Who We Are: Staff & Board Biographies

Karen Baker
Dining for Kids Chair
Karen Baker, LMSW, is a Clinical Social Worker/Psychoanalyst in private practice in Ann Arbor where she has resided for the past 27 years. She completed her psychoanalytic training at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Council and is on the faculty of MPC. She also serves on the MPC Board of Directors as the Vice-President of Programs and is the Board Secretary of the American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work. Prior to completing her MSW at the University of Michigan, Ms. Baker taught children with learning disabilities. In addition to enjoying her professional affiliations and her past and present roles at Allen Creek as a Family Consultant and Chair of Dining for Kids fund raiser, Ms. Baker enjoys time with family and friends, gardening, travel and reading.

Ronald Benson, M.D.
Board Member, Governance Committee Member
Ron Benson is Board Certified in General and Child/Adolescent Psychiatry and is Certified in Adult Psychoanalysis. At the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, he was Chief of Child/Adolescent Outpatient Services and was Acting Chief of the Youth Service. In addition to his clinical work, he has a long interest in professional education. He is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and has served as President of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Society and President and Chair of the Educational Committee of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. He served as Fellow on the Board of Professional Standards of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Chair of the Committee on Institutes and Chairman of the Board on Professional Standards. He is a trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Accreditation Council for Psychoanalytic Education. He has published in the psychiatric, child and adolescent and psychoanalytic literatures. He has a special interest in imaginary companions.

Andrea D. Bernardini
Board President
Andrea attended Western Michigan University on a full ride basketball scholarship before graduating from Stetson University in December of 2000. While at Stetson University, she helped to create One Voice for Volusia, a non-profit organization for the Department of Juvenile Justice. After graduation, she was employed by Capital Resource Group to head the creation of the securities department. In 2002 she joined the Investment firm of Charles Schwab as a Vice-President-Financial Consultant. She then joined Chisholm and Dames Investment Advisors in the beginning of 2007 as a portfolio manager. Andrea is a member of the Washtenaw Estate Planning Council and the Downtown Ann Arbor Kiwanis Club.

Peggy Cole
Development Consultant
Peggy came to Allen Creek in 2004 from Chicago. Peggy’s professional inspiration is the life and work of the late Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, whose work in liberatory adult education inspired her to develop participatory literacy programs for a wide range of youth, families and adults in numerous Chicago communities. She holds a Masters Degree in Latin American studies from the University of Chicago and along the way picked up a few languages. Peggy is dedicated to universal access to quality education and is endeavoring to help make Allen Creek’s programs accessible to all families. She enjoys being with her family, singing and playing guitar, and everything to do with the natural world.

Lesley Kabza Criscenti
Creative Arts Specialist
I feel a very strong connection to the world of the imagination and I have been privileged to have worked in the creative arts for many years. I have a degree from the UM in Dance and Elementary Education and a M.A. from EMU in Creative Writing. I directed Blue Dragon Dance Theatre, a multi-age dance company receiving grants to work in the Michigan schools. I also directed the professional dance company Dance Focus, which performed in every single Ann Arbor school. As the Creative Arts Specialist at Allen Creek Pre-School I am enriched by the day to day interaction with your children and I know my teaching style benefits from contact with other highly skilled professionals. I also work under the name of Princess Whimsy – paint and poetry on wood and in fiber arts, creating one of a kind scarves with yarn and beads.

Susan Tuttle Darrow, MSW, ACSW, LCSW-Michigan
Family Consultant, Development Committee Member
Michigan native; Ann Arbor resident since 1963. BA degree University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1957. MSW, University of Michigan, 1976. Clinical training, Child and Family Service Agency, Washtenaw County and the Psychological Clinic, University of Michigan. 1979-1993, Clinical Social Worker, University of MIchigan Department of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Supervised Social Work Interns, medical students, and Residents and Child Fellows in evaluating and treating children and adolescents and in working with parents; Directed the Divorce and Family Loss Clinic at CAPH. After retirement from the UM continued to work there teaching psychotherapy to Social Workers in the hospital and seeing patients in Adult Psychotherapy; taught Child Development as Adjunct Faculty in the UM School of Social Work. Family Consultant at Allen Creek for approximately 10 years. Helped Allen Creek locate its first home and through the years has offered assistance in capital development. Board Member (1993 - )and Board Past President Huron Valley Child Guidance Clinic; Board Member Great Lakes Performing Artists Association; formerly Board member and Board President, Kelsey Museum of Archeology.

