Faculty

Jeff Birdsall is a professional leadership consultant, who works with universities, AmeriCorps programs and non-profit organizations throughout the country. Over the past 15 years, Jeff has worked in experiential education programs in a variety of capacities including: teacher, facilitator, director and co-founder. He has also served as an instructor in our Leadership Institute for the past five years. Currently, he is working on a number of leadership projects at Brown University. Jeff has an M.A. from Naropa University and a B.S. from Lesley University.

Glennon Gingo served as Executive Director of Hawaii Island YMCA for 15 years. He is certified at the national and international levels as a trainer for SCUBA, aquatics and fitness programs. He was a regional champion in the World Cup Freediving competition. He enjoys teaching for the Navy SEAL teams, supervising courses in SCUBA and shooting underwater video.

Tommy Hayes has worked with high school and college students for over ten years. Since graduating from Brown University with Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, he has worked with youth as a naturalist for a nature preserve in Connecticut, an Americorps member doing environmental service projects in Seattle and an instructor for the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab in Rhode Island. He teaches high school science in Charlestown, MA and is an avid hiker, having walked across the United States along the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails.

Susan Lehner has been teaching science to high school students and other interesting people of all ages for 28 years. For 16 of those years, she has lived and taught on the Big Island of Hawaii. She lives in North Kohala , the remote northern tip of the island, surrounded by lush greenery, outrageous landforms, and a turquoise sea. Susan holds a Master's Degree in Biochemistry from Vanderbilt Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee, and thinks Hawaii is just about the best place to study science in the entire world. She will show you why—as she leads you through the fascinating landscapes of Hawai'i 's volcanoes, coral reefs, cloud forests, and other magical places.

Robin Rose is an Associate Dean in Summer and Continuing Studies and Brown's Director of Leadership Programs. She served as Brown’s Chief Student Affairs officer from 1991-2000Rose, a graduate of the College of Wooster (B.A., 1975), earned her graduate degrees in psychology at the University of Connecticut (M.A., 1978; Ph.D., 1981). She came to Brown in 1981 as director of outreach programs in the Office of Psychological Services, then served as Dean of Student Life for almost a decade. Robin oversees the curriculum and selects faculty for all Leadership Institute programs and leads Brown’s undergraduate student programs in the Big Island Hawaii.

Marian Thorpe graduated from Brown in 2004 with a BA in Environmental Studies as well as a BA in Ethnic Studies. This is her fourth year with BELL. While at Brown, Marian researched environmental literacy and environmental education in immigrant and indigenous communities in Rhode Island and Ecuador. She worked for two years as the Development Coordinator at English for Action, a Providence-based adult education organization. She now serves as the Program Assistant for the Leadership Institute.

Brown University/Office of Summer & Continuing Studies 42 Charlesfield St., Providence, RI Summer@Brown.edu