2024 Election Slate

Education

• Ph.D., Curriculum, Instruction & Administration, Specialization SLA, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska
• MA, Germanic languages and Cultures, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Pennsylvania P-12 Teaching Certificate, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• BA, German as a Foreign Language for Turkish Heritage speakers and Muslim German Learners

Professional Work Experience

• Prof. of Education, ESL and Research Methods, Asbury University, since 2022, Supervisor of Graduate Research Projects.
• Endowed Chair, Full Professor, ESL and Research Methods, Georgetown College, Chair of Graduate Programs until 2022.
• Commission & Vice Chair, appointed by the Major, Mayor’s International Affairs Advisory Commission, Lexington Fayette County Urban Government, Lexington, KY 2015-present, Vice Chair, Executive Committee (2015-2021).
• Education Connections Consultant, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). Development and teaching of online ESL assessment professional development. 2014-2016.
• Assistant Grant Director, Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching Office of English Language Acquisition Grant Project at Georgetown College. (900,000 Dollars): 5-year project for ESL training of teacher cohorts. 2012-2015.
• English Language Specialist Assignments: Philippines 2020, Ethiopia 2019, Venezuela 2016.
• TESOL
  • Candidate for the office of TESOL President 2021
  • Chair of TESOL Board’s Finance Committee 2020-2021
  • Elected Member of the Board of TESOL International Association 2018-2021
  • Materials Developer for TESOL International: Development of online training modules for VIP KIDS. 2017-2018
  • Author TESOL Connections bimonthly column. Educational Technology in English Language Teaching. 2015-2017
  • Organizer and moderator of world-wide CALL online webinar in Linguistics with 654 registrants. 2017
  • Member, Steering Board, Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Interest Section (2015-2018)
  • TESOL Representative, National “Seal of Biliteracy” workgroup (September 2014-Spring 2015) & 2020
  • Member, Steering Broad, Video and Digital Media Interest Section (2014-2015)
  • TESOL Representative to CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) 2013-2014
  • Chair, Elementary Education Interest Section (2011-2012)
  • Member, Affiliate Assembly Leadership Council (2007-2009)
  • Advocacy Day Summer 2006
• Kentucky TESOL Association
  • President (2006-2007)
  • Member, Board, Teacher Professional Development (2007-2018)
  • Delegate, TESOL International Association 2007 Annual Convention, Seattle, WA (2006, 2007) and e, Southeast TESOL Annual Conference (2006, 2007)
  • Liaison, TESOL International Association (2005-2018)
• Conference Organization. “ESL and Special Education Teachers as Leaders and Communications: Strategies to Help Classroom Teachers Meet the Needs of Diverse Populations,” Georgetown, KY. 2005.
• Conference Organization. Southeast TESOL in Louisville, KY. 2006.
• Conference Organization. KYTESOL. 2005.

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Association
  • Candidate, President (2021)
  • Chair Finance Committee (2020-2021)
  • Member of Directors (2018-2021)
• NABE
  • Language Ambassador (2023 to present)
  • Seal of Biliteracy Coalition (2023 to present)
  • Seal of Biliteracy Taskforce
• KYTESOL
  • KY TESOL President (2006-2007)
  • TESOL Africa (since 2021)

• Reflecting on Leadership in Language Education. Co-Author. Equinox Publication 2022.
• Teaching Speaking. The TESOL Encyclopedia on Teaching Speaking and Pronunciation, ed. John Liontas and Margo DelliCarpini. Associate Co-Editor. Hoboken. NJ: Wiley/Blackwell. 2017.
• The Oyster Dinner, an Immigrant Story. First Price in Writing Contest. Original Story & Poetry. Voices for Peace and Justice Contest. 2012 (finalist 2009–2011).
• Making Co-teaching and Collaboration Work by Garnering the Power of Technology. TESOL Convention Baltimore, MD. (2016) & Technology and Collaboration. TESOL Convention Seattle, WA (2008), Both Were Best of Affiliate Sessions.
• Faculty and Staff Collaboration in Designing an Online Foreign Language Professional Development Course: A Qualitative Case Study. (1998) Dissertation

• Invited Speaker. A Call for Action: Advocacy Connecting Schools to Immigrant Children and Communities. TESOL International Association Annual Convention, Portland, OR.
• Keynote Speaker. The Learners We Teach: Closing the Gap Between Teachers and Students with Technology. Louisiana Annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference, New Orleans, LA. 2016.
• Plenary Speaker. Garnering the Power of Technology to Make English Language Learning Authentic to 21st Century Learners. Venezuela National TESOL Conference, Valencia, Venezuela. (May) 2016.
• Invited Featured Speaker. Training Teachers for 21st Century Learners. TESOL Arabia Annual Conference and Exhibit, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (March) 2016.
• Plenary Speaker. Teacher, Can You See Me? Immigrant's World in the USA. Southeast TESOL Annual Conference. New Orleans, LA. (October). 2015.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

The challenge of TESOL today centers on connections and advocacy. As an international organization, recognizing the power of English as a language of wider communication with the potential to act as a force for good in the world, we must continue to find ways to reach out to many communities and constituencies, taking an additive, inclusive and respectful approach to language teaching and learning. Language can be a tool to foster collaboration in addressing issues such as climate change and conflicts. English language skills can provide new opportunities to immigrants and refugees, trying to find a new home.

To address these needs, I advocate broad outreach, harnessing the avenues of research and application through technology, working dynamically with Artificial intelligence to provide researched-based high-leverage practices to members, and infusing the affordances of technology with the humanism inherent in our organization and mission. We must grow TESOL's advocacy footprint domestically and globally by assuming a louder voice for multilingual communities. We must think creatively to prepare students for careers that do not yet exist to create a sound knowledge base and high-leverage practices for the skills needed in workforce development. Learning English combined with global citizenship skills allows future employees to work successfully with a diverse workforce able to find innovative solutions. As TESOL president, I will encourage new ways to support English teachers and learners to help enrich their lives and develop the tools for a successful existence as we face the many challenges of life in today’s world.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

A few significant experiences can form a child’s identity: poverty, refugee life, lack of resources, and trauma; all are part of my autobiography. I arrived in the US at the age of 28, and learning English allowed me to define a new destiny for my life. In the U.S., I obtained degrees in World Languages and Education and found my career. This background and my trilingual tricultural family inform me as a professional, advocate, and human being.

I have been fortunate to be mentored by amazing professionals, many from TESOL. First, I served as Kentucky Affiliate president and have been active in a range of TESOL International leadership roles.  As a TESOL Executive Board member, my colleagues entrusted to me with the responsibility of being the finance committee chair during the most financially dangerous time of our organization’s history, where I worked with the Executive Director to successfully manage the financial crisis. I also participated in TESOL’s historical diversity initiative. As a senior TESOL leader, I have been building strong global connections with other affiliates, encouraging individuals with a promise to run for office, particularly those from non-native backgrounds. My leadership on The Seal of Biliteracy project has included creating and revising the guidelines and encouraging broad participation around the country and globally.

As president-elect, I will reach out to current and potential TESOL members, advocating for those in need and celebrating the continuous attainment of English by our sisters and brothers worldwide.

Education

• PhD, Educational Technology, Arizona State University
• MA, TESOL, Brigham Young University
• Graduate Certificate, TESOL, Brigham Young University
• BA, TESOL Education, Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Professional Work Experience

• Educational Technologist, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA (2017 - present)
• English Language Specialist (Brazil), US Department of State, USA (2021)
• English Language Specialist (Morocco), US Department of State, USA (2019)
• English Language Specialist (Saudi Arabia), US Department of State, USA (2017)
• Senior International Educator, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA (2015 - 2017)
• Lecturer, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA (2012 - 2015)
• Instructor, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA (2011 - 2012)
• Teaching Assistant, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA (2010 - 2011)
• Lecturer, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (2004 - 2010)
• Instructor, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA (2002 - 2004)

Professional Affiliations

• TESOL International Association:
  • Board of Directors (2019 - 2022)
    • Liaison to Membership Professional Council (2021-2022)
    • Liaison to ESP-IS, ITA-IS and ICIS (2019 - 2022)
    • Member of Executive Director Search Working Group (2020-2022)
    • Liaison to Public Policy Professional Council (2019 - 2020)
    • Member of Membership Working Group (2019 - 2020)
  • Assistant Strand Coordinator, Digital Learning and Teaching Strand (2013 - 2014, 2022 - 2023)
  • Manager of Electronic Village (2014 - 2019)
  • Nominating Committee (2016)
  • Interest Section Task Force (2015 - 2016)
  • Awards Committee (2013 - 2016)
    • Chair (2015 - 2016)
    • Incoming Chair (2014 - 2015)
    • Member (2013 - 2014)
  • Proposal Reader (2007 - present)
  • Computer-Assisted Language Learning Interest Section (2009 - present)
    • Immediate Past-Chair/Electronic Village Coordinator (2013 - 2014)
    • Chair (2012 - 2013)
    • Chair-Elect (2011 - 2012)
    • Steering Committee Member (2009 - 2011)
  • Member (2000 - present)
    
    
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA): Distance Education Task Force (2021-2022)
  
  
• TESOL Arabia:
  • Conference Program Co-Chair (2006 - 2010, 2012)
  • Webmaster (2006 - 2009, 2011 - 2012)
  • Member (2004 - 2010)
  • Instructional Technology Special Interest Group Chair (2005 - 2007)
    
    
• BYU-Hawaii TESOL Society
  • President (1998 - 2000)
  • Vice President (1997 - 1998)
  • Member (1997 - 2000)

• Co-Author, How the Most Productive TESOLers Fit It All In: Strategies for Productivity and Efficiency. Professionalizing Your English Language Teaching. (2021).
• Co-Author, 100 Ways to Teach Language Online. (2020).
• Co-Author, 50 Ways to Learn a Language. (2018).
• Author, 50 Ways to Teach Online: Tips for ESL/EFL Teachers. (2017).
• Co-Author, Technology Supported Language Learning. Educational Technologies: Challenges, Applications, and Learning Outcomes. (2016)

• TESOL International Association: Inspire, Engage and Empower Students through Gamification in the Classroom (Presenter); Portland, OR, USA (2023).
• TESOL Arabia: Three Best Practices in Translanguaging with Technology (Plenary); Dubai, UAE, (2022).
• TESOL International Association: Creating Materials in a Digital World (Panelist); Virtual (2021).
• TESOL Kuwait: 5 Ways to Empower Students to Learn Online During a Pandemic (Keynote); Virtual (2021).
• US Department of State: New Frontiers in Classroom Management: Effective Practices for Live Online Instruction (Webinar); Virtual (2020).

