State University in the program of Health Professions. She has spent the past fifteen years helping to prepare current and future sexuality educators, teaching courses, leading workshops, consulting on media projects, conducting seminars, working with parents, and developing curricula in the areas of human sexuality and sexual health. Dr. Goldfarb is co-author of Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 10 - 12 and Our Whole Lives: Sexuality Education for Grades 4-6. She is also co-author of Filling the Gaps, a book on hard-to-teach topics in human sexuality. Dr. Goldfarb holds a Ph.D. in human sexuality education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kenya Masala is a dynamic community and human development consultant, certified teacher and curriculum specialist. His unique blend of skills as an educator, facilitator and percussionist inspire real learning and community building with clients ranging from the corporate world to youth. He facilitates seminars, leadership and youth development training, outdoor adventure and educational percussion programs. He also designs and develops multimedia curricula and presentations on a national level, and recently published his first book, Rhythm Play! Kenya enthusiastically creates highly effective learning and community building experiences, authentically motivating individuals and groups of all ages. Kenya is a REMO Drums-endorsed drumming facilitator.

Monica Rodriguez is the director of information and education at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Ms. Rodriguez oversees projects related to publishing and providing sexuality information for professionals and the public. She also oversees projects related to promoting comprehensive sexuality education for diverse communities throughout the United States, including SIECUS’ State and Community Advocacy Project, Outreach Initiative, Midlife and Aging Initiative and School Health Project. Additionally, Ms. Rodriguez provides training and technical assistance related to HIV prevention and sexuality education, including training design, curricula selection and program support. Prior to joining SIECUS, Ms. Rodriguez was a sexuality educator at the Center for Family Life Education, Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey. She received a bachelor of science degree from Penn State University in 1990.

Elizabeth Schroeder, Ed.D., MSW, is an international trainer and consultant in the areas of sexuality, curriculum development, counseling and non-profit administration and supervision. She has provided trainings throughout the United States and overseas to thousands of youth-serving professionals and teens, presented at national conferences and written about sexuality issues and training for national newsletters and magazines. Elizabeth is co-founding editor of the American Journal of Sexuality Education (Haworth Press), co-author of Making SMART Choices: A Curriculum for Young People and Being Out, Staying Safe: An STD Prevention Curriculum of LGBQ Youth, editor of Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Controversial Issues in Family and Personal Relationships, 5th and 6th editions, and author of chapters in Health Counseling: Applications and Theory and The Continuum Complete International Encyclopedia of Sexuality.

Wayne Pawlowski, ACSW, LICSW, has been providing training on the topic of male involvement in sexual health for professionals in 48 states and abroad for the past 18 years. He has won numerous local, state and national awards for his innovative and effective training workshops and curricula. His involvement in the field of sexuality education and reproductive health spans over two decades and his trainings consistently receive the highest accolades from participants and sponsoring agencies.

Todd Slawsky, M.Ed., coordinates the logistics of Answer’s Sexuality Education Training Initiative, which trains more than 3,000 participants per year. He has been a resident director for Rutgers Cook College, where he promoted a secure environment for college residents and conducted a series of educational programs to teach residents about topics relating to sexuality education, safety, study habits and communication. Mr. Slawsky has also worked as the assistant director of the Rutgers Student Legal Information Center, where he managed a staff to aid Rutgers students and employees with legally related issues and developed programs to educate students about the most common types of legal problems. He holds a Master of Education in Learning and Teaching degree from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education.

Photographs by Julie Walton Shaver Photography