Paul Dube, LMSW
Family Consultant
Paul A. Dube is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist who has worked with children for over thirty five years. He is an advanced candidate in child psychoanalysis at the Hanna Perkins School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Mr. Dube teaches toddler and pre-school development classes at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute Extension Division. He is published in the journal Child Analysis. Mr. Dube is president of the Association for Psychoanalytic Thought. He is president of SOFAR Michigan, an organization that provides free mental health services to families of Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers. He recently received the Distinguished Friend of Psychoanalysis award from the Michigan Psychoanalytic Society. Mr. Dube maintains a private practice in Huntington Woods and Grosse Pointe Michigan. He lives with his wife, Cheryl, and son Dan in Grosse Pointe.

Barb Gamble, M.S.
Executive Director, Junior Parent-Toddler Teacher, Family Consultant
Barb Gamble has been at Allen Creek Preschool for 9 years, as a parent, parent-infant and parent-toddler teacher, as an administrator, and as a family consultant. Barb has an MS in Educational Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology from the University of Wisconsin—Madison and a BS in Psychobiology from Oberlin College. Barb brings a varied background of experience to Allen Creek including parenting 3 children, community volunteer work, school psychology research and internships, teaching in special education, lab research, neuropsychology assessment, and Lamaze instruction. The common threads include a love of children and families, a tremendous valuing of relationships, and both academic and applied interests in psychology and education.

Michelle Graves, M.A.
Transitional Toddler Teacher, AM Senior Preschool Teacher
Michelle Graves joined the Allen Creek staff in 2002. Before coming to Allen Creek she worked as an education consultant for the High/Scope Foundation. During her 22-year stay at High/Scope she traveled extensively throughout the United States leading training workshops, presenting at national conferences, observing and giving feedback to teachers in a variety of classroom settings, and authoring several books and articles. Her own classroom experiences include daycare settings, private non-profit preschools, and special education elementary schools. Her interest in children comes from deep within, and she is committed to their emotional and physical safety and to developing genuine relationships with them based on mutual respect. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband, two sons and two cats. When not working, she enjoys gardening, biking, dancing and reading.

Linda Kreger, Ph.D
Family Consultant
Linda Kreger received a BS in Special Education of Emotionally Disturbed/Psychology focus, MS in Educational Psychology/Early Childhood focus and PhD in Educational Psychology/Child Development and Disorder focus from the University of Michigan. Her training--including developmental and psychoanalytic approaches--and early professional work was at UM Children's Psychiatric Hospital. She then worked with children in other settings, and coordinated a federally-funded ISMRRD/UM project that trained teams to developmentally treat youngsters exhibiting various exceptionalities. Linda later taught in university departments of Psychology, Child Care, Special Education and Educational Psychology. She hosted a weekly radio program about childhood issues. Linda did consultation for individuals, and early childhood, school and other agencies, alongside research, publication, presentation and committee work. She is excited to be part of Allen Creek's supportive, cooperative community approach. She lives in Ann Arbor with her husband, and has a daughter completing grad work at UM. Linda enjoys music, art, theater, reading and the company of good friends.

Howard Lerner, Ph.D.
Family Consultant, Child Development Director, Development Committee, Junior Toddler Teacher
Howard Lerner is a Clinical Psychologist as well as an Adult and Child Psychoanalyst in private practice in Ann Arbor for over 20 years. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry. He graduated from the University of Illinois majoring in Psychology and Philosophy. He received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University and did a Post Doctoral Fellowship at Yale in the Department of Psychiatry. He did one of the first doctoral dissertations on ADD and has published extensively in the areas of psychological testing, borderline personality disorder, adolescence, and psychoanalytic theory. He received adult and child psychoanalytic training at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and has held numerous positions in a variety of professional organizations. He has been associated with Allen Creek for many years, initially as a Family Consultant and subsequently in a number of capacities. He especially enjoys the relationships he has developed with the children, families and staff of Allen Creek and has talked with parents about topics ranging from “Transition to Kindergarten” to “Adult Topics in a Child’s World”. He has two children. Dr. Lerner’s interests involve ice hockey, boxing, Swedish culture and cinema, and jazz.

