WEA Sydney

Leonie Norton

Resume

Leonie Norton, BA(VisArt), BA Fine Arts (Hons) Plant & Wildlife Illustration, Graduate Diploma VET (Adult Ed) and Cert IV in Assessment & Workplace Training. She has taught various workshops and taken art tours both overseas and in Australia, for over twenty years, in conjunction with running online art courses. She exhibits regularly and her paintings can be found in many galleries globally. She is an enthusiastic tutor who enjoys imparting knowledge with direct interaction with students by class and individual tuition.

Wayne Nosenzo

Resume

Wayne Nosenzo is an experienced VET educator with senior leadership roles in national retail bodies and TAFE QLD. With over forty years of experience in fast-moving consumer goods and franchising, Wayne has held executive roles, including Chief Operations Officer and General Manager as well as co-owner of NightOwl Convenience Stores Australia. His leadership roles include past Chairman of the Australasian Association of Convenience Stores. Practical and supportive, he helps adult learners build confidence and practical skills in inclusive, engaging learning environments.

His credentials include a Graduate Diploma in Management (Learning), a CELTA from Cambridge University, and several diplomas across VET, Training Design, and Business, currently completing a Bachelor of Adult and Vocational Education at Charles Sturt University. Wayne is the author of the self-help book “Word Whiskers - the fear of silence and the power of the pause”, reflecting his understanding of communication and interpersonal dynamics.

Lindsay Nunez Lopez

Resume

Lindsay Nunez, Dip LIS, Diploma of Travel and Tourism, has worked in the tourism industry for over ten years and has taught at the WEA for the past three years. She has traveled to 20+ countries and more than 100 cities worldwide, where she has learned about different cultures and tourist destinations. Lindsay is an enthusiastic and outgoing teacher who enjoys preparing a variety of materials and comprehensive notes to support and encourage student independent learning. She believes that teaching is a wonderful way to continue learning.

Nahla O'Waisha

Resume

Nahla is a highly experienced Arabic teacher who has been with WEA since 2017. With over 18 years of experience teaching across a wide range of ages, she studied at the University of Damascus and she has a Masters in Arabic language. She completed a four-year Bachelors in University of AL Baath in Syria, is interested in Semitic languages and can also speak Turkish. She obtained a certificate in Language Teaching in Australia in 2015 at University of Sydney. Nahla specialises in making her lessons engaging and relevant to each student. She creates resources and activities targeted to meet the learning needs of each class. In her courses at WEA she specialises in teaching adults common Arabic words and phrases and in explaining common cultural practices found across Middle Eastern communities. Her classes are interactive and informative and provide students with a useful overview of the Arabic language and culture.

James Paul

Resume

James Paul. Tutor of WEA Sydney

Chris Pedersen

Resume

Chris is currently CEO of Pedersen Asset Management and Chair of Democrats Abroad in Australia. He has taught courses and presented at seminars for over 30 years including at NY University Graduate School of Business, Columbia University, The Wharton School's Securities Institute, New York Institute of Finance and the Securities Institute of Australian/Kaplan. He has managed billions of dollars in various investment programs. He has worked on the floor of the NYSE, managed a derivatives department, proprietary dealing and arbitrage departments. In addition, he has been on public company Boards such as the Sydney Futures Exchange (before ASX acquisition), and on the investment committee of the fund manager of the year in Australia. He has been used extensively by publications and television in the US and Australia. His teaching style is one that elicits student participation through real life examples.

Giorgia Pempinello

Resume

Giorgia was born and raised in Milan, Italy. With a mother who teaches English and a grandmother who used to teach French, she grew up surrounded by a deep appreciation for languages. This environment sparked her passion from an early age. She attended a language high school where she studied French, Spanish, and English, and later earned a degree in Linguistic Sciences at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, graduating with highest honours with a focus on Russian and English.

After completing her studies, Giorgia moved to Australia with the goal of pursuing a Master’s degree in Teaching, a path inspired by the rewarding experiences she had as a language educator in Italy. Over the course of four years, she worked as a private language tutor, taught French at a French cultural centre, and worked in a private early childhood school where she introduced children, aged 3 to 10, to the English language. Now, Giorgia is ready to take on a new challenge: exploring the world of teaching in Australia by sharing the Italian language with Australian learners. Through her lessons, she aims to pass on not only the language but also the traditions, customs, and culture of the beautiful country where she was born and raised.

Ralph Penglis

Resume

Ralph Penglis is a much-loved educator in community and library settings, known for his clear explanations, patience and infectious enthusiasm. A specialist in cryptic crosswords, he delights in helping students crack clues, spot patterns and discover just how satisfying these puzzles can be once the penny drops.

Jonathon Potter

Resume

Jon Potter, B.Ed/ BFA, has been a Visual Arts and Drama teacher in secondary and higher education for the past six years. He is a practicing artist and prolific oil painter having taken part in over twenty-five exhibitions across Australia in that same time, with a keen interest in realist techniques. Jon encourages excitement and curiosity in his students, believing that creative challenge is one of the key necessities for education, and his teaching style is equipped for learners of all abilities.

Tim Pringle

Resume

Tim Pringle. Tutor of WEA Sydney