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

The Post-Pandemic TESOL International Association faces several challenges. First, the Association has made significant investment in technology upgrades that will pave the way for future progress and improve the membership and leadership experience. As President-Elect, I will collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure successful and sustainable implementation of this technology. Second, the Association has received tremendous support from the US Department of State, bringing in thousands of members from underserved parts of the world who have no experience with any type of professional association. We need to make sure we are providing programs and services that serve their needs. As President-Elect, I will work with the Membership Professional Council and others to create and maintain these programs and services, while continuing to serve established members. It is likely that many of those programs and services will include virtual offerings, and my expertise in online teaching and online course design may prove beneficial. Finally, TESOL has become known as an advocate for teachers and students of English as a new language in the United States. As the Association becomes more recognized around the world, we will have increased opportunities to advocate for our members outside of the United States by connecting with government agencies and organizations in other countries that provide programs and services for teachers and students of the English language. As President-Elect, I will strive to take advantage of these opportunities to improve the situations for our members worldwide.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

As a member for many of the last 22 years, I have come to think of the TESOL International Association as a second home, and the members and volunteer leaders I have worked with as a second family. It is a place where English language teachers from any context in every part of the world can find connections and resources to further their career and improve their practice. During my service on the Board of Directors (2019 - 2022), I participated in many historical decisions facing the Association, including canceling the annual convention for the first time ever due to the Pandemic, establishing the Diverse Voices Task Force and later a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy, and hiring a new Executive Director. Time has shown these actions to have had a significant positive impact on the well-being of the Association. We have an excellent professional staff that have sacrificed much and brought their best efforts to keeping the Association viable and even thriving to some degree during the Pandemic, despite financial and other complications. We have dedicated volunteer leaders serving throughout the Association who love the work and the comradery I’m sure as much as I do. As President-Elect, my goal would be to work with these wonderful people to fulfill the mission of the Association.

Education

• 2013 PhD Thesis: Becoming a literacy teacher. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
• 2008 Master of Education (Honours) Thesis: An investigation of drawing to support non-narrative writing in ELLs. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
• 1987 Bachelor of Education (Primary and TESL). University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
• 1982 Diploma of Teaching (Primary and Visual Arts). University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia  

Professional Work Experience

• 2018 - present Principal Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia 
• 2018 - present Adjunct Associate Professor Language, Literacy and TESOL Faculty of Education, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia 
• 2018 - present Private Education Consultant - providing services to Government and Independent education departments - Australia 
• 2015 - 2018 Associate Professor Language, Literacy and TESOL in the Faculty of Education and STEM, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia. 
• 2010 - 2015 Senior Lecturer Language, Literacy and TESOL in the Faculty of Education. University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia. 

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Member at Large (1998 - present)
• Australian Capital Territory TESOL Member at large (2002 - present) Inaugural life member of the Association - an awarded position
• TESOL International Board of Directors (2015 – 18)
• TESOL Governance Review TaskForce member (2012 – 2014)
• TESOL Affiliate Leadership Council (2008 – 2011)

• Adoniou, Misty (2022 2nd Ed.) Spelling it out: How words work and how to teach them. Cambridge, UK. Shortlisted for the 24th Australian Educational Publishing Awards in the Tertiary (Wholly Australian) Student Resource category Nominated for biennial 2018 Adelaide Festival Literature awards – non-fiction category
• Naidoo, L,. Wilkinson, J., Adoniou, M., and Langat, K (2018) Refugee background students transitioning into Higher Education: managing complex spaces. Springer, Australia
• Adoniou, Misty (2019) Research Brief on Spelling for the International Literacy Association. This was an invited paper, recognizing my position as an international expert in the teaching of spelling
• Adoniou, M & Naidoo, L. (2019) I speak 19 languages: access the linguistic and cultural resources of refugee background students in European Journal of Applied Linguistics 8 (1): 111 - 131
• Adoniou, M (2018) Monolingualism in multicultural Australia in the The Routledge International  Handbook of Multicultural Education Research in Asia Pacific. Y-K. Cha, S-H. Ham, & M, Lee. (Eds.) Routledge.

• Invited keynote Humanitarian Onshore Service Providers Conference, Federal Department of Social Services, Brisbane, October 2022. Topic: On-arrival Orientation for New-arrivals in the age of COVID. Digital tools for online learning.
• Invited speaker Quality Teaching of Reading in the Early Years Summit, Griffith University, Brisbane, March 2021.Topic: How English Words work.
• Invited keynote Leading with literacy, Primary English Teachers Association of Australia Annual Conference, Sydney November 2021. Topic: The revolution will not be televised - a call to action for teachers of diverse learners
• Featured speaker Inclusion, Mobility and Multilingual Education Conference, Bangkok September 2019. Topic: Refugees, mobility and learning.
• Featured speaker (One of 12 invited TESOL thought leaders) TESOL Summit on the future of the TESOL Profession Athens Greece, February 2017. Topic: The profession as change agent.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

TESOL’s strength are its people. Not only are we great people-intrinsically-because teachers simply are great people! but TESOL people are all over the globe-and that’s a great resource to tap into. TESOL’s continued viability will come from building on its recent and growing success in the area of tailored professional learning, with content designed to meet the needs of members who work in extraordinarily diverse contexts and delivered in modes that allow us to serve our members and Affiliates all around the world. It’s important we live up to the international in our name TESOL International. I am also convinced that we have not reached saturation with our membership. We could do more to connect with teachers in the Asia-Pacific and Africa- and we have not tapped into the mainstream teacher market in Anglophone countries. These teachers of ELLs, often for the majority of the day and they struggle to manage their work with them. We need to think more strategically about how we market our association to them, providing publications and professional learning for teaching English in the mainstream. My own very personal passion is giving teachers voice. I believe it is important for professional associations to speak for teachers who may feel unable to speak out either by the politics of their contexts, or job security or lack of confidence.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

I trained as an elementary school teacher with a love of visual arts, but in my first year of teaching I discovered a new love. The English language learners in my first-grade class. I loved them, I loved teaching them and I loved learning more about how to do that teaching more effectively. So, I did a TESOL specialization and then a Masters, and began working exclusively with new arrivals in Intensive Language Centres in Australia. It was a dream job, but then I moved to a dream location, Greece. In my search to understand more about my new country and my new profession, I joined TESOL Greece, a founding affiliate of TESOL International. Before I knew it I was the President of TESOL Greece! I learned much about different ways of getting work done in different geopolitical contexts and became a better intercultural communicator. I was elected onto TESOL’s Affiliate Leadership Council and met and worked with the most incredible TESOL affiliate leaders from around the globe. I learned what our common challenges are within our diverse contexts. I returned to Australia and was elected President of Australia’s TESOL Association, and I continued my Affiliate work with TESOL. I began lecturing and tutoring in Language, Literacy and TESOL at the University of Canberra. I completed my PhD and began a research and publishing journey. I am now an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Canberra and a Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia.

Education 

• MA: English: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages 1981, San Francisco State University;
• MA: Educational Technology 2000, Pepperdine University

Professional Work Experience

• 2022-present: Adjunct Professor, American University of Afghanistan
• 2000-Present: World Education, Advisor and Project Specialist.
• 2019-Present: EL Specialist, US State Department
• 1994-Present: Subject Matter Expert, Outreach Techical Assistance Center
• 1994-2017-Professor of ESL, Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL: 1978-Present CALL-IS Chair 2005; Nomination Committee 2013, Nomination Chair 2014, Nomination Taskforce 2014-2015, 2023-present- Governance Task Force
• CATESOL: 1978-Present Adult Level Chair 1999, President 2019-2021, Membership Coordinator, 2019-present
• Computer Using Educators: 2000-present
• California State Parks 2017-present

• Gaer, Susan L., editor. Pismo Monarch Butterflies: Magic, Myths and Mysteries. Amazon Publishing, 2023.
• Gaer, Susan L. “Finally, Some Guidance! Using the Triple E Framework to Shape Technology Integration.” Adult Literacy Education (ALE), vol. 4, no. 3, 2022,
  https://www.proliteracy.org/Resources-Publications/Journal-Research/ALE-Journal/Issues/vol-4-issue-3. Accessed 27 May 2023.
• Gaer, Susan L. “Technology in Adult Education”Wiley Publishers, 2018
  https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0447
• Gaer, Susan L. “Reflections on Using Mobile Technology: Quizlet.” Teaching English Reflectively with Technology: A Project of IATEFL's Learning Technologies Special Interest
  Group in Collaboration with TESOL's Computer-Assisted Language Learning Interest Section, edited by Sophie Iouannou-Georgiou and Philip Hubbard, IATEFL, 2017.

• Triple E Framework TESOL 2022
• EL Specialist Russia: Semester-long 2022
• Using AI in the Classroom Technology and Distance Learning Symposium 2023
• Teaching Digital Literacy in a low tech evironment: Coffee and Tea TESOL 2023:
• Using Wakelet for EL CIVICS engagement CASAS SI 20223

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

One burning issue in the field of TESOL is the digital divide in language education. The rapid advancement of technology has created a significant gap in access to digital resources and opportunities for language learners. The pandemic accelerated this divide and made it deeper. Many students, especially those from disadvantaged communities or with limited resources, do not have adequate access to the internet, computers, or digital devices, hindering their ability to participate fully in online language learning platforms and digital language resources. This must change. We must have digital equity for all learners around the world. In addition with the addition of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we must help both teachers and students learn how to use this resource in an equitable and ethical way.

