Volunteer Leadership

Harold Bruner is a native of Indiana and a graduate of Purdue. He held several jobs in forestry, followed by a second career in real estate in Florida. In 2014 he moved to Auburn and enrolled in OLLI. In 2018 he introduced the first OLLI hiking classes. Harold has participated in many OLLI book groups.

Before retiring in 2011, Larry Gerber was a professor of history at Auburn University specializing in twentieth century US history. During his academic career he became deeply involved in faculty governance serving as chair of the Auburn University Senate and then later as national vice president of the American Association of University Professors. He is also an avid collector of antique oriental rugs. He joined OLLI almost a decade ago.

Herb Shivers is a long-time OLLI member who taught at UTC, UAH and UAB. He has offered many classes for OLLI at Auburn. Herb is fully retired after a 36-year civil service career including Army, TVA and NASA jobs along with his academic career.

Janet Deutsch has lived in Auburn/Loachapoka for 35 years where she worked as a Registered Nurse, nursing instructor and Parish Nurse. She is now happily retired and enjoying family. Janet has been an OLLI member for the past eight years, taking and teaching many classes.

Ken Autrey grew up in Auburn and lived elsewhere for 50 years before retiring and returning home. For many years, he was an English professor at Francis Marion University in South Carolina. He has been a member of OLLI at Auburn for 10 years and teaches OLLI poetry writing courses.

Bill Sherling grew up in Auburn and attended Auburn University, obtaining a B.A. in History in 1966. Following college he served in the Peace Corps in Honduras for 3 1/2 years, the later portion of that time as a trainer of Volunteers going into Honduras. After returning to Alabama, he owned and operated several businesses. He joined OLLI at Auburn in 2008 after retiring.

A 43-year resident of Auburn, Keith Campagna retired from the Auburn University School of Pharmacy in 2003 followed by a 9-year stint in Medical Affairs for pharmaceutical industry. He has taught for OLLI since 2013 and been a member since 2017.

Ellen Joyce Sherling grew up in Selma and has lived in Auburn for over 40 years. She worked for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, retiring as a Child Support worker in 2005. Ellen is a voracious reader and experienced traveler. She joined OLLI in 2007. She has been a perennial student in Writing Our Lives and has enjoyed a wide variety of other courses from line dancing to chair caning. OLLI membership has enriched her life, bringing new friendships and continuing intellectual stimulation.

Ursula Higgins joined OLLI in 2014 to take classes and teach cooking classes. Having retired from 38 years in the restaurant and catering world, and watching her kitchen being remodeled into a pleasant habitat once more, it was the perfect option.

Mike Akins is a writer with experience in online learning and video. He recently served as Senior Online Course Producer for Emory Healthcare, Atlanta. Mike and his wife Betsy have been OLLI members since 2019 and enjoy living in Opelika.

Rebecca Kelly grew up in South Florida and has lived in Auburn for 38 years. Before retiring, she taught special education, English, and gifted education. Rebecca joined OLLI two years ago, and has thoroughly enjoyed discovering a wide array of new areas of interest as well as getting to know others who have never lost their enthusiasm for learning.

After more than 40 years as an English faculty member at AUM, in 2015 Nancy Grisham Anderson retired and moved to AUM Continuing Education and Community Engagement. She works on the OLLI at AuburnAUM course schedule, teaches classes, leads book groups, and plans field trips.

Pete Arnold was educated as a civil/structural engineer at Tufts University, Lehigh University and MIT. He is married to Mary, and they have three children and 8 grandchildren. After retirement, they moved to Dadeville, where he served as a volunteer fireman and ambulance driver and began attending OLLI classes. Before moving to Alabama, they lived in South Carolina, where they participated in OLLI at Furman.

Bill Deutsch is a Research Fellow, Emeritus in the AU School of Fisheries, with degrees in Zoology, Biology, Anthropology, and Aquatic Ecology. He is a member of the Alabama Paleontological Society, and regularly searches for fossils statewide and beyond. He has had a life-long interest in paleontology, and is currently writing a book titled, "Ancient Life in Alabama: The Fossils, the Finders, and Why It Matters."

Maureen Donnan has worked in university counseling centers. She currently is a small business owner. Maureen joined OLLI in 2017 and helps with the hiking groups.

Michele Kostelecky is a retired elementary education teacher. She taught in both regular and special education classrooms. Michele joined OLLI in 2018.