Faculty & Staff
Since 1984, AAIS has helped thousands of food service professionals earn and maintain their certifications. Our success revolves around our students' eagerness to learn, and the dedicated faculty and staff who support them. Our faculty members are leaders in their field of expertise, and the AAIS staff has many years of experience in distance education. AAIS's support and development team assists in writing and editing our educational materials, as well as updating and reviewing them for accuracy, and helps maintain our electronic databases and the Online Testing Center. All of the staff and support and development members work under the guidance of a skilled administration that has student satisfaction and course quality as its primary goals.

ADMINISTRATION

Kevin J. McCloskey
President
Kevin J. McCloskey is president of Direct Learning Systems, Inc. (DLS), a Lehigh Valley, PA based distance education publishing company, which he founded in 1999. DLS is the parent company of both the American Academy of Independent Studies and Blackstone Career Institute.Blackstone is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council, Washington, D.C.; and both schools are licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as private licensed schools. His previous experience includes over

fifteen years in senior management prior to founding DLS. He was vice chairman and managing partner of NLKK, Inc. the operator of Keystone National High School, a nationally accredited internet-based secondary school with an enrollment of over 15,000 students. In 2000 Mr. McCloskey orchestrated the sale of NLKK, Inc. to KinderCare Learning Centers, Inc., a publicly traded firm. Prior to that time, he held various senior management positions in the medical equipment field. Mr. McCloskey was primarily responsible for the marketing, sales, business development and strategic planning throughout this period. He holds a BA degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Professionally, Mr. McCloskey is active within the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), served on the Business Standards Committee (Vice Chairman), and was Chairman of the International Marketing Workshop of the DETC in 2000. Additionally, he has served on the long-range planning and membership committees of Brookside Country Club. Other professional affiliations include the Pennsylvania Restaurant Association, the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, and the Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administrators. He also serves on the
school board of St. Thomas More School as fund raising chairman.

Paul Grumbein
General Manager
Paul graduated from Salem College with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, earning a dual major in physical education and art with a minor in health sciences and safety education. Upon graduation, Paul was employed as a high school teacher for three years, active in the school's scholastic sports programs, theatrical productions and extracurricular activities. During this time he continued his education by enrolling as a night student in a master's program at Millersville College, where he pursued a degree in school guidance. His career took a turn into the business world, where he elevated himself through the sales ranks to the position of district sales manager in a career spanning twenty-four years. Along the way he continued with his education, enrolling in Albright College, where he took business related courses. With the opportunity to merge his educational background and management abilities, Paul joined the staff of Direct Learning Systems, Inc. where he is responsible for the schools' operations.

Valerie L. Behrle
Director of Education
Valerie L. Behrle, B.S., M.Ed., holds a bachelor's and master's degree in education from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Valerie has over twenty years' experience in education and has worked with students of all ages, including K-12 and post-graduate. She is currently the director of education at Direct Learning Systems, where she supervises the evaluation staff for our distance-education schools. In addition, she writes and edits new programs for AAIS and Blackstone Career Institute. She has edited or written more than ten distance-education courses over the past five years.

STAFF

Darlene Boyle
Financial Administrator/Human Resource Coordinator
Darlene earned her Human Resource Certification at Penn State University. She is a member of the Society of Human Resources. Darlene is also a Certified QuickBooks user. Her professional and educational background in bookkeeping/human resources enables her to coordinate the financial needs and human resources development at Direct Learning Systems, Inc.

Shannon Klich
Assistant Director of Education
Shannon graduated from Shippensburg University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a concentration in psychology. She became a certified teacher in the state of Maryland. As the assistant director of education at Direct Learning Systems, Shannon provides educational assistance to our students. She is responsible for editing
and revising course material and assisting in the development of new programs.

Tammy Kromer
Financial Assistant/Student Services
Tammy enjoys being a team player here at Direct Learning Systems. Her responsibilities include assisting the
general manager and Darlene Boyle, enrolling new students, processing each student's payments,
and answering students' questions regarding billing and shipments.

Cheri Pagliaro
Student Services Representative
Cheri attended Kutztown University, where she majored in art. She is an assistant in our Education Department. Cheri is responsible for grading and student services for AAIS and Blackstone Career Institute, as well as preparing student shipments.

Adria Wetherhold
Student Services Representative
Adria graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Arts. Here at DLS, she handles student services for the American Academy of Independent Studies. She is responsible for processing enrollments, grading exams, issuing certificates, and updating AAIS records. She is also involved in revising course material and assisting the education department with answering students' questions.

SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

Tracey Vasil Biscontini
Editorial Manager
Tracey Vasil Biscontini has over fifteen years' experience in distance education. A professional writer, editor, and college instructor, Tracey owns and manages Northeast Editing, Inc., a writing and editing service specializing in educational writing. Tracey holds a master's degree in English from the University of Scranton and a bachelor's degree in mass communications from King's College. She is a member of the American Association of Curriculum Development and the National Writers' Union.

Gerold Chorba
Computer Programmer/Consultant
Gerold has over seventeen years experience as a computer programmer and consultant. He has been working with
Direct Learning Systems, Inc. since 2001. Specializing in FoxPro, Gerold manages DLS's database system
as well as maintaining the Online Student Center and IT troubleshooting.

Compute Asyst, Inc.
Computer/Network Support
Founded in 1980 by Charles Myers, Compute Asyst, Inc., is a Pennsylvania-based computer consulting and service
company located in the Lehigh Valley. Charles and his staff provide computer and network consulting, service, and
support to Direct Learning Systems, Inc. Compute Asyst helps businesses and professional organizations of all
sizes gain the most productive and cost-effective benefit from today's computer and networking technology.

Camille G. Scarborough
Consultant/Copy Editor
Camille has been running her own writing, editing, and marketing consulting business for over five years, with many clients in the field of education. Prior to starting her own business, Camille worked as a marketing manager for retail banking programs at the American Bankers Association and was the copy manager for NRI Schools, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.

Deborah Silvestrini
Designer
Deborah Silvestrini has over fifteen years' experience in desktop publishing and design on PC and MAC platforms. She owns and operates D.A.S. Computer Enterprises, a computer service specializing in desktop publishing. Deborah has designed textbooks and training materials for some of the largest educational publishers in the United States. In addition to desktop publishing, her clients rely on her for software training, computer installations, and troubleshooting.

Celia Swallow
Creative Services
Celia has over twenty years of experience in the graphic design field, and an association with Mr. McCloskey and Direct Learning Systems since 1997. She is responsible for developing and executing the creative concepts for communication projects. Her focus is to create affordable, exciting design solutions for her clients. Celia has a background in graphic design, communication and client development. Previously, art director for a leading promotional advertising agency, she currently holds the position of VP of Creative Services for CG2Direct, a direct marketing company targeting the financial industry.

Erin Vellela
Author and Designer
Erin is a graduate of Kutztown University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Professional Writing with
a minor in Literature. Vellela has four years billing and coding experience. Alongside her knowledge of writing
and editing, she also has two years of experience in desktop publishing and design.

American Academy of Independent Studies is a Direct Learning Systems School. © 1999-2007 Direct Learning Systems, Inc.
American Academy Courses are accredited by the American Culinary Federation, St. Augustine, FL and licensed by the State Board of Private Licensed Schools,
Department of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

All AAIS courses have been developed by experts in the area of distance education in coordination with the most experienced and talented professionals in the fields of business, nutrition, sanitation and management. We constantly review and improve our courses to ensure your education is of the highest quality and value.