As a leader in TESOL, I would help professionals learn how to advocate for themselves to increase funding to bridge the divide. I would link practitioners to resources to help them understand how technology can be best assessed for more engaged learning. In addition, I would promote inclusive teaching practices that accommodate learners with limited access to digital resources. This may involve designing lesson plans that integrate both online and offline activities, utilizing printed materials, and creating alternative pathways for students to engage with language learning outside of digital platforms.

Furthermore, I would prioritize low cost professional development for educators to enhance their digital literacy skills and ensure they are equipped to navigate the digital landscape effectively. I believe that narrowing the digital divide will help more learners collaborate more competitively in a global environment.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Susan Gaer is a former professor at Santa Ana College. She is a leader and an innovator. She has given service to both TESOL and CATESOL (California Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages). For TESOL, she was on the professional development council, nominating committee, chair of the nominating committee, and the Chair of CALL. For CATESOL, she is a former president (2019-2021) and was the Adult level chair. When she became president of CATESOL, the organization was close to bankruptcy. Under her guidance, she was able to create a sustainable and flourishing organization. Currently, she is a curriculum writer for World Education and the Outreach Technical Assistance Center and is the technical editor for a book on Monarch Butterflies for the California Coast State Parks Association (CCSPA).

In addition, she is an adjunct professor at the American University of Afghanistan located in Doha, Qatar, and an English Language Specialist for the US State Department. Susan has always been on the bleeding edge of technology innovation and as such is now researching technology and coaching frameworks for adult educators. She is an avid presenter for both TESOL and CATESOL. Susan believes in building equity in our profession and advocates for teachers at a local, national, and international level.

Education

• Ph.D. 2011 Purdue University
• M.A. 1999 Yakutsk State University (Russia)
• BA/M.A. 1989 Yakutsk State University (Russia)

Professional Work Experience

• 2022-Present Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Technology, School of Teaching and Learning College of Education, University of Florida.
• 2016-2022 Senior Instructional Designer, Office of Digital Learning Stearns Center for Teaching and Learning, George Mason University.
• 2015-2022 Adjunct Faculty, Division of Learning Technologies College of Education and Human Development, George Mason University.
• 2012-2016 Instructional Designer, Learning Support Services Information Technology Services, George Mason University.
• 2011-2012 Instructor/Co-Instructor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education, Purdue University.
• 2010-2011 Research Assistant, The Office of the Vice President for Information Technology Information Technology at Purdue (ITaP), Purdue University.
• 2009-2010 Teaching Assistant, Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education, Purdue University 2008 Research Assistant, Department of Engineering Education College of Engineering, Purdue University.
• 2006-2008 Teaching Assistant, Department of Curriculum and Instruction College of Education, Purdue University 2005 Translator, Art Museum of Republic Sakha (Yakuta), Russia.
• 2004-2006 Online Teaching and Training Specialist, Distance Education Center Yakutsk State University, Russia 2003-2004 Fulbright Program Visiting Scholar, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
• 2000-2013 Docent, Department of Foreign Languages North-Eastern Federal University (Russia).

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• 1999-Present Teachers of English to Speakers of Other languages (TESOL), member, proposal reviewer, volunteer, Affiliates Leadership Council, Member A-Incoming Chair- Chair (asked to stay for two years)-Past Chair, Teacher of the Year Award, Invited Reviewer; Becoming a Webhead and ICT4ELT Training Session, TESOL, Moderator, Coordinator; Electronic Village Online (EVO) Coordination Team, TESOL, Assistant Coordinator-Coordinator.
• 2002-Present Yakut Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (Yakut TESOL), Founder-President-Past President, & Partnership Director between Tex TESOL C and Yakut TESOL.
• 2011-Present Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), member, Division of Distance Learning, President-Elect-President-Past President.
• 2011- Present Online Learning Consortium (OLC), member, Manuscript Reviewer, Online Learning Journal, Special Issue Advances in Cognitive Presence in Online Learning, Guest Editor.

2010-Present American Education Research Association (AERA), member, proposal reviewer.

• Kim, Y., & Olesova, L. (2022). Preparing online education in the post-COVID with a flexible design approach. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.51869/104
• Olesova, L., & de Oliveira, L. (2017). Using feedback in ESL and EFL asynchronous online environments. In J. Perren, K. Kelch, J. Byun, S. Cervantes, & S. Safavi (Eds.), Application of CALL Theory in ESL and EFL Environments. Hershey, PA: IGI Global
• Olesova, L., & Richardson, J. (2017). The effectiveness of feedback in asynchronous online courses for non-native speakers of English. In M. Carrier, R. M. Damerow, & K.M. Bailey. (Eds), Digital language learning and teaching: Research, theory and practice (pp.79-92). New York, NY: Routledge & TIRF.
• de Oliveira, L. & Olesova, L. (2013). Learning about the literacy development of English Language Learners in asynchronous online discussions. Journal of Education, 193(2), 15-23.
• Olesova, L., Yang, D., & Richardson, J. (2011). Cross-cultural differences in undergraduate students’ perceptions of online barriers. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 15(3), 68-80.

• Olesova, L., & Sadaf, A. (2023). Exploring undergraduate students’ perceptions of online presence and metacognition in asynchronous online courses. American Education Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, Il.
• Olesova, L., Emelyanova, Z., & Alexeeva, N. (2022). Quizizz and Google Classroom engagement: What learning analytics tell you. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Weinberger, S., Almalki, H., & Olesova, L. (2021, January 9). Teaching teachers phonetics: The design and implementation of an asynchronous online English phonetics course. Linguistic Society of America Organized Session: Scholarly Teaching in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond. https://lingscholarlyteaching.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/poster-c7/ .
• Olesova, L., & de Oliveira, L. (2014, November 4-8). Students’ facilitated asynchronous online discussions for learning about the literacy development. Association for Educational Communications and Technology International Convention, Jacksonville, FL.
• Olesova, L., de Oliveira, L., & Gilmetdinova, A. (2014, March 26-29). Feedback 2.0: Using audio-visual/digital commentary to improve student writing. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Annual Convention, Portland, OR.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

As a strong supporter of equal access and appreciation of the diversity of perspectives, I believe that the burning issue in TESOL today is to increase global membership and provide multiple opportunities for professional growth to those who have limited access to resources. I will advocate for a population of teachers who are hungry to learn more and help them with equal access to resources via technology-integrated opportunities. With an Internet connection and mobile access availability, teachers do have access to TESOL resources, but they don’t have experience navigating a global community of practice. Creating a feeling of belonging and connectedness among TESOL members can be a way to invite more members from across the globe. Building a virtual community of practice (somewhat different from myTESOL) can be the project to keep sustainable membership growth if current members invite new members. This virtual community can be centrally facilitated by TESOL interest groups and affiliates every month. This virtual community can be created based on the principles of best practices to provide access to remote members who can’t travel to TESOL on-site events.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

After graduating with Ph.D. in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University in 2011, I worked as a senior instructional designer at George Mason University. Prior, I taught English as a Foreign Language at North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Russia for more than 15 years. I received a Doctoral Degree in Education from Yakutsk State University, Yakutsk, Russia in 1999. Currently, I am a Clinical Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of Florida. I have been actively involved in professional
associations, such as TESOL International and AECT (Association for Educational Computing and Technology) not only as a member but also serve in several leadership positions, i.e., President of the Division of Distance Learning at AECT and the Chair of the TESOL Affiliate Leadership Council (ALC). I am a manuscript reviewer for TESOL Quarterly with a focus on technology-integrated language learning.

Currently, I am on the coordination team at TESOL Electronic Village Online (EVO). My research focuses on distance education and online presence. I have authored or co-authored 1 book, 12 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 11 book chapters to date in addition to other publications, and have presented over 30 sessions at regional, state, national, and international conferences. My contribution is recognized by awards by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Effective Practice Award, the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT), by Blackboard/Anthology Catalyst Award for Teaching and Practice, and by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). I currently serve on the Editorial Board of the Online Learning Journal.

Education

• Ph.D. in Language Sciences from Instituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades “Alfonso Vélez Pliego
• 2013- 2018
• MA: Masters in English Teaching- Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla,
• Facultad de Lenguas (School of Languages) 2009-2011
• BA: Major in English Teaching- Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla,
• Facultad de Lenguas (School of Languages) 2005-2010

Professional Work Experience

• 1998-2013, Volkswagen Language Center,Puebla, Mexico (ESP)
• 2009-2023 Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla,Professor in the BA, MA and PhD programs in ELT
• 2023, Researcher, Coordinator of the MA program.

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• MEXTESOL- member since 1999, speaker since 2003 and Academic Chair from 2014 to 2017.
• MEXTESOL Journal- Deputy Editor-in-Chief- since 2015 https://www.mextesol.net/journal/index.php?id_pag=12
• TESOL- member since 2014, speaker since 2015-
• TESOL EFL-IS Chair from 2019 to 2021
• TESOL Journal- Associate Editor- 2018- 2021
• Lenguas en Contexto. BUAP- Editor in Chief- since 2016 http://www.facultaddelenguas.com/lencontexto/
• Member founder of “Womentorship in ELT”- since 2020
• Mentor in Equal Voice in ELT (https://evecalendar.wordpress.com/)
• ALED- Asociación Latino Americana de Estudios del Discurso (Latino American Association in Discourse studies)- member since 2010, speaker since 2013,
• National and International Convention organizer in 2018 and 2019.

