Diocesan Christian Education Coordinator Responsibility
Make contact with local parishes, church school directors and their teachers through workshops, teachers’ meetings, and parish visitations. The diocesan coordinator should always contact and receive approval of the parish priest before visiting a parish. The diocesan coordinator must make a brief report of that visit to the Department Director, including the number of people contacted, as well as the specific needs which might arise from the meeting. In the case where a diocesan coordinator conducts a workshop, notice of that workshop should be sent to the director in advance of the meeting. As often as possible, obtain critiques of OCEC and Archdiocese materials. Assess the needs of church schools and teachers in the area of curriculum, teacher training, and supplementary materials.
Note: To get in touch directly with any of the coordinators listed below, please contact the Department for more information, at AODCE@aol.com or (717) 747-5221.
Worcester and New England - New York and Washington, D.C. & Oakland, PA and the East - Miami and the Southeast - Los Angeles and the West - Toledo and the Midwest - Wichita and MidAmerica - Ottawa and Upstate New York
Worcester and New England
Anna Timko-Hughes, M.Ed.
Anna Timko-Hughes is the Religious Education Coordinator for the Diocese of Worcester and New England. Currently a member of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Lawrence, MA where her husband is the pastor, Anna has been actively working for the Orthodox Church for nearly thirty years. She first served as Secretary, Treasurer and Governor of local and regional Pennsylvania chapters of the Federated Russian Orthodox Clubs of America, then as an Elementary Grades Sunday School Teacher for the OCA, and, for the past sixteen years, as a Pre-School through High School Sunday School Teacher for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. She has also served as the regional and local Religious Coordinator for Antiochian Women. Anna's background is in the field of Education: she graduated from Wilkes University, PA, with a BA in Sociology with Secondary Education Certification and then, after taking courses in Psychology and Curriculum at Penn State, she graduated from Lamar University, TX, with an M.Ed. in Secondary Education , concentrating in History. Throughout her teaching career, she has been involved in teaching and developing curricula for gifted young people. She is the author of the Gifted Education Curriculum Handbook: Secondary Level (Phillipsburg, PA 1980) and more recently, authored the Interactive Guide portion of The Divine Liturgy (OCEC, Yonkers, NY, 1996).
New York and Washington, D.C. & Oakland, PA and the East
Very Reverend George Alberts
Fr. George Alberts has been involved in Orthodox education for over 30 years. Fr. George is currently assigned as the pastor of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, Danbury, Connecticut. Previously, he served as the priest for two Pennsylvania parishes, St. Michael’s in Monessen, and St. Ellien’s in Brownsville. While the pastor for these parishes, he was also a part-time professor at Westmoreland County Community College, and the Orthodox Chaplain at California University of Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, and was ordained to the Holy Priesthood in 1973. He also studied Clinical Pastoral Education at Pine Rest Mental Health Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI., and volunteered in the Child Life Program on the pediatric unit of Blodgett Memorial Hospital in Grand Rapids. Fr. George’s whole life has been focused on Christian education for all ages at all levels, in both parish and hospital settings. He is widely known among the youth of the Archdiocese having served as the Camp Director of the Antiochian Village Summer Camp, as Special Olympics Sports Camp Coordinator, Regional Teen Spiritual Advisor in both the Midwest and Eastern Regions, and as the Orthodox Chaplain at the University of Southern California.
Miami and the Southeast
Betty Randolph, M.Ed.
Elizabeth "Betty" Randolph is a Member of Christ the Saviour Church in Anderson, South Carolina. She has been the Christian Education Coordinator for the Southeast for well over ten years. During her professional career, Betty has taught grades one through eight and currently employed as an Elementary School Principal. With a Bachelors Degree from SUNY at Stony Brook, a Masters Degree in Administration/Supervision from Rollins College, and over twenty years of teaching/administrative service, Betty Randolph brings the Christian Education invaluable experience in the development of young minds. Since 1977, Betty has been consistently involved in curriculum selection and staff development, both as a Christian Education Coordinator and as a School Principal.
Los Angeles and the West
Joseph Tershay, M.Ed.
Joseph Tershay, a member of St. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church, Santa Cruz, CA, has been the Western Region Religious Coordinator for over ten years. He is the author of The Wonder of It All- the pre-school manual published by OCEC in 1982- as well as many articles on cooperative learning for The Word and other archdiocesan newsletters. He has brought nearly thirty years of teaching experience to bear on the field of Christian Education. After graduating from San Francisco State University with a BA in History, an MA in Education and a High School teaching credential, Joseph first taught history in a local high school before shifting his focus from the content to the process of learning; he qualified in the Montessori method and obtained credentials in Early Childhood, Special Education, and as a Resource Specialist with the Alum Rock School District, San Jose, CA, for the past sixteen years. He has also worked for many years as a Church School Superintendent and is co-author of the Church School Superintendent's Manual.
Toledo and the Midwest
Robert Snyder
Robert Snyder is the Religious Education Coordinator for the Diocese of Toledo and the Midwest; a position he has held for the last ten years. He has been actively engaged in Christian education for the last thirty years as a High School teacher, a teen youth advisor, and, currently, as an instructor in Adult Christian Education. During this time, Robert has conducted many Christian Education Workshops, and written numerous articles on Christian Education for The Word and the OCEC Christian Education newsletter. He is known in his parish of St. George, Akron, Ohio, for his work as a highly successful youth advisor (achieving, among others, "Teen Club of the Year" award), as a past president of the Parish Council and since 1996, as the recipient of the Protsyngelous Ellis Khouri Merit Award.
Wichita and MidAmerica
Billie Oldziey
Vasiliki "Billie" Oldziey holds a B.A. in Humanities and Dance and a certificate in Movement Analysis. She is currently working as a substitute teacher and a vision and hearing screener for the Austin, Texas school district. She has taught church school at St. Elias in Austin for the past 18 years and is the director of the church school program. She was the founding editor of the quarterly publication, The Children’s Magazine for Orthodox Christian Children. For the past five years, she has been studying iconography with master iconographer, Vladislav Andrejev and writing icons for private prayer. In the past, she served as the Southwest Region Writing Festival Coordinator and led workshops for church school teachers.
Ottawa and Upstate New York
Jacquelyn Fadel
Jackie Fadel is the Christian Education Coordinator for the Diocese of Ottawa, Eastern Canada and Upstate New York. She has served in this capacity since the early 1990’s. She was recently reappointed to the position of Church School superintendent of her parish, St. George, Niagara Falls, New York. Prior to her retirement in June 2004, she taught in the Elementary Division of the Niagara Falls School District for thirty-three years, the last twenty in a specialized program for the Gifted and Talented. She has also served as Recording Secretary for NAC SOYO, Oratorical Festival Coordinator and worked for a number of years as Stewardship Coordinator for the Diocese. She enjoys volunteering at the Antiochian Village Summer Camp where she once served as Volunteer Coordinator.
