Club Speakers

When Elaine was young, she wanted to be a painter, a teacher, and a writer. Eventually, she became all three. Her career has been preposterous. She owned a home-based graphic design business for 22 years, exhibited her artwork throughout the East Coast, curated numerous art exhibits, taught art courses at Gloucester County College, and ran the art gallery there for two years.

 

At age 60, she became a certified police instructor and taught more than 5,000 criminal justice personnel about mental illness and how to deal with crisis situations. She was invited by the U.S. Department of Justice Council on State Governments to help create national standards for police education on mental illness. A lifelong interest in African art led her to write the biography of the founder of the National Museum of African Art in Washington, DC. A biology minor in college, and a lifelong organic gardener, she is thrilled that beavers are back in New Jersey doing their thing.