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Meet Our Team
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Kayla Sikora
Director
Kayla Sikora believes that education is a lifelong journey. Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies, a Master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education, a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Adult Learning, and pursuing a Doctorate degree in Education, Kayla believes in the power of knowledge.
With 9 years’ experience in adult education, Kayla is passionate about helping students to achieve their goals and encouraging lifelong learning. As the adult education director, Kayla operates with an open-door policy. It is her goal to support every learner who walks into the adult education program.
Mel Doody
Administrative Assistant |
Mel has been the evening secretary for AACE for 20 years and recently accepted a position as the Administrative Assistant. She is known by learners past and present as "the one with the colorful hair" or the friendly face that greets them when they first come through the door. Mel was a learner at AACE in the Certificate Program, completing it in 2001. Mel is known as the "data plunker," meaning she makes sure the data on the backend is accurate and helps the program run efficiently. Mel helps learners find their room, connect with their teacher, and get the information they need to succeed.
Tom Renckens
Academic Instructor |
Tom recently was awarded the John B. Forster Award. An award given to a staff member who goes the extra mile and makes a difference in the lives of the AACE Community. Tom has worked for Augusta Adult and Community Education for over a decade! He teaches HiSET Prep in all subjects at the Kennebec Learning Center and at the Kennebec County Correctional Facility.
Kenlyn Clark
Academic Instructor |
Kenlyn Clark believes that learning has no age limit. She is dedicated to helping students grow in knowledge and as individuals. She teaches Digital Literacy, Personal Finance, and tutors HiSET students. She also does Workforce Development training and oversees Credit Recovery students for the local high school.
Before AACE, she taught business math and science at a charter Arts high school. She was also a traveling teacher teaching all subjects for a charter high school program devoted to reaching “school-resistant” students, many of whom had suffered trauma at a traditional school. Before that, she tutored Math and Science at a regional community college. That is where her desire to support the learning journey of adult learners was first sparked.
Kenlyn has a B.S. in Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, an M.S. in Soil Science from the University of Illinois, and a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from the University of Maine Augusta.
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Tracy Weber
Academic Instructor |
Tracy is our English Language Arts and English Language Learner Instructor. She can't imagine her life without books!
Liz Johnson
Academic Instructor |
Liz Johnson teaches Math, Science, Art and Wellness. She has more than 15 years experience working in education, with a variety of ages and abilities. She is passionate about the subjects she teaches and strives to help students draw connections between the subjects they are learning in school and their everyday lives.
Sylvie Charron
Academic Instructor |
Sylvie Charron holds a diploma in ESL from the University of Edinburgh and a B.A. and M.A. in ESL from the Sorbonne. She also holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in French Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin.
She was Professor of French at the University of Maine at Farmington for 25 years where she directed the International Studies program. For ten years, she and Professor Linda Britt conducted seminars in pedagogy for practicing foreign language teachers.
For years, she served on the Foreign Language Association of Maine board and state commissions where she advocated for the study of foreign languages in K-12. In 2016, she was honored with FLAME’s Solange Bernier Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her publications have focused on George Sand, Tahar Ben Jelloun, and Maine Franco-American literature. With Sue Huseman, she co-translated Sand’s The Marquise and Pauline, Ben Jelloun’s Grapes of Despair, and Canuck by Camille Lessard-Bissonnette.
Since 2015, She has been teaching ESL to new immigrants at the Augusta Adult Education Program. She loves interacting with students from different cultures and helping them learn about American language and culture.