• Baecher, L., Salas, A., de Oliveira, L., Pendergrass, J., Haranaka, L., & Elyas, H. (2023) “Womentoring” in as Leadership Development in the field of TESOL In Reinders, Language in Teacher Leadership: Insights from Research and Practice. Springer Nature –Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/9783031428708.
• Romero, A., & Salas, A. (2023). The Reality of English Language Teaching and Learning at Rural Telesecundarias in Mexico. In Chamness, P. I., Mikulec, E., Agnello. English Language Education in Rural Contexts. (pp 106-126). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004549647_007 .
• Attending a Convention as Professional Development for EFL Teachers (2011). MEXTESOL Journal- Vol 40 (1). http://mextesol.net/journal/index.php?page=journal&id_article=1331
• Leadership emergence within MEXTESOL, Chapter in: The role of language teacher associations in professional development (2018), Springer International Publishing. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329332727_Leadership_Emergence_Within_MEXTESOL .
• A resilience path for English Teachers during Emergency Online Teaching (2022). Pedagogy: Journal of English Language Teaching. Vol 10 (1). https://e-journal.metrouniv.ac.id/index.php/pedagogy/article/view/4603
• English as a Key Element in the Empowerment of Undergraduate ELT Female students (2021). MEXTESOL Journal. Vol.  45 (1). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1288541.pdf

• The Discourse of Female Leaders in Latin America. ARTESOL, Salta Argentina. Junio, 2023.
• Going back to f2f instruction: The second transition. TESOL International Convention. April 2023. Virtual Modality.
• Building an International Online Continuing PD Community of Practice. TESOL International Convention. April 2023. Virtual Modality.
• International projects to enhance the PD of female teachers. BBELT. February 2023.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

As a member of the TESOL Association for several years. I have witnessed several changes in the profession. Recently, the pandemic brought rapid changes to the ELT field. I have always considered English teachers as innovators who are eager to embrace change. However, there are teachers who have not had the opportunity to keep pace with all these sudden changes. As a leader, I would look for equal opportunities for all teachers. I would also enhance open discussions on the role of technology and AI in the field of English teaching and learning. I have seen that some teachers still see AI as a threat to the profession and their jobs, but for me, they are opportunities to facilitate our work. I would encourage advocacy for all unequal situations either by social practices, gender, or economy. I firmly believe that if we keep TESOL strong and united, we could reach higher and more significant goals which can benefit all its members in the personal and professional areas. The recognition of the emotions, values and knowledge of all members of TESOL is a burning issue in ELT. Most of all, the acknowledgement and appreciation of the human side of each person in the Association will shape a better understanding among members and, hopefully, a better future for humankind. After all. English teachers are educating the future generations around the world.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Araceli Salas has a PhD in Language Science and an M.A. in ELT. Dr. Salas is a teacher-educator and a researcher at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, (BUAP, Mexico where she teaches in the BA and postgraduate programs in ELT. Araceli Salas is an active member of TESOL International since 2014 and she has been involved in several leadership roles such as the EFL-IS Chair from 2019 to 2021 and an Associate Editor of the TESOL Journal. In MEXTESOL, the Mexican TESOL affiliate, she served as the Academic Chair from 2014 to 2017 and was in charge of organizing the academic program for the Convention. Dr. Salas has been a speaker in local and international events and she has been invited as a key speaker in some Latin American ELT events. As a recognized researcher in Mexico, Dr. Salas has published several articles and chapters in the field of English teaching and teacher-education. Dr. Salas has also served as the editor-in-chief of Lenguas en Contexto (BUAP). In her institution, BUAP, Dr. Salas is the current coordinator of the MA program in ELT and she is in charge of some leadership projects related to ELT and female empowerment and development such as EVE (Equal Voices in ELT). Her research interests include teacher-education, Discourse Analysis and Leadership in ELT, especially female leadership in the field.

Education

• Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, U.S.
• M.A., TESOL, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, U.S.
• Licenciatura en Lengua Inglesa [Advanced Degree in English Language and Literature], Universidad del Museo Social Argentino, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• BA in English Language Teaching, Instituto de Enseñanza Superior en Lenguas Vivas - Juan Ramón Fernández, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Professional Work Experience

• Director and Founder, ASSERT L³ (Advanced Strategies & Skills for Empowering Research and Teaching among Language Learning Leaders), Pittsburgh, PA, U.S. (2022 – present).
• Virtual English Language Specialist, U.S. Department of State (2022 – present).
• Adjunct Faculty, TESL Program (2019 – 2022) and Adjunct Faculty, ESL Program in Global English Institute (2023-present), Duquesne University, U.S.
• Adjunct Faculty, ESL Program, La Roche University, U.S. (2023 – present).
• Affiliate Faculty, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina (2023-present).
• Visiting Assistant Professor, FLE, University of Pittsburgh, U.S. (2014 – 2019).
• Assistant Professor (2010 – 2014) and Lecturer (2009 – 2010), Foreign Language Education, University of Texas at Austin, U.S.
• Teaching Assistant, English Pronunciation (DEIL) (2003 – 2007) and ESL writing specialist (Accountancy Department) (2003 – 2007), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U.S.
• Assistant Professor, College of Languages (1995 – 2002) and College of Information and Opinion Sciences (1998 – 2001), Universidad del Museo Social Argentino, Argentina.
• Director of English (1995 – 2003) and Teacher of English (8^th–12^th grades) (1992 – 2003), Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Misericordia (Bilingual School), Argentina.
• Teacher of English (K-12 and adults), Clover Institute (ELC), Argentina (1994 – 1997).

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL: Received D. Scott Enright Interest Section Service Award (2021)
• member and frequent presenter (2005 – 2023)
• Nominating Committee Member, Chair and Past-Chair (2020 – 2022)
• SPLIS Chair-Elect (2013 – 2014), Chair (2014 – 2015, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019), and Past-Chair (2015 – 2016, 2018 – 2019, 2019 - 2020)
• Organizer of six Expert Panels (2014 – 2021) and a PCI (2023) for the Annual Convention.
• Tex-TESOL III Affiliate: member and presenter (2008–2013); Board Member (2011 – 2013).
• ITA Professionals Symposium: frequent presenter (2017 – 2020); Advisory Board Member (2018–2020); Program Chair (2019, 2020); Plenary Speaker (2017).
• ACCENTS International Conference on Native and Non-native Accents of English: frequent presenter and Advisory Board Member (2019 – present); Plenary Speaker (2019, 2022).
• AAAL: member and frequent presenter (2013 – present).
• ACTFL: member. PI of two ACTFL priorities research grants (2016 – 2017 and 2023 – 2024).

• Co-editor, English Pronunciation Teaching: Theory, Practice and Research Findings. Multilingual Matters (2023).
• Co-editor, Theoretical and Practical Developments in English Speech Assessment, Research, and Training: Studies in Honour of Ewa Waniek-Klimczak. Springer Nature (2022).
• Co-author, The Practiced Business Writer: An ESL/EFL Handbook (2009)
• Author and co-author of 19 peer-reviewed articles on ESL/EFL pronunciation teaching, business/academic writing, instructional technology, and intercultural competence skills published in prestigious journals such as Language Learning, Language Teaching, System, Foreign Language Annals, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Journal of Second Language Writing, Intercultural Pragmatics, RELC Journal, and ReCALL (2010 – present).
• Author and co-author of 13 book chapters on ESL/EFL learning and teaching published by TESOL Press, Springer Nature, Multilingual Matters, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, Pearson, University of Michigan Press, and Lexington (2016 – present).

• Invited Panelist and Plenary Speaker (24 times) for national and international conferences in the US, UK, Canada, Poland, Argentina, and Paraguay, including 10 featured panels at the Annual TESOL Convention for SPLIS, ITAIS, ALIS, and VDM-IS (2010 – 2022).
• Author and co-author of 64 scholarly research presentations (2010 – present).
• Author of 14 professional development workshops at universities in the US and abroad both online and face-to-face (2004 – present).
• PCI co-presenter at the Virtual Annual TESOL Convention: Phrase stress: A strategy-based model for English pronunciation instruction (2023).

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

We live in an increasingly global and multicultural world, and our teaching communities reflect this diversity, which is our strength. Yet, we lose this strength when we undervalue difference and uphold racist or discriminatory policies and practices in our workplace. A burning issue today is that many diverse educators feel marginalized, unappreciated, and undervalued. Our field and TESOL International Association should continue to strive to foster educational environments where different perspectives are recognized, acknowledged, respected, and seen as a source of knowledge, strength, and value. TESOL’s mission is to advance professional expertise in English language teaching worldwide; hence, it needs to reach, support, and engage all the members of our diverse workforce and ensure an inclusive environment for all and at all levels of the association.

Through my service as TESOL’s Chair of an interest section and the Nominating Committee, I have witnessed how proactively TESOL works to promote equitable and diverse representation, engagement, and access to professional learning opportunities and to eliminate any kind of discrimination and social injustice based on individual differences, including language background, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, culture, religion, belief, age, and geographic location. Yet, there is more to be done. I am a multicultural and multilingual scholar with strong expertise in language learning and teaching. I fully embrace TESOL’s vision and mission. I can substantially contribute to TESOL’s efforts to promote a healthy intellectual community, enriched and enhanced by diversity, appreciation for difference, understanding of otherness, and inclusivity.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Veronica G. Sardegna (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) has three decades of ESL/EFL teaching and research experience in second language acquisition and teacher education. During this time, she has prioritized serving the field and the TESOL community. In 2021, she received the D. Scott Enright Interest Section Service Award for her outstanding service as Chair of TESOL’s SPLIS interest section from 2013 to 2019. She also served as Member of the Board for Tex-TESOL (2011-2013) and Member, Chair, and Past-Chair of TESOL’s Nominating Committee (2020-2022). After two decades of working in language teacher education programs at research universities in the US and abroad, she founded ASSERT L³, a company devoted to preparing language leaders for impactful research and teaching. Currently, she gives expert talks, workshops and courses worldwide, and continues to advance the TESOL field through service, publications and training. She conducts research and workshops, and publishes on topics related to English pronunciation teaching, business/academic writing, intercultural learning, and instructional technology. Her work has appeared in prestigious academic journals such as Language Learning, Language Teaching, System, Foreign Language Annals, Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Journal of Second Language Writing. Recently, she co-edited Theoretical and practical developments in English speech assessment, research, and training (2022, Springer) and English pronunciation teaching: Theory, practice and research findings (2023, Multilingual Matters). She holds the DEIL Mary A. Hussey Award for Excellence in ESL Teaching (2005-2006) and an International Book Award for The Practiced Business Writer: An ESL/EFL Handbook (American Book Fest, 2011).

