Susan Hoffman, Director
For the past 25 years Susan has worked at UC and CSU campuses launching new interdisciplinary and international programs. In addition to curating our academic terms, Susan also leads our research team in developing partnerships with campus and UCSF colleagues, studying the impact of learning on neuroplasticity, cognitive reserve and dynamic aging. Her creative work includes being a writer and filmmaker. Her faculty appointments have been in creative writing, theatre and political philosophy. 
Patricia Carvalho, Business & Operations Manager

Patricia Carvalho comes to OLLI after a decade as Operations Director at Ashby Village, a “village-movement” non-profit organization serving elders in the East Bay. With her prior 20+ years’ experience in corporate operations, she was instrumental in the creation of Ashby Village’s operational systems and the expansion of its Volunteer Program, making it one of the more successful villages in the country. In her free time, she enjoys urban hikes, genealogy, volunteering, and providing support to organizations offering services to the underserved. She currently lives in Berkeley with her cherished rescue dog Lola Valentine.

Matt Shears, Curriculum Coordinator

Matt has taught courses in the humanities at schools including the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Washington State University, and California College of the Arts.  He received his Ph.D. from UNLV, where he was a Schaeffer Fellow, and his M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers Workshop.  A practicing writer, Matt's most recent book is called Dear Everyone.

Nancy Murr, Communications & Marketing Manager 

Nancy is a Cal alum who began her marketing and communications career at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson/San Francisco where she rose to become a senior copywriter developing TV, print and radio campaigns. From there she ventured into the wilds of freelancing where she wrote countless brand stories, websites, marketing materials, and more for clients including Whole Foods and UCOP. She’s also been a longtime volunteer in — and advocate of — the Oakland public school system.

Max GodinoMax Godino, Classroom & Facilities Coordinator 

Max previously worked as a classroom coordinator with San Francisco State's College of Extended Learning for 13 years before joining OLLI in the Fall of 2016. He graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in political science and used that interest to live and work and travel on 5 continents for many years before returning to the Bay Area where he grew up. He is also a co-owner of Adobe Books in San Francisco, a cooperative used bookstore and art gallery dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, art, and community. In his leisure time you can find him riding bikes, building a log cabin, working on various art projects, and going on adventures with his family.

RobLaeCharles Lawrence Chew, Classroom Coordinator 

Rob manages our Lafayette classrooms, as well as helping out in Berkeley. He majored in Sociology at Arizona State University, and has lived in the Oakland area as well as Arizona for large portions of his life. The son of two educators, Rob also spent a formative year in the Virgin Islands, and is fluent in Japanese. A father of two, Rob is a maker who enjoys building, creating t-shirt artwork, restoring classic cars, and spending time traveling and watching movies with his kids. 

CherylHeadshotCheryl Brewster, Research Program Associate 

Cheryl Brewster, Research Program Associate, facilitates the OLLI Research Program and staffs the Advisory Research Team (ART). She also wears other OLLI hats as a member and as a volunteer who recruits Class Hosts and Co-Chairs the Strategic Planning Committee.  Cheryl moved to Berkeley in 2011 after a career in Chicago as a hospital and health care administrator and a medical outcome research program director.  She lives in Berkeley and is a proud mother and grandmother.