Trisha Miller
Allen Creek Fives Teacher
I was brought up on a beautiful lake in the Gaylord area. I was privileged to be able to commune with nature on a daily basis. Relationships formed through experiences in music, theater, and reading were the happiest of my childhood. I graduated with honors from Central Michigan University. My degree is in elementary education, with a major in early childhood development, and a minor in music. Prior to starting at Allen Creek, I have worked in various preschool settings, What I enjoy most about working with children is getting to know them personally and hearing their thoughts. I also love sharing moments of humor with them. It doesn’t hurt that they seem to enjoy my sense of humor and the fun I have performing stories and songs with them or for them. Being a mother to Spencer, 11, and Sylvia, 8, is one of my major sources of joy. The other is my relationship with my partner, Sandra. We live in Ypsilanti. I enjoy many things, especially music and singing, but also dancing, reading, yoga, cooking, and walking in the woods. Natural health is one of my passions, and I am studying to be a master herbalist. Thank you for the honor of working with your precious children!

Jack Novick, Ph.D
Family Consultant, Board Vice President, Research Committee Chair, Development Committee Chair
Jack Novick was born in Montreal, Canada and graduated from McGill University with a specialization in Literature and Mathematics. He received an M.A in experimental psychology from the New School for Social Research and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University. After a stint as co - research director at the Jewish Board of Guardians, he went to London to study and work with Anna Freud. He graduated in Child, Adolescent and Adult psychoanalysis and worked as a researcher and supervisor at the Anna Freud Center. He returned to the U.S.A. to take up a position as professor and Chief Psychologist of Youth Services at the Children's Psychiatric Hospital at the University of Michigan. He was the chair of the child and adolescent training program of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and has published many scientific papers on child development and therapy. With his wife Kerry he has published three books dealing with a range of issues including self- destructive behavior, working with parents and ending treatment. His papers and books have been translated into many languages. Dr. Novick is one of the founders of Allen Creek, a consultant to many preschools locally, nationally and internationally, a Family Consultant and research director of Allen Creek. He is one of the founders of the Alliance for Psychoanalytic Schools, a growing organization of like minded schools in the U.S and Europe.

Kerry Kelly Novick
Child Development Director, Family Consultant, Parent-Infant Teacher
My training and full-time professional practice is as a psychoanalyst working with children, adolescents and adults. Educated in the US and Europe, and trained by Anna Freud in London in the 1960’s, I have worked with schools and other community institutions for many years. I have been involved in Allen Creek in myriad ways, as a founder President of the Board from 1994-2004, as a Family Consultant, as Parent-Toddler teacher and now as both Parent-Infant teacher and Child Development Director, and I continue to appreciate and learn from the whole school community. I enjoy teaching on the faculties of many professional training institutions, and serving as President of the Association for Child Psychoanalysis and Chair of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute’s child and adolescent psychoanalysis training. And there is still time for reading, writing, going to movies, cooking, traveling to see children and grandchildren.

Alana Ryan, B.A.
AM Junior Preschool Teacher, PM Mixed-age Preschool teacher
My name is Alana Ryan and I am a Western Michigan University graduate with a degree in both early childhood and elementary education. I have over eight years of experience working with young children, and am very excited to join the Allen Creek family this year. I currently live in Farmington Hills and will be looking forward to becoming familiar with Ann Arbor. Some of my interests include jewelry making, knitting, cooking, and singing. I am very close with my family, and have 5 younger half siblings. I am enthusiastically waiting to start the year and become involved in the community.