Education

• All but Dissertation (ABD), Higher Education Administration; The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio USA
• Master of Arts in English as a Foreign Language; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois USA
• Bachelor of Arts, history and secondary education; Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio USA

Professional Work Experience

• Executive Director, University of Missouri – Center for English Language Learning; 6 years
• Director, Associate Director, Language Specialist, University of Kansas – Applied English Center; 21 years
• Director, American University of Sharjah (UAE) – Intensive English Program; 2 years
• Director, Coordinator, Lecturer, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) – Orientation English Program, 7 years
• English Teacher, Kowloon (Hong Kong) Lutheran Middle School; 1 year

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Association; president, board member, convention chair, various committees; chair executive director search committee; member; 1982 to present.
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation, site reviewer 2004-present; and commissioner; 2021 to present
• English Language Testing Society; trustee responsible for fund raising; member 2020 to 2022.
• TESOL Arabia; executive secretary, convention co-chair responsible for fund raising; member 2004-2010.
• Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars; charter member Alpha Epsilon Chapter at The Ohio State University; president and treasurer at Alpha Pi Chapter at the University of Kansas; member 1988 to 2014.

• Algren, M.S. (2023). Best practices in advocacy (included in online Chapter 17). In Christison, M.A. & Stoller, F.L. (Eds.). English language program administration: Leadership and management in the 21st century. Springer Nature.
• Algren, M.S. (2023). Building and engaging in your professional community. In Canese, V., and Spezzini, S.K. Teaching English in global contexts: Language, learners and learning. Instituto Superior Institute de Lenguas, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay.
• Algren, M.S. (2020). Volunteering professionally: service to your profession, your colleagues and your community. In: Coombe, C., Anderson, N.J., Stephenson, L. (eds) Professionalizing your English language teaching. Second Language Learning and Teaching. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34762-8_35
• Winkle, C. & Algren, M.S. (2018). Shifting enrollment and governance challenges of intensive English programs. In John Liontas, Ed.; The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley). Online only at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0927.
• Algren, M.S. (2016, October 26). How intensive English programs contribute to campus internationalization. Evolllution: http://evolllution.com/revenue-streams/global_learning/how-intensive-english-program-contribute-to-campus- nternationalization/ .

• Mastruserio Reynolds, K., Algren, M.S., Brady, B., and Suarez, D. (2023). Building and maintaining professionalism in the field of TESOL. TESOL International Convention, Portland, Oregon, USA.
• Juza, P., Algren, M.S. and Itayim, S. (2021). International student success readiness: navigating test optional policies, English proficiency exams, and pathway programs.  EducationUSA Forum (virtual).
• Algren, M.S., Delk-Le Good, C., Juza, P., Ng Hartman, J., Schmid, B., Vellenga, H., Wallace, B., (2021, March). Turbulent times: The future of USA post-secondary English programs. (Panel organizer and leader; invited to re-present the TESOL 2020 First Virtual Conference panel discussion at the TESOL International Conference, Houston, TX USA).
• Algren, M.S., Panferov Reese, S., and Pinto, P. (2020, February). The vital role of languages in internationalization. American International Educators Association (AIEA) Conference, Washington DC, USA.
• Juza, P., & Algren, M.S. (2019, September).  Successfully navigating the new standardized testing landscape.  East Asia and Pacific Regional [EducationUSA Advisors] Forum: Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

TESOL needs a blend of leaders in the elected leadership that reflects its commitment to diversity, equity inclusion, and access. The Nominating Committee operationalizes this by developing a slate of nominees for president, the Board and the Nominating Committee itself, notably taking into account the range of voices on the current Board. While the association needs the wisdom that comes from experience and the invigorating energy of younger members, our leadership must also reflect the wide diversity of racial, social, cultural, geographic and personal identities that compose our membership. May it suffice for me to quote my 2003 Baltimore Convention Theme: Hearing Every Voice. In our diversity is our strength; leadership develops solutions to our challenges through hearing diverse viewpoints. While recognizing the limitations and shortcomings of a digital world, we need leadership who embrace technology and who can help guide the association in harnessing it for professional development.

I would like to serve TESOL on the Nominating Committee because of my years of experience in leadership with the association, and my familiarity with a wide range of issues and challenges facing TESOL – the association and the field. With decades of experience reading CVs and job applications, I have the experience necessary to vet materials from prospective nominees. Finally, as a retiree, I have the time to dedicate to the task. Your consideration of my Expression of Interest is appreciated.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Mark Algren began teaching English in 1979 in a Hong Kong high school. He spent 14 years as a university-level English language teacher and administrator in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In the USA, he was a teacher and director of intensive English programs at the Universities of Kansas and Missouri. Mark has published articles and book chapters, and has made more than 140 presentations in 24 countries on 5 continents. Currently, Mark serves as a commissioner for the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation. While living in the Middle East, he served TESOL Arabia as a convention co-chair and executive secretary for TESOL Arabia in 2005-2006. With an interest in language testing and assessment, he served as a trustee of the English Language Testing Society, 2020-2022. Mark has served in a variety of positions within TESOL International: steering committee on the CALL Interest Section; member of the Professional Development Committee; Board Member 2001-2004 serving as Convention Chair 2003; president of TESOL International Association 2009-2010; chair of two ad hoc committees including the most recent Executive Director Search Committee, and the Task Force on the Convention of the Future. Mark has been a frequent proposal reviewer for the conference and has developed and taught on-line courses in the Leadership Development Program, and has reviewed applications for Teacher of the Year and the Peer Mentoring Program. In 2020, he was a mentor in the TESOL Leadership Peer Mentoring Program. In recognition of his service to the association and field, Mark was awarded the 2017 James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL.

Education

• PhD, Linguistics, University of Connecticut, USA
• MA, Linguistics (syntax and semantics), University of Connecticut, USA
• MA, Linguistics (syntax), Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil
• Teaching Certification, English and Portuguese (MA equivalent), Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
• BA, English and Portuguese, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil

Professional Work Experience

• Senior Lector, Yale University, 2017-present
• Faculty Development Specialist, University of Connecticut, 2015-2018
• Adjunct Professor, English and Linguistics, University of Connecticut, 2013-2018
• English Instructor, UConn American English Language Institute, 2010-2017
• Lecturer, International Teaching Assistant Program, Cornell University, 2009-2010
• English Teacher and Trainer, Seven English & Espanol, 1994-2003

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International (2009; 2014-present) – proposal reader, award reviewer; Past Chair (2023-2024), Chair (2022-2023), Chair-elect (2021-2022), Member-at-large (2019-2021)

of the International Teaching Assistants Interest Section.

• New England International Teaching Assistants Network (2017-present) – member, presenter, meeting organizer.
• Consortium for Graduate Communication (2018-present) – member, presenter.
• National Council of Teachers of English (2015-2018) – member, presenter at the organization’s Conference on College Composition and Communication.
• BRAZ-TESOL Pronunciation Special Interest Group steering committee (1997-2003).

• “Reframing ‘the Foreign TA Problem’ as ‘the American Listener Problem’” – The Modern Language Journal, 106(2), 2022, 483–486.
• “A genre approach to mastering idioms in academic English” – action research in progress focusing on materials development to serve students’ needs.
• “Evaluating course outcomes through the eyes of former students” – mixed methods action research in progress aiming at needs-based course redesign.
• “Reflecting on reflections: looking for second-language writers’ views of successful writing” – what views of successful writing are revealed in Second-Language Writers’ reflection pieces over the course of 5 semesters (action research, 2018).
• 2016 – “From English as a Second Language to First-Year Composition – A View from the Students” – students’ views of what constitutes good writing and how much these views differ on students who have taken First-Year Composition courses (action research, 2016).

• “A Linguistic Diversity Module for Graduate Students” – TESOL International Convention, March 2023.
• “From Gate-Keepers to Advocates – Paradigm Shifts in ITA Programs” – Academic session organizer and moderator, TESOL International Convention, March 2022, Pittsburgh, PA.
• “Academic writing as conversation – how our work fits into the bigger picture” – invited lecture, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), December 2021.
• “An Overview of HyFlex and Other Distributed Learning Models” – ITA-IS webinar, August 2020 (video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0yDIvkZLos).
• “Performing Proficiency – What really matters to Second-Language Writers in their own words” – Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), March 2019, Pittsburgh, PA.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

TESOL needs leaders that strike the right balance between a firm commitment to the organization’s values and openness to the innovation that comes from varying viewpoints. Identifying what change aligns with your own and the organization’s principles requires deep knowledge of the group and the kind of instinct that only comes with many years of experience. TESOL leaders should also have a strong affinity with the wide variety of members they serve. As an organization with members from all over the world, TESOL has long acknowledged the need for diversity in its leadership pipeline, to ensure that its leaders truly represent the perspectives of its members. Growing up speaking Portuguese, most of my English came from Brazilian teachers, who inspired me to become a teacher myself. I was thrilled to later learn that I, a foreign L2 English speaker, could teach the language in the land of Uncle Sam. Most English speakers in the world use English as an additional language and rely on other multilingual speakers to learn it. This is therefore a population that must be represented at TESOL and I will do my best to actively recruit the most qualified among these and other underrepresented professionals to run to be elected leaders. Having participated in search committees and local politics, I understand that qualifications alone are not enough to meet the wider needs of a community and will also be mindful of

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

In my current role working with graduate students as Senior Lector in the Center for Language Study at Yale University, I can combine my desire to learn new things with my passion for languages. I have been a teacher since I entered the Universidade de Sao Paulo for a BA in English and Portuguese in 1994. While pursuing an MA (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), then PhD (University of Connecticut), in syntax, I never stopped teaching: ESL, Linguistics, writing. As an international teaching assistant (ITA) at UConn, I realized the power of appropriate support. Although I had considerable English teaching experience, teaching in higher education in a foreign country required the kind of pragmatic and cultural familiarity that I could not have acquired by myself. At UConn, Cornell University, and now at Yale, I have had the privilege of extending this kind of support to new ITAs, while also working to remove the gate-keeping stigma often associated with this kind of work. My proudest achievement at TESOL has been to be Chair of the ITA Interest Section, working with other dedicated professionals to advocate for multilingual students to be the best they can be in their careers while having their own Englishes respected and cherished. Throughout my career, I have been actively sharing successful initiatives and outcomes derived from action research at national and regional events. Outside academia, I have been active in local politics to have a stronger voice in my town’s election process.

