Meet The Team
Cynthia Johnson – Director of Education, ABE and College/Career Instructor, Life and Employment Coach
Cynthia began her Learn More Center journey January 1, 2005. She had previously worked at Sylvan
Learning Centers as Lead Instructor. She had spent 10 years in the arena of individualized instruction
targeting students’ strengths while bolstering areas needing strengthened. The Learn More Center’s
focus on a nurturing environment that truly individualized instruction inspired her to transfer from the
for profit world into the nonprofit world of adult basic education. In 2010, Cynthia became Director of
Education. She directs programming, develops curriculum, and teaches whenever possible. “I truly have
the BEST job! Here at LMC, we have the privilege to participate in our students’ journeys into their
‘start of something better.” Cynthia has been married to her husband Robin for 30 years. They have
three children and several “furbabies”. Cynthia enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family
and friends.
Gary Montel – Development Officer
Gary Montel, development officer, joined LMC in 2013 after working experiences with a fortune 500 company, two retirement communities and a university holding positions in sales, wholesale credit management. accounting, administration and public relations. He currently works with high school equivalency testing, fund raising and public relations.
David Fisher – Jail Program Director, Life Coach/ABE and ELL Instructor
David was born in the green rolling hills of London, Kentucky and was raised in Indiana. His family moved to Wabash, when he was 2 years old. In his life he has lived in Phoenix and in Rio Verde, San Luis Potosi Mexico. It was in Mexico that he began to teach English for a school called Interlingua. Also while in Mexico he learned to speak Spanish almost fluently He came to the Learn More Center in 2009 when his sister Dianna told him there may be a need for an E.L.L teacher. (E.L.L. is the acronym for English Language Learners. This class helps people learn English who do not speak it as their first language.) He was hired and the rest is history, as the saying goes. He earned his TESOL certificate, and his Bachelor’s in Social Work as a non-traditional student and identifies with our older students as they take the courageous step toward finishing their education. Currently, his positions at Learn More Center include: instructor, life coach, and administrative assistant.
Christine Moore – Community Outreach, HSE Chief Examiner, Life and Employment Coach
Christine Moore has been with Learn More Center since the fall of 2019. Shortly after that, she was trained as Chief HSE Examiner. Christine has also stepped into the role of Community Coordinator for LMC. She is the bridge to our community, our partners, and is the face of Learn More Center.
Christine is married to Daniel Moore. They have 3 daughters; Haley forever 23, Shelby 25, and Yzabelle 17. Christine enjoys going to church and serving others, oil painting, reading, watching The Office, long drives with Daniel, and being with friends.
Deborah Blatz – Instructor
“During an exploratory teaching class my senior year of high school, I discovered my love of teaching. Working with students has brought me great joy and satisfaction for more than forty years. After high school, I earned a degree from Indiana University and began teaching students with special education needs, then worked as a elementary principal, and as a special education and curriculum director. I retired from public education in Warsaw a few years ago, and one week into retirement, I began volunteering at the Learn More Center. The students at The Learn More Center have been some of the most memorable of my career, and I enjoy helping them succeed. My husband Doug and I live in Warsaw, we have two grown children and two grandsons.”
Drema Drudge – Instructor
Drema Drudge came to Learn More Center in 2008, left in 2014 to finish her debut novel, and returned in 2019. A graduate of both Manchester University and Spalding University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program, in addition to being an educator she has also served as a writing coach, freelance writer, and is a book marketer. Her second novel will be released in fall 2021. She and her husband, musician and writer Barry Drudge, have two grown children. The Drudges have traveled extensively and host a podcast, Writing All the Things. They live for sunny days at the beach and frozen, chocolate-dipped bananas.
Lucas Esch – Instructor
Lucas has been teaching with the Learn More Center since Spring of 2016. He enjoys science and writing in particular, wishing to encourage others to develop their curiosity and creativity. In addition to teaching, Lucas also tackles some administrative duties such as monitoring and compiling student data and statistics, researching and writing grants for the center, and proofreading or editing as needed.
In his free time, Lucas enjoys reading, writing, gaming, and streaming on Twitch. He loves to hike and admire nature and spend time with friends and family. Creativity and community are important values and he loves sharing those passions with others.
Al Sims – Tutor
“I have been an educator for 56 years serving as a classroom teacher, principal and district administrator. I have enjoyed volunteer tutoring at LMC since 2013.
I enjoy music and sports as hobbies.”
Loretta Sommer – Tutor
Currently a math tutor for the Learn More Center, after having retired from MSD of Wabash Co. as a Special Education/Math teacher six years ago. I am a mother of four, grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of four. I enjoy traveling, camping, reading and attending car/tractor shows with my husband, David. We are very involved in our church and all our family activities.
Robert Tully – Tutor
Bud Tully, aka the Tully Monster, has been a math tutor at the Learn More Center since 2013. He was a math and physics education major at Manchester College. After teaching at Wabash High School for two years he held a number of other positions including Director of Admissions at MC before returning to teaching at 8th grade math and algebra at Manchester Junior High School. He retired in 1995 from Manchester Community Schools after 17 years at the Junior High. In his spare time he enjoys sailing, flying (private pilot), and travel throughout the United States (49 of the 50 states) and around the world (Europe, Russia, and China).
Shaelyn Bailey – Paraprofessional
Hi there! My name is Shaelyn Bailey, I am a Paraprofessional at LMC. I’m from Colorado but have lived in Indiana since late 2017. I was previously a student here and obtained my High School Equivalency Diploma in 2018. Presently, I am majoring in Human Services at Ivy Tech. On days I’m not here, I am usually found either snuggled up with my pets and a good book, or outside taking pictures.
Michelle Johnson – Paraprofessional
Michelle has been working for the Learn More Center for about 2 and a half years and before that volunteered for almost 3 years. She’s in charge of getting students through orientation and helping them become familiar with the program. On top of that, she also enjoys helping students with math problems when the tutors aren’t looking. In 2020, Michelle received her paraprofessional certification and plans on continuing her education in college. In her free time, Michelle enjoys hiking, playing video games, drawing, painting, and creating art in general