Victoria Schreiber, M.A.
Family Consultant
Victoria Schreiber is a child and adolescent psychoanalyst and adult psychotherapist.  She has been in private practice for over 28 years in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Mrs. Schreiber received her psychoanalytic training at the Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development in Cleveland, Ohio and received her psychoanalytic psychotherapy education at the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute.  Mrs. Schreiber is an active member of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and is the past president of the Association for Psychoanalytic Thought.  Mrs. Schreiber is a consultant to pre-schools and day care centers in the Farmington Hills area and for the Utica School system’s early childhood intervention program.  Mrs. Schreiber enjoys cooking, knitting, reading, classical piano, exercise and her family. She resides with her husband in Farmington Hills.

Libby Sheldon, M.Ed
Education Coordinator
Libby has been professionally involved in the lives of children and families for over 21 years as teacher, director, curriculum coordinator, consultant and learner.  She possesses an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, preceded by her undergraduate degree in Art Education from Michigan State University.  These two passions combined led her to the Reggio Emilia region of Italy where she intensely studied the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education while working closely with teachers and children in Chicago. This deep exploration of understanding relationships and learning with teachers has driven her professional career while working in many capacities throughout the United States, and more recently in the Midwest.  At the Merrill Palmer Institute at Wayne State University, Libby developed and managed the Detroit Head Start Reggio Emilia Staff Development Project, and she served as Coordinator of the Michigan Reggio Collaborative Group for Early Childhood Professionals.  Libby has also provided on-going consultation to schools throughout Michigan. Her life interests include her large and bustling family, volunteering at Alpha House, art, architecture, running, biking, swimming, exploring nature and playing.

Michael Singer, Ph.D
Family Consultant Coordinator
Dr. Michael Singer holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington, and a post-doctoral fellowship in child clinical psychology from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Singer is a graduate of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute in adult, child and adolescent psychoanalysis. He is currently on the teaching faculty of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and is Supervisor in child and adolescent psychoanalysis. He has served as co-director of the Institute’s Child Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Educational Program and the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Fellowship Program. He is an adjunct clinical instructor, teaching and supervising residents, in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Singer has served as consultant to area child care agencies, including Pound House Children's Center, Allen Creek Preschool, and Child Care Network. Dr. Singer is in full time private practice of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Ann Arbor with adults, children and adolescents. He also provides couples therapy and works with parents in parenting guidance.

Dina Stillings
Transitional Parent-Toddler Teacher, AM Senior Preschool Teacher
Artist, Mother and Teacher, Dina Stillings combines these three important roles to bring a unique voice to the Allen Creek community. Born in Arizona and raised in the Midwest, Dina attended the Art Institute of Chicago where she was awarded full Honorary Scholarships. Her career as a painter and art handler took her to NYC where she explored East Coast life. Travel throughout Europe and extended trips throughout India further enhanced her insight into the cultural beauty of this planet. The birth of her two children brought Dina and family back to the Midwest where she enjoys teaching both summer and fall classes at the Allen Creek School. With children of her own, Dina Stillings brings a deep understanding of the love and respect budding minds and hearts need to grow healthy and strong. Through continuation of her own work as an artist, she remains fresh and flexible to change; believing this nurturing of her own skills is inherent to passing on the gift of learning.

Jonathan Sugar, M.D.
Family Consultant
Dr. Sugar is a practicing child, adolescent, and adult psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, who has been working with Allen Creek families and staff for many years. He lives and practices in Ann Arbor, with his wife, Dr. Nancy Barbas (a faculty neurologist at the University of Michigan). His younger daughters, Leigh and Abby are in college. After his residencies, Dr. Sugar did research in international mental health, and international adoption, before returning to Ann Arbor to be faculty in the Psychiatry Department at the U of M. He left the University for full time private practice in 1995. In addition to his clinical and Allen Creek work, Jonathan enjoys cooking, reading, and training and participating in triathlons and endurance athletics.

Debra Warrick
Allen Creek Office Manager
This is my third year with Allen Creek Preschool. I worked as an office manager for the previous seven years in a variety of office settings. Allen Creek is my favorite. I sincerely appreciate my time here and feel lucky to be working along side so many gifted and talented women. I look forward to coming in every day and especially enjoy seeing and getting to know all of our students and their families.