Meet Our Class Teachers / Tutors
Manny Gominho
Manny joined IHRI as a member in early 2019 after retiring following a 38 year career as an Electrical Engineer. Manny has volunteered at IHRI teaching ESL, tutoring in Portuguese and supporting different IHRI committees. He became a board member in October 2019. Manny has also volunteered with the Providence School Department, via Hope Circle, and with the Cape Verdean American Development Center in Pawtucket. Manny is a Brown University Graduate (BS). Born in Cape Verde, he grew up in Portugal and Mozambique prior to coming to the US in 1974.
Susan McQuillian
Susan is a nutrition, health, and lifestyle writer who has contributed hundreds of articles to magazines and websites and authored several books and cookbooks, including such publications as Psychology Today. But her all-time favorite things to do are reading poetry and working with students at International House.
Cal Krichmer
Cal started at International House in August, 1994, after retiring from a long career as an accountant. He originally tutored and then moved into teaching classes focused on grammar. He continues to teach with the same enthusiasm and appreciation for International House as when he began 27 years ago. He is still hooked on this association with the bright and motivated people that make his own life so interesting and plans to continue teaching until he can't.
Natalie Mingnault
Natalie began her career as an elementary school teacher. She taught evening ESL classes in her community based adult education program for twenty-five years, along with a few day semesters as an ESL instructor at Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and Rhode Island College (RIC). She returned to public school and recently retired after twenty-six years as an ESL kindergarten teacher. She is very happy to be volunteering at International House.
Joan Kenower
Joan has been tutoring and teaching English at International House for over 10 years. She is a longtime Providence resident who loves meeting and working with international students and visitors. In addition to learning about different cultures, Joan’s favorite hobbies include gardening, landscape painting (watercolors and pastels) and reading
Mary Meli
Mary has worked for over four decades in the educational field - 39 years as an elementary teacher in the Seekonk, Massachusetts School System, followed by five years as an ESL English teacher at the Community College of Rhode Island. Mary only speaks one language, but has a great admiration for those individuals who can speak two or more!
Michael Pennacchia
Native Rhode Islander, Michael Pennacchia has had an eclectic, entrepreneurial career based in NYC for more than four decades. A freelance writer and photographer, whose work has been published in national magazines and newspapers, he has taught Strategic Communications at Columbia University and Writing at Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). He also was a Public Relations executive, and has founded both Media Relations and Garden Design businesses. He enjoys teaching and learning from the diverse student body at International House.
Gylean Trabucchi
Gylean moved to America in her twenties after serving in the British Foreign Service in London and Paris. She spent time in California and New York, married, and had a family before returning to college to get a Master’s degree in Language Arts. Currently retired, she has served on the IHRI Board of Directors since October 2018 and continues to mentor and work with students from many diverse nationalities and backgrounds, and at all levels of higher education.
Eli Yannekis
Born in Boston, Eli has worked for City Corps in Seattle and currently works in Providence schools. He enjoys learning about the interests of his students and using their interests to make classes interesting and challenging. He has been a volunteer ESL teacher at International House for over two years. He enjoys participating in language exchanges, especially on the app Hellotalk. A native English speaker, he is an intermediate Spanish speaker and is currently trying to learn Arabic.
Maggie Miles
Maggie moved to Rhode Island in 2014, and taught for two years at the International House. She returned this fall and is teaching a section of Intermediate Conversation on Tuesdays at 11 am. For much of her career she was a high school English teacher. In addition, she was the Education Director of a regional arts council, a school administrator and an ESL teacher while living in Italy. Maggie has lived in several foreign countries, and is pleased to be working, once again, with our international students.
Bob Vachon
Bob joined International House in 2015 as a tutor. Currently he is an Advanced English teacher and chair of the Board. Previously, he began his career as an ESL, Reading and English teacher at Woonsocket High School. He became a vice-principal and principal retiring in 2005. Subsequently, Bob assumed duties as the Director of Teacher Certification at Providence College. He has served as Chairman of the Woonsocket Harris Library Board of Trustees and received the Fulbright Scholarship studying the Educational System in Japan.
Beatrice Swift
Beatrice has been a teacher for several decades, working with middle school, high school, and college students. Most recently, she was Chair of the English Department at Lincoln School in Providence. Beatrice began tutoring and teaching at International House in 2021. She loves literature, travel, mountains and the ocean, spending time with her grandchildren, and working with the students in her Intermediate English class!