Education

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education Walden University, Minneapolis, Minnesota (online) 2015-2017
• BSc Honors Degree in Counseling and Health Psychology, Ahfad University for Women, Khartoum, Sudan 2000-2005

Professional Work Experience

• Advanced ITC Instructor- Saudi Aramco March 2023- Till present
• ESL Instructor-The Leading National Academy LNA (Niagara College) June 2022- February 2023
• ESL Instructor at the Tayaran National Aviation Academy (Niagara College) October 2021-June 2022.
• ESL Instructor at the Leading National Academy-LNA (Niagara College) October 2020-October 2021.
• ESL Instructor at the International Technical College in Makkah (Niagara College) August 2019 – July 2021.
• ESL Instructor at Laureate College of Excellence in Makkah August 2014- June 2019
• English Teacher -British Educational Schools, Khartoum Sudan 2005-2014.
• Academic Coordinator-British Educational Schools, Khartoum, Sudan 2007-2014.
• English Trainer- Management Development Center, Khartoum 2005-2007 (Part Time).
• ESP Instructor British Educational Institutes, Khartoum March- July 2009 (Part Time).

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• Incoming Chair-Chair and currently Past Chair of the TESOL International Professional Development Professional Council November 2022 till present.
• Founding Member of TESOL Arabia March 2023 till present.
• Organizing Committee Member of the TESOL International PLN Womentorship in ELT May 2021-May 2023
• Professional Development Coordinator at Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Association for Language Teachers (KSAALT) August 2018- January 2021
• Executive Secretary at Africa ELTA   October 2018- July 2021
• Acting Vice President- TESOL Sudan August 2016- March 2020

• Womentorship in ELT Book Chapter: Baecher, L., Salas, A., de Oliveira, L., Pendergrass, J., Haranaka, L., & Elyas, H. (2023) 
• “Womentoring” in as Leadership Development in the field of TESOL In Reinders,  H. Language in Teacher Leadership: Insights from Research and Practice. Springer Nature Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/9783031428708

• Invited Speaker Presentation -Elevate Your Game Through Communities of Practice: Onwards and Upwards (TESOL Elevate 2022)
• Presentation: The Power of Affiliate Networks: A Journey to Remember (Affiliate Network Virtual Event 2021)
• Invited Speaker Presentation: Lifelong Learning Skills in the 21^st Century Classroom (British Council World Teachers’ Day)
• Presentation: Teacher and Student Wellbeing in Times of Uncertainty and Change (BrazTESOL)
• KSAALT TESOL Panel for Professional Development “Reflections of the 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners (2018)

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

Diverse Cultural Background

I have a diverse cultural background, having been born and raised in the UK, growing up in Saudi Arabia, and later moving to Sudan as an adult. This has taught me how to value equity, diversity, and inclusion, respecting all backgrounds and this is a core value of the TESOL Association.

Lifelong Learner

I am a lifelong learner, and my application for this position reflects my belief that learning never ends. I have progressed from a TESOL member to a member of the PDPC to the Chair, and now seek to join the nominating committee.

Leadership Skills

Throughout my career, I have consistently sought out new opportunities to learn and grow as a TESOL professional. Over the years, I have been involved in numerous associations and  held various leadership positions within the TESOL International community and beyond. These experiences have equipped me with the skills, abilities, and knowledge necessary to join the Nominating Committee.

Networking

I am a strong candidate for the nominating committee due to my extensive social media network of over 30,000 contacts. My active participation in both online and in-person events worldwide has increased my visibility, allowing me to locate potential candidates through my networking skills.

I am confident in my ability to choose leaders due to my extensive experience in various leadership positions within different associations. Specifically, I have been a member of TESOL International since 2014, which has provided me with a comprehensive understanding of what qualities make a good leader.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Hind is an active member in the field of professional development and has held numerous leadership positions within various associations, including the TESOL International Association. Currently, she serves as the Past Chair of the TESOL PDPC, IATEFL Global Issue, Issues Month Coordinator, and a member of the former Womentorship in ELT committee. Additionally, she is a TESOL International New Member Guide, a British Council ELTon Awards Judge, and she served as a National Geographic Advisor for the development of a new academic skills series in 2020. Hind is also a founding member of TESOL Arabia, the newest TESOL International affiliate in the Emirates.

Hind has held several significant roles in the TESOL field, including Executive Secretary at Africa ELTA, PD coordinator at Africa ELTA, Acting Vice President of TESOL Sudan, and Professional Development Coordinator at KSAALT TESOL.

In 2021, she was recognized as a TESOL International Leadership Mentoring Program Award recipient, which helped her develop her Leadership skills. Hind has completed the TESOL International Leadership development program Course multiple times and uses it as a reference. In 2020, she was selected as a TESOL International Convention Ambassador, which provided her with valuable insights into the association and the convention's inner workings.

Throughout her career, Hind has had the honour of serving in various leadership roles within TESOL affiliates and other associations in Africa, the US, and the Middle East. These experiences have been invaluable in providing her with the knowledge and skills necessary for her personal and professional growth.

Education

• Master of Arts in English/Linguistics: Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
• Post Baccalaureate in Philology/Linguistics: University of Athens, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece, School of Philosophy
• Bachelor of Arts in English/Education: Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

Professional Work Experience

Administration/Leadership 

• 2022-Present, Educational Consultant, Western Region, Michigan Language Assessment.
• 2015-2022 Director, Intensive English Program (IEP), Student Success Pathways, International Programs and Partnerships, CSUN.
• 2007-2015 Director, Academic Programs/Student Life/IEP/International Programs/Pathways, CSUN.
• 2005-2007 Associate Director Intensive English and International Programs, CSUN.
• 2000-2005 Director, Academic Programs, IEP/International Programs, CSUN.

Instruction: Graduate/Undergraduate

• 2010 – Present, Professor, MA TESOL Program, Dept. of Linguistics, California State University, Northridge.
• Prior to 2000  Professor: English, FT Tenure Track Director of Language Lab/College Publications, Chancellor     University, Cleveland, OH.
• Faculty, Undergraduate Studies/Academic Prog, Cleveland State Univiversity.

 Instruction: Community College/International (Prior to 2000)

• English Language Faculty/Curriculum Developer, Pierce College (LACC District)
• English Language Faculty/Curriculum Developer, Glendale Community College, CA
• English Faculty, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
• English Faculty, Cuyahoga Comm Coll, Metro/Western Campuses, Cleveland, OH
• Coordinator/Head ESL Instructor, Mitsopoulou Institute of Foreign Languages, Athens, Greece

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Association: Chair, Affiliate Network Professional Council (ANPC) 2021-2022; Past Chair, 2022-2023; In-ComingChair, 2020-2021; Conf/Comm Chair, 2019; 

• CATESOL: Chair, Intensive English Programs 2022-2023; In-Coming Chair 2021-2022; Chair, LA Regional Conference, 2014; Chair, Nominating Committee 2013.

• NAFSA: Chair, Poster Sessions, Annual Conference 2022.

• English USA: Vice President of Outreach, 2017-2018; Vice-President Elect of Outreach, 2016-2017; Chair,Professional Development Conference 2018; Nominating Committee 2018-2022.

• President, Greek Heritage Society of Southern CA, 2022-Present; Executive Board, 2007-Present; Board Member.

• “Mapping a Culturally Responsive Information Literacy Journey for International Students: An Interdisciplinary Approach,” Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, 2020
• "A Comparison of Grad Student Success Based on TOEFL Scores and CSUN's IEP Bridge Program: Three-Year Pilot Study," CSUN Academic Affairs, 2013.

• TESOL ANPC Colloquium (2023); ANPC Leadership and Communications Workshops, Colloquium, Assembly, Global Advocacy Forum, TESOL Membership Council and State Dept Webinar, TESOL Saskatchewan, BC TEAL (2022), Post-Pandemic Challenges; NYS TESOL, ARTESOL, TESOL Italy (2021).
• 2018 CSU Counterparts, Palm Desert – “Campus Climate: A Global Perspective.”
• 2018 TESOL International Conference, Chicago - “Fast Facts about IEPs: Snapshot of English USA, Membership and Benefits.”
• 2018 English USA Professional Development Conference - “Formula for Success: Creating and Sustaining a Content-Based Stem Course.”
• 2017 English USA Professional Development Conference, Monterey – “Graduate TOEFL Waiver Option: Academic Retention and Recruiting Success.”

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

As an organization, TESOL in looking for leaders who embody TESOL’s mission of advancing the expertise of professionals in the field through professional learning, research, standards and advocacy. I have worked in the international sector for over three decades both overseas and in the US in the private sector and at the community college and university levels. As the Director of a robust English language program at California State University, Northridge, I worked with university senior staff, embassies, and international institutions building unique programs and collaborating on university policies that advocate for international students. I have also conducted research on assessment and student success and have been instrumental in changing international student admissions policies at the university. I have been active in professional organizations at the state, national and international levels holding executive board positions and have served on multiple nominating committees. I believe that my years of expertise as a English language program administrator and my commitment to TESOL and other professional organizations have equipped me with the skills that make a strong candidate for the nominating committee.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Bessie Karras-Lazaris was the Director of the Intensive English, Student Success and International Programs at California State University (CSUN) for over 22 years. She has been a faculty member in CSUN’s MA TESL program since its inception focusing on teacher training and assessment. She has worked on program development and teacher training with universities and organizations in Korea, China, and Japan and with Cultural Offices for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. She was the assessment expert for the Afghan women’s group through the State Department and conducted a comprehensive study on international student English language proficiency levels and implemented the graduate TOEFL waiver, part of CSUNs admissions process. She is an educational consultant for Michigan Language Assessment and has run official test centers for the TOEFL, IELTS, and TOEIC at CSUN. Her most recent publication is ”Mapping a Culturally-Responsive Information Literacy Journey for International Students: Interdisciplinary Approach.” In Envisioning the Framework: A Graphic Guide to Information Literacy. She is the 2014 CSUN Presidential Award recipient; 2021-22 Chair of the Affiliate Professional Network Council (TESOL), 2022-23 Chair of the IEP Level (CATESOL), and the 2016-2018 Vice President of Outreach (English USA). She is fluent in Greek and loves travelling having been to Austria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Korea, UK, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

Education

• D. Second Language Acquisition/Instructional Technology, University of South Florida, USA
• Graduate Certificate in Women and Gender Studies, University of South Florida, USA
• Master of Science Multilingual Multicultural Education, Florida State University, USA
• Bachelor of Arts Music and Spanish, Florida State University Tallahassee, FL, USA.

