Faculty Bios

Professor Kathleen Yanchus chairs the First Year Experience Foundational Literacy Department. In addition to serving as Chairperson of the department, Professor Yanchus has taught sections of all courses offered in First Year Experience Foundational Literacy. Currently, Professor Yanchus, who specializes in both reading and writing, teaches courses in the Accelerated Learning Plan (ALP), integrated reading and writing courses, as well as criminal justice-themed contextualized hybrid courses. Additionally, Professor Yanchus has been active on numerous committees at NSCC, including the Strategic Planning Committee, Student Retention Committee, and Tutoring Committee. Professor Yanchus has a B.S. from Salem State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Cambridge College where she defended her thesis on developmental education for college learners. In 2005, Prof. Yanchus received the National Institute for Staff and Organization Development Excellence Award (NISOD), as well as an award from the Mass. House of Representatives for this honor. Kathy Yanchus was NSCC Coordinator of MCAS from 2001 to 2014 and was published in the Bunker Hill Community College Journal with an article entitled, "Pathway Partners - The Road to MCAS Success." 

Denise Cady Arbeau teaches developmental writing and reading courses, as well as the First Year Experience class. Assistant Professor Cady Arbeau holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Emmanuel College and a Master of Arts in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Prior to teaching at NSCC, Professor Cady Arbeau taught high school English and is licensed to teach both high school English and History. In addition, Professor Cady Arbeau runs a therapeutic yoga business devoted to sharing the healing properties of yoga and meditation. 

Russell Green, Associate Professor First Year Experience Foundational Literacy has been teaching at NSCC since September 2000. Teaching initially in the English Department, Professor Green joined First Year Experience Foundational Literacy in September 2011. Professor Green supports innovation in developmental education and has presented at conferences on Accelerated Learning Plan curriculum, contextualized curriculum, Smart grading of student writing, and service learning for developmental students. With publications in Teaching for Our Times, the New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange, and Sigma Chi Magazine, Russell Green earned a B.A in English Literature and in Italian Literature at Rutgers College and an M.F.A. in Writing and Literature at Emerson College. In April 2014, Professor Green was the recipient of the Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society's Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Wanda Pothier-Hill earned an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Goddard College, a BA in English with a minor in Ancient Studies from Mount Holyoke College, and an AA from Mount Wachusett Community College. 

Professor Pothier-Hill’s literary reviews, short stories, and poetry have been published in various journals, such as Gravel Magazine, the Pitkin Review, imagazine, and others. Complementing her writing, Professor Pothier-Hillhas taught introductory writing courses, Scriptwriting, literature courses, and more. In addition to writing and teaching, sheand her family run a small urban farm where they not only grow vegetables and flowers, but also keep honeybees and chickens, along with three cats. 

Danielle Santos earned a Bachelor of Arts in English (concentration in writing) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a Masters of Education in Secondary English Education from Southern New Hampshire University. Her specialty is Composition, with the majority of that experience being at the developmental and first-year levels. She teaches all Level 1 courses (Writing, Reading, and Practical Applications), Level 2 Writing, English Composition I, and ALP. 

Kerry Brown was raised and received his secondary school education in Danielson, Connecticut. He subsequently attended Mass Art and later Salem State where he received his bachelor and master’s degrees respectively. Following his years at Mass Art, Professor Brown entered the teaching profession in Fitchburg, Mass and remained there until he was drafted into the U.S. Army three years later. When he returned to civilian life, Professor Brown moved to the North Shore, and began his decades-long career as an English teacher at Danvers High. Soon after retiring from DHS in 2003, he was hired as an adjunct at NSCC. Professor Brown views teaching as a problem-solving endeavor, not unlike the writing process, with lots of prewriting, drafting, and endless revising. 

Susan Noyes graduated from Bridgewater State College in 1972 and has taught English at the secondary level in three different schools. She received a master’s degree in Reading from Salem State College in 2001 and an Ed.D. in Language Arts and Literacy from UMass Lowell in 2008. At NSCC, ProfessorNoyes teaches College Reading and College Writing. She is particularly interested in reading and writing with her students by reading aloud, using online discussion boards, and incorporating elements of the writing workshop approach in class. 

David Oconnell, as a career educator, taught English in the Winthrop Public Schools for over 30 years. Professor Oconnell’s teaching experience includes working with students at all levels, and he especially enjoys teaching Creative Writing and SAT Prep. At NSCC, Prof. Oconnell teaches in both the ESL and First Year and Foundational Literacy Departments where he teaches First Year Experience and College Reading 1. Professor Oconnell received his undergraduate degree in Journalism/English and his MA is in Secondary Education from Suffolk University.