2024 TESOL Advocacy Action Days

Montserrat Garibay is the Assistant Deputy Secretary & Director for the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor for Labor Relations for the Office of the Secretary. She was the Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO and also served as Vice President for Certified Employees with Education Austin, a merged union local with the American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association. Garibay came to the U.S. from Mexico City as an undocumented immigrant and became a citizen 20 years later. A bilingual pre-kindergarten teacher for eight years and National Board-Certified Teacher. She is a graduate of the National Labor Leadership Initiative with the Worker Institute at Cornell University. Garibay is a University of Texas - Austin graduate with a Master of Education.

More information on the resources and work at OELA can be found at: 

• U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition 
• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition 

You may also learn more about Director Garibay’s journey through her TESOL Talk episode. 

Beatriz Ceja-Williams is the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). Prior to this role she served as the Senior Director for Institutional Service (IS) in the Office of Postsecondary Education. In this role she was responsible for the Divisions that support and administer the discretionary and formula grant programs to Hispanic Serving Institutions, for which she previously served as Division Director, the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions,Predominately Black Serving Institutions, Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Institutions, and other minority serving institution programs. She also led the multiple programs under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education and the HBCU Capital Finance Program.  

In her new role as DAS for OELA, she oversees the programmatic and organizational functions of OELA. She helps to define and articulate program goals and objectives; identify and implement policy changes; evaluate program effectiveness; develop and update policy manuals, program regulations, and proposed legislative amendments. She provides input to prepare program budget request; and in conjunction with the Assistant Deputy Secretary's office, prepares an annual funding schedule and funding strategy, incorporating the goals and objectives of the Secretary, where applicable.   

More information on the resources and work at OELA can be found at: 

• U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition 
• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition 

Roger C. Rosenthal, an attorney, is the Executive Director of the Migrant Legal Action Program (MLAP) in Washington, D.C. MLAP is a non-profit, non-governmental support and advocacy center representing migrant and seasonal farmworkers and immigrants and their families nationwide. Mr. Rosenthal is widely recognized as one of the foremost legal experts in the country regarding the rights of immigrant children and English Learners in the public schools. He has extensive experience training in this area of expertise around the country, in all regions, and at the national level. 

More information on the resources and work of Roger Rosenthal can be found at: 

• Migrant Legal Action Program 

• Rights of Immigrant Students and English Learners in U.S. Public Schools 

Julie Sugarman is Associate Director for K-12 Education Research at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, where she focuses on multilingual learner education and helps stakeholders understand complex research and policy issues, improve program design, and evaluate program effectiveness. At MPI, Dr. Sugarman has published analyses on topics such as federal policy supporting immigrant-background and English Learner (EL) students, school funding, federal and state data systems, and assessment and accountability. Additionally, she has published numerous research reports on how state and federal policies impact the educational options of newcomers who arrive in U.S. schools in high school. She has been an active contributor to policy efforts in the field, including as a member of the Public Policy Professional Council of TESOL International Association and as an advisor to the executive board of the National Association of English Language Program Administrators. She has also provided expertise to the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education; the Council of Chief State School Officers; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and numerous state and local education agencies and community-based organizations.

• Migration Policy Institute Publications, Julie Sugarman 

Diego N. Sánchez is the Director of Policy and Strategy for the Presidents’ Alliance, an alliance of over 550 American college and university presidents and chancellors dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact students, campuses and communities. He directs the development and implementation of the legislative and administrative policy agenda related to undocumented students and other immigrant populations. Prior to joining the Presidents’ Alliance, Diego led the Southern Poverty Law Center’s federal immigration portfolio. He is an immigration lawyer with over 10 years of experience in strategic advocacy for immigrant justice, including experience in state and federal immigration policy, immigration advocacy at the local, state, and national levels, and community organizing. Diego’s passions for immigrant justice and access to education stem from his personal journey as an undocumented college student in South Florida and former DACA recipient.

• Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration 
• Higher Ed Immigration Portal 

Dr. Corinne Kentor is an American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Leading Edge Fellow with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Corinne is a social scientist specializing in migration, family, and higher education. Her dissertation, For Me, Us, and Them: Immigrant Families Pursuing Higher Education in Southern California, was recognized with awards from the National Academy of Education, the Spencer Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, among others. Corinne earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology & Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and her B.A. in English and Education Studies from Yale University.

• Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration 

• Hihger Ed Immigration Portal 

Domminick McParland serves as an Education Program Specialist at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). He joined OCTAE’s Applied Innovation and Improvement Branch within the Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL) to develop and lead national activities and initiatives, especially those that concern adult English language learners and immigrant integration. Prior to joining OCTAE, Domminick served as an Education Program Specialist at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Office of Citizenship. In that role, he worked to promote, professionalize, and advance the field of adult citizenship education through creating and conducting nationwide training seminars, developing innovative educational products and resources, supporting grants management efforts, and providing technical assistance to states and immigrant and refugee serving organizations throughout the country. Before joining the federal government, Domminick established and directed multiple adult English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and cultivated extensive Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) experience in a variety of educational contexts, from universities to community-based programs, both domestically and abroad. Domminick is an alumnus of the Department of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University where he earned a Master of Arts in TESOL. Recently, Domminick earned an Executive Certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School. Currently, Domminick is leading ED’s support of EO14012, serving as co-chair of the Task Force on New Americans’ Workforce Development and Training committee and leading ED’s work on the Interagency Strategy to Promote Naturalization.

More information on the resources and work of OCTAE can be found at: 

• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education 

• U.S. Department of Education, Adult Education & Literacy 

Alejandra Vázquez Baur is a fellow at The Century Foundation, where she manages the Bridges Collaborative, an initiative that champions school integration. In 2022, she co-founded the National Newcomer Network, a coalition that brings together educators, researchers, and advocates invested in developing systemic solutions to address newcomer student inequity in K–12 schools. Under Alejandra’s leadership, the network released a policy platform in February 2024 representing the priorities of over 150 members representing over 30 U.S. states. An inaugural Obama USA Leader and former high school teacher, her work has been featured by several media outlets, including Chalkbeat, the 74 Million, K–12 Dive, Education Week, Gotham Gazette, and POLITICO. Alejandra is a proud granddaughter of Mexican farmworkers and holds degrees from Claremont McKenna College and Columbia University.

• National Newcomer Network Policy Platform 

• National Newcomer Network webpage 

• Newcomer Enrollment Report (including analysis and recommendations for SEAs, LEAs, and ED) 

• 2022 Title III Funding Report (including analysis and recommendations for ESSA Reauthorization) 

Jacob Hofstetter is a Policy Analyst at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, where he conducts research related to language access as well as educational and workforce programs for immigrant adults and youth. His work focuses on the civic, economic, and linguistic integration of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In the language access space, he analyzes the design and implementation of federal, state, and local policies that aim to expand access to government services for individuals with limited proficiency in English. In his work related to adult education and workforce development, he researches programs that promote the integration of immigrants and examines the broader policies that govern adult skills systems. 

• Migration Policy Institute – Jacob Hofstetter 

Amanda Bergson-Shilcock is a Senior Fellow at National Skills Coalition where she leads the organization’s work on adult education and workforce policies to expand opportunities for US-born and immigrant adults. Throughout her career, Amanda has worked with state and federal policymakers and skills advocates to develop policy solutions that address the challenges facing adult learners and jobseekers, including immigrant workers. As a workforce development expert for more than a decade, Amanda has authored numerous publications and policy recommendations – on immigrant integration, workforce development, and adult education – which have helped educate policymakers, journalists, and the public, and inform public policy at the state and federal levels. Her policy expertise, insights, and commentary have been cited and published in local and national media outlets, including TIME, Fortune, BBC News, Inside Higher Ed, POLITICO, Business Insider, The Wall Street Journal, HR Dive, and many others. 

• National Skills Coalition, Amanda Bergson-Shilcock 

Jeff Hutcheson leads efforts to raise awareness and voices for multilingual learners of English and TESOL professionals. From his first teaching position in Bangkok and throughout his 20+ year career in the ESL field, Jeff has worked with diverse groups and voices in building environments for success and support. As TESOL’s director of advocacy and public policy, Jeff works closely with TESOL’s members and affiliates on policy and issues to ensure their interests are served and advanced at all levels – locally, federally, and globally.  

More information on TESOL International Association’s advocacy and policy resources and work can be found through TESOL’s Advocacy Page.