Meet Michele Bowman

Everyone should know Michele as she is often seen coordinating the Coffee Hour (she says she learned the ropes from Marge Everhart). She is currently Secretary of Council (having served a number of terms), a Sunday School teacher (loves those kids!), and VBS program volunteer and just about everywhere!

Michele has worked in the English-as-Second-Language field for 29 years, thanks in part to her wonderful summer exchange experience to Brazil (the French-speaking programs were over-subscribed, but she ended up with THE best family!). She loves languages, but started in Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh. While working at American U in D.C.,
someone suggested linguistics, and she received her Masters at the U of South Florida, and then a Ph.D. in foreign and second language education from OSU.

Born in an eastern suburb of Pittsburgh, she's also lived/worked in Bethesda/D.C., Tampa, Columbus, New Paltz/SUNY, and Solon and Willoughby for CSU, where she's been in ESL teaching and administration for 15 years. She loves traveling and has done so extensively for work and pleasure. In addition to her exchange visits to Brazil, she lived in Madrid for a year. She also made recruiting trips to: Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and back to Brazil. Michele's mother passed away in 1999, and her father in 2001. Her parents separated when she was just 7, and step-mother Marilyn, who we have been praying for quite a lot of late, just passed away on July 23. Her brother lives in N.W. Pittsburgh, and her sister Stephanie lives in Chagrin Falls. Her oldest niece, Blythe lives and works in Washington, D.C. and her younger niece, Brooke, is currently home in Chagrin Falls, but has plans to move out to LA in January.

Sometimes it seems like she works 8 days a week, but she likes walking in the Metroparks,
cooking (Latin, Asian, Italian, you name it), container gardening, and watching old movies,
especially musicals like the Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain. Her 2019 Christmas tree
theme will be based on the Wizard. (Who else chooses a different theme for their tree each
year?) 

Michele joined Advent after moving to Solon in 2004. Why? She grew up Lutheran and just
looked online, found Advent very welcoming and with a vibrant adult ed program. She has since moved to Willoughby, but finds it well worth the extra miles to keep her membership here. And we are all glad she did!