Bio Page
Shaun Sullivan
About the Star
Shaun is an Accounts Payable Specialist and Travel Coordinator for the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Shaun graduated from UMass Lowell with a degree in Business Management (’04) so it made sense for him to return to his alma mater.
Shaun is a loyal sports fan and follows the Patriots, Red Sox, and Celtics. He is the youngest of seven children, and he is very involved with his siblings and their children. His favorite place to visit is Ireland, where he had the opportunity to follow his roots back to a small town where his grandfather and grandmother were born and raised.
During the winter months, you will find Shaun at the Mountains of Maine, where he is an avid skier. Shaun makes a point to follow local and world news on a regular basis. Ask him anything about what’s going on in the world and he can tell you.
He has no experience in competitive dancing but is excited to give the Cha Cha a shot!
About his Partner
Susan Koczarski
About the Star
Susan has worked at the University since 1971 (Lowell State College) and has worn many hats, she is now and has been for 23 years the Libraries (South and North) Budget Manager, she also works with Graduate Students in helping them process their thesis/dissertations for binding and publishing….. both jobs that she enjoys very much.
Steve Johnston
About the Star
Stephen is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Plastics Engineering Department. He has a B.S. Degree in Plastics Engineering Technology from Penn State Erie as well as an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Plastics Engineering from UMass Lowell.
Steve has been teaching at UMass since 2007. In the fall semesters he teaches Introduction to Engineering to all 400+ incoming freshman engineering students. During the spring he teaches sophomore and junior level design classes for the Plastics Department. His academic interests and experience focus on plastics processing, process control, and part design. For recreation Steve truly loves spending time outdoors and enjoys skiing, skating, snow kiting, hiking, kayaking, biking, and he is in the process of learning to hang-glide.
About his Partner
Joanne Dupuis
About the Star
Joanne Dupuis is the Director of Nursing Simulation and Skills Laboratories arriving at UMass Lowell in August, 2008. She is an experienced nurse educator with several specialty certifications and expertise in teaching with clinical simulation. At UML, she teaches undergraduate nursing students in Physical Assessment and Fundamentals of Nursing and is also an adjunct faculty member of the Nursing Department at MassBay Community College. She is currently expanding the Nursing Simulation program as part of the Nursing Laboratories.
Afrim Alimeti
About the Star
Afrim teaches Physics Labs at UMass Lowell as Adjunct Faculty. He is good at ignoring things like religion, indoctrination, politics, watching sports, fashion, soap operas, and other things with no sense of humor. Obviously he can't ignore dancing Tango. He did not know how to dance before Spring 2009.
About his Partner
Stacy Kadesch has been dancing since the age of three - but has only started studying ballroom dance for the past year. She is captain of the newly formed UMass Lowell Community Club, which enables local dancers to participate in the ballroom club, without official affiliation with the university. She graduated the Hartt School of Music with a degree in Performing Arts Management, and has spent her life pursuing the arts, namely musical theatre. She currently works at CDIA at Boston University in tuition planning. She really loves performing this dramatic tango routine with her Star - and she hopes you love it too!