Professional Work Experience

• ESP Curriculum Developer, independent contracts, October 2022-present
• Teacher Trainer, Master English Educator and Training Center (ACT) September 2023-present
• Publishing Mentor JEMS Journal April 2021- present
• Adjunct Professor of Composition University of South Florida August 2016-present
• Assistant Professor of Instruction University of South Florida August 2019-December 2022
• INTO USF Senior Instructor, University of South Florida, August 2016-August-2019
• Writing Center Coordinator and English Lecturer, Al Ghurair University, Dubai, UAE April 2009-June 2011
• Visiting Professor of English, Daegu English Village, Daegu, South Korea, August 2008-December 2008

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Membership Professional Council, Past Chair 2022-present
• TESOL International Membership Professional Council, Chair 2021-2022
• TESOL International Membership Professional Council, Chair Elect 2020-2021
• TESOL International Social Responsibility, Past Co-Chair 2019-2020
• TESOL International Social Responsibility, Co-Newsletter Editor 2017-2019
• TEFL Kuwait, ESP Sig Chair 2021-present
• TEFL Kuwait, Conference Chair 2023-present
• Africa ELTA, Member 2020-present

• Khawaja, A. & Escalante, S. (under review) Building an inclusive classroom through feminist pedagogy: Understanding the gender continuum. In Jain, R., Chen, J., & Trinh, E. (Eds.) Humanizing Pedagogies and Teacher Education Research.
• Khawaja, A. (in press). We shall overcome: A protest song through the decades. In Wong S., M. Romney, T. Tu, & J. Mattson (Eds.) Freedom songs: A resource by teachers for teachers. Mason Publishing.
• Khawaja, A. (2022). Demystifying the publication process: A guide to publishing in an academic journal. International Institute of Islamic Thought.
• Schvarcz, B. & Khawaja, A. (2022). Linguistic landscape as a bridge towards peace: The sign and the self in the Israel/Palestine region in Birch, B. (Ed.) Creating classrooms for peace in English Language Teaching. Routledge.
• Khawaja, A., Jakar, V., & Schravcz, B. (2021). English as mediator for communication: The case for Israel and Palestine in Raza, K., C. Coombe, & D. Reynolds (Eds). Policy development in TESOL and multilingualism: Past, present and the way forward, 217-232. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

• Khawaja, A. (2023) Going Beyond DEI. Education 5.0 Master English Education & Training, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 10th.
• Khawaja, A. (2023). How to use linguistic landscape to study and explain a region in conflict. TTELT (Teaching Tips for English Language Teachers) Podcast Interview, April 17th.
• Khawaja, A. (2022). From the 3Rs to the Cs, to Infusing JEDI and SEL: Moving Forward Towards More Inclusive Classroom Pedagogy NETA Peru 3rd Annual ELT Conference, December 18^th.
• Khawaja, A. (2022) Keynote: Going Beyond the Checkbox of DEI in the Classroom: Examining the Cs and Infusing SEL and JEDI into Classroom Pedagogy, TESLNS November 22nd.
• Khawaja , A. (2022). Building an Inclusive ESL Classroom through Feminist Pedagogy: Understanding the Gender Continuum, KSAALT October 8^th.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

TESOL International needs leaders that first and foremost understand and reflect the needs of our global community. We have a quite diverse board right now, so we are getting there. However, we really need a leadership board that understands how to really exhibit and demonstrate TESOL 365 - and not just TESOL before, during, and after the annual convention. Leaders need to encourage and support ways that councils and other communities of practice try to build engagement and member value for all TESOL members, no matter where they are in the world.

We need leaders who can help the executive committee to find ideas to diversify our revenue so that we do not have to rely so much on the convention to make sure we stay in the green. We need leaders who cannot just represent but understand and advocate for multilingual learners from across the world. We need leaders who can help to encourage and spread research and scholarship and make this accessible to as many teachers as possible across the globe.

As for me, I am an excellent candidate to help choose these leaders because I have a solid understanding of the mission, vision, and strategic plan of TESOL having served as an IS, PLN, and council chair. I also live in an area without an affiliate - and without live regional opportunities, so I understand the needs of members (and future members) who NEED that virtual connection as other options might be limited due to political and otherwise reasons.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Dr. Anastasia Khawaja (she/her) is an independent scholar developing ESP English curriculum living in Ramallah, Palestine. She is also an adjunct professor of composition for USF teaching online as well as a teacher trainer also online for Master English Education and Training in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Khawaja is the past chair of the TESOL International Association Membership Professional Council and proudly active in several affiliates around the world as well as with other English teaching organizations such as IATEFL and TEFL Kuwait. She previously served in leadership positions including co-chair for both of the Social Responsibility Interest Section and the Palestinian Educator and Friends PLN before joining the MPC. Dr. Khawaja is also quite active in the conference circuit having presented both adjudicated, invited, and keynote talks all over the world. Her presentation topics include infusing JEDI (Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and SEL (Social Emotional Learning) into classroom pedagogy, Feminist perspectives in classroom pedagogy, intercultural and interpersonal communication, and linguistic landscape. She currently creates curriculum for various ESP courses for both undergraduate and graduate university students including Medical English and Business English. Her research grapples with deconstructing the binary understanding of the Palestine/Israel region through language representation, language attitudes, and language use in addition to DEI/JEDI initiatives. Her most recent work can be found in the volume Creating Classrooms for Peace in English Language Teaching.

Education

• Ph.D., Education with TESOL Track, University of Central Florida, FL, U.S.
• M.A., Foreign Language Education, University of Texas at Austin, TX, U.S.
• B.A., English Language Teaching, Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, Türkiye

Professional Work Experience

• Administrative: Interim Director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships at Honors College, Florida Gulf Coast University (2023-Present).
• Administrative: Educational Policy Consultant & Federal Projects Coordinator, Bureau of Federal Educational Programs (BFEP), Florida Department of Education, Tallahassee, FL, U.S.A. (2021-2023).
• Academic: Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Education, International Education Program, Framingham State University, Framingham, MA, U.S.A. (2020- Present).
• Academic: Dissertation Committee Chair/Member, Graduate Studies in Education, College of Education and Social Services, Saint Leo University, St. Leo, FL, USA (2021- Present).
• Administrative & Academic: Assistant Professor and TEFL Program Coordinator, Graduate School of Education, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkiye (2018-2020).
• Administrative & Academic: Assistant Professor and TESOL Certificate Coordinator (1 semester), College of Education (School of Teacher Education), Foreign & Second Language Education (FSLE) Program, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, U.S.A. (2016-2018).

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL International Association, Conferences Professional Council (CPC), Chair (04/01/2023 – 03/31/ 2024) and Associate Chair (04/01/2022 – 03/31/ 2023).
• International Conference on Research in Applied Linguistics, Advisory Board Member (Spring 2020 – Present).
• TESOL International Association, Advocacy, Social Justice and Community Building Strand, Strand Coordinator and Assistant Strand Coordinator (Spring 2019- Spring 2021).
• International Conference on Narrative and Language Studies, Scientific Board Member (Fall 2018 – Present).
• TESOL Awards Professional Council, Council Member & Award Reviewer for Award Reviewer for TESOL/TEFL Travel Grant, Award Reviewer for TESOL Award for Distinguished. Research, and Award Reviewer for TESOL Albert H. Marckwardt Travel Grant (Fall 2017).

• Peker, H. (2023). Using dynamic assessment in assessing vocabulary gains of pre-school students with special needs in a foreign language program. In D. Köksal, N. Kavaklı, &S. Arslan (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Perspectives in Foreign Language Assessment. IGI Global Publishing.
• Regalla, M., & Peker, H. (2023). Language learning without limits in an inclusive prekindergarten French FLEX program. In K. F. Davidson, L. J. Randolph, & S. M. Johnson (Eds.), How We Take Action: Social Justice in K-16 Language Classrooms. Information Age Publishing.
• Peker, H. (2022). Conducting a non-experimental design quantitative study and the application of partial least squares structural equation modeling. In K. Dikilitaş & K. Mastruserio Reynolds (Eds.), Research Methods in Language Teaching and Learning. Wiley.
• Peker, H., & Rosa-Lugo, L. (2021). Speech–language pathology graduate students' questioning strategies for English learners in a simulation environment. Topics in Language Disorders (TLD) Special Issue: Directions in Addressing the Language and Literacy Needs of Children across the Bilingual Continuum, 41(4), 347-366. https://doi.org/10.1097/TLD.0000000000000264.
• Peker, H. (2020). Feared L2 self as an emerging component of the reconceptualized L2 motivational self system. The Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics (EJAL), 6(3), 361- 386. http://dx.doi.org/10.32601/ejal.834658 .

• Peker, H. (2022, November 10). The shift in teacher education programs around the world: Are we ready for simulations? Keynote at the 2nd International and 5th National Conference on Formative Research and Hotbeds of Research in Foreign Languages, Bogota, Colombia. https://eventos.uniminuto.edu/67248/speakers/global-perspectives-in-teaching-and-teachers-practices.html
• Peker, H., & Regalla, M. (2022, March 24). Investigating executive-functioning and expressive-receptive skills in an inclusive-preschool immersion program. Research-oriented paper session presented at the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International Convention & English Language Expo, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Peker, H. (2022, May 28). Training pre-service and in-service teachers through simulation technology along with 21st century challenges. Plenary speech at the 1st International Conference on the 21st Century Challenges in ELT by the Association of English Teacher Educators (AELTE), Ankara, Turkey.
• Peker, H., & Regalla, M. (2021, March 23-26). Investigating bullied ELs' otherness, L2-avoidance, resistance, and identity struggles. Paper session presented virtually at the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International Convention & English Language Expo.
• Peker, H. (2020, October 28). Imagining a non-victimized balanced self in the era of refugee and immigrant traumas. Keynote at the 6th International Conference on Teaching and Learning English as an Additional Language (GlobELT) Conference, Budva, Montenegro. http://www.globeltconference.com/keynote_speakers.html .

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

My leadership philosophy centers on, “Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others” (John Maxwell). As a first-generation college graduate who came out of a small village without a school and reached out to the other parts of the world as a Fulbrighter to empower others in a way in which I was empowered by my English teachers, I believe a TESOL leader should have three main attributes. First, a TESOL leader should be diverse and global to understand each team member who may bring different educational cultures and perspectives to the table. Next, a TESOL leader should be empowering others and should consider others’ opinions and perspectives involved in a collaborative project. A TESOL leader should be professional and establish new benchmarks and goals to achieve the aforementioned attributes while maintaining individual responsibility for executive operations. As an international multilingual TESOL leader, I am diverse and inclusive in any sense and open to any cross-cultural circumstances that may rise due to cultural differences. I focus on team members’ innate potential to leverage their unique talents and I motivate them to overcome challenges by providing constructive feedback to maintain the constant change or transformation. I am grateful to all inspiring leaders in my life who are diverse, inclusive, professional, and transformational. Devoting my time and energy to transform TESOL team members’ lives will always be my passion and I will always move forward with this transformational vision and drive.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Hilal Peker (Ph.D., University of Central Florida, 2016) is the Interim Director of the Office of Competitive Fellowships at Honors College at Florida Gulf Coast University. She is also a professor of TESOL and teaches a wide variety of courses at University of Central Florida (UCF), Framingham State University, Saint Leo University (SLU), and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Previously, she worked as a Federal Projects Coordinator and Educational Policy Consultant at the Bureau of Federal Educational Programs of Florida Department of Education, and as an Assistant Professor of TEFL/TESOL at Bilkent University (Türkiye) and Florida State University. Her research interests include inclusive dual-language immersion programs, reconceptualized L2 motivational self-system (R-L2MSS), bullying-victimization of L2 learners, L2 identity, simulation technology, and pre-service teacher training. She has taught in ESOL and EFL contexts, conducted workshops and research, given keynote speeches in Europe, Colombia and the U.S., and published extensively on topics related to ESOL/EFL teacher education and DEIA issues regarding Pre-K students. Her work has appeared in Wiley and in prestigious academic journals such as Foreign Language Annals, TESOL Journal, TESL-EJ, Topics in Language Disorders, Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, and Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitive Research. She has recently has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for her dedication, achievements, and leadership in academia. She has multiple awards in TESOL field such as 2019 & 2021 TESOL International Association Professional Development Scholarship Award, 2019 ACTFL Early Career Award by the Teaching and Learning of Culture & Research SIG, 2015 The National Network for Early Language Learning Santillana Scholar Award, 2015 Sunshine State TESOL Dissertation Award, and 2015 UCF College of Education and Human Performance Graduate Teaching Assistantship Excellence Award.

Education

• Ph.D., Language and Literacy, October 2023
• M.A., TESOL: Georgia State University, August 2016 – April 2018

Professional Work Experience

• Senior Project Coordinator, Georgia State University, 2019-present
• Lecturer, George Washington University, DC, Summer 2023
• University Professor, Georgia State University, GA, Fall 2018 - present
• ESL Instructor, Interactive College of Technology, GA, 2018-2019
• ESL Teacher, Clarkston High School, Dekalb, GA, USA, 2017-2018

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• 2018-present Member, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
• 2017-present Member, GATESOL
• 2018-present Member, American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• 2020-present Member, American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
• 2009-present Member, Alpha Upsilon Alpha (AUA)

• Pentón Herrera, L. J., Trinh, E., & Park, G. (forthcoming). Storytelling as an Outlet for Restoration and Peacebuilding: An Introduction to the Special Issue [Editorial]. TESOL Journal. 
• Trinh, E. & Tinker Sachs, G. (2023). Thinking queer with Vietnamese EFL textbooks. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies. 1-28.
• Trinh, E. (2022). Supporting queer SLIFE youth: Initial queer considerations. In L. J. Pentón Herrera (Ed.), English and students with limited or interrupted formal education: Global perspectives on teacher preparation and classroom practices (pp. 209-225). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86963-2_12 
• Trinh, E., de Oliveira, L., & Andrade, B. (forthcoming). Cultivating critical love in professional organizations: A queering approach for ELT leaders. In E. Trinh, K. Reynolds, & J. Coda (Eds.), Teaching Pride Forward: Global LGBTQ+ Allyship in ELT. TESOL Press.
• Pentón Herrera, L. J., Martínez-Alba, G., & Trinh, E. (Eds) (2023). Teacher well-being in English language teaching: An ecological approach. Routledge.

• Trinh, E. (2023, March). Repositioning to work with queer youths in English language classrooms: Let’s drop the knowledge. Invited speech to an invited panel titled “The politics and practice of allyship in queer applied linguistics and language education”. Symposium presented at the annual 2023 American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) Conference.
• Trinh, E. (2023, March). Supporting queer SLIFE youth in schools. In panel: Advocacy, academic, and social-emotional considerations for SLIFE in K-12 settings. Panel presented at the annual AAAL Conference, Portland, OR.
• Tinker Sachs, G., Jang, G., Quadri, Y., & Trinh, E. (October, 2022). Language at the Heart of HB1084 - Protect Students With Love. Panel presentation at GATESOL Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Cooper, A., Romney, M., Bryan, K., Effiong, O., Samb, M., Gerald, J. de Haan, D., Trinh, E. (2022, March). Advocating for All: Addressing social justice and linguicism in ELT. Symposium presented at the annual Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Conference. Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
• Trinh, E. (2021, November). Localizing queerness in TESOL: Who takes responsibility?. Keynote speaker. Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz, Bolivia.

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

The leaders are the ones who have both vision and compassion. They need the vision to lead the association to create strategic goals for promoting equitable representation, engagement, and access to professional opportunities for all members regardless of their linguistic backgrounds and identities. Equally important, leaders need to create a space of compassion and togetherness for all members and staff to co-learn and work with one another. The leaders are those who are willing to listen to the stories and diverse needs of members as well as be ready to engage in uncomfortable conversations to grow and provide necessary changes. Both vision and compassion are significantly needed to shape the leadership of an association.

I will not choose the leaders, but I am willing to work with them to support and provoke their potential and hidden leadership. In other words, I do not choose them, but I will create a space to learn about and with them so that they would be able to discover themselves and decide how we can become leaders with vision and compassion. I am patient, perseverant, and willing to walk the walk in exploring the path of leadership together.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

Ethan Trinh (they/them) is a Vietnamese, queer, immigrant, researcher, and TESOL teacher educator teaching and finishing their doctorate at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA. Their works focus on affects and well-being in language education that embraces queerness as a healing teaching and research practice. Their articles can be found in the Teaching and Teacher Education, Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, Journal of Homosexuality, Multicultural Perspectives, and other book chapters (Routledge, Brill, and Springer).

Ethan has published 25+ referred articles and 20+ book chapters in various venues and co-edited five volumes that focus on storytelling, teachers' well-being, doctoral student's emotional and wellbeing in Applied Linguistics, and queer allyship in TESOL. Ethan is the recipient of the 2022 Leadership Mentoring Program Award, working with Luciana de Oliveria. Ethan is currently serving on the Conference Professional Council (CPC) at TESOL International, in additional to their leadership at the Social Responsibility Interest Section (2019-2021) and LGBT PLN (2020-2022).

Ethan is an associate editor of GATESOL Journal and guest-edited a special issue on TESOL Journal with Luis Javier Pentón Herrera and Gloria Park. Originally from Vietnam, Ethan enjoys creative writing, Vietnamese iced coffee, and playing with their doggie Shiba. More info: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ethan-Trinh-3/research

Education

• M.A. Cross Cultural Studies, New College Berkeley, California (thesis pending)
• Certificate of Language, La Sorbonne, France
• Multi-Cultural Elementary Education, San Jose State University, California
• B.A. French, University of California, Berkeley, California

Professional Work Experience

• 1994-PRESENT: INDEPENDENT ENGLISH TEACHER / TRAINER / TRANSLATOR / TRANSCRIBER / CONSULTANT
• Creator of WEST LANGUAGE, Language Training Services (since 2003): 2015-2018/2021-present
• TESOL International:
  • Affiliate Leadership Council and Affiliate Network Professional Council Chair, Conference Professional council
  • Proposal reviewer
  • Chaired the transition of one association status to a new one with double the members
  • Coordinated, organized and implemented a volunteer workshop for ELT leaders
  • Coordinated newsletter for 100+ affiliates worldwide
  • Organized and conducted editors’ workshop for ELT leaders (April 2016)
• 2012-2015: PRESIDENT TESOL FRANCE, PARIS, FRANCE: MANAGING A TEAM OF 14
• 2008-PRESENT: WORKSHOP COORDINATOR TESOL FRANCE AND CONTINUING BOARD MEMBER:
• 2000-2001: BILINGUAL CLERICAL ASSISTANT UNESCO, Paris France
• 1994-1997: ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR Club Accents Paris, France
• 1997:BILINGUAL SECRETARY/RECEPTIONIST Embassy of Papua New Guinea, Paris, France.
• 1993-1994 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISOR San Francisco State University California.
• 1990-1993 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT OUTREACH CO-ORDINATOR/ADVISOR City College of San Francisco, California.
• 1990-1991 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR  S.I.L.C. (séjours internationaux linguistiques et culturels) California
• 1985-1990 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF RESIDENCE Holy Names College, California

Relevant/Select Professional Affiliation

• TESOL France: association of Teachers of English as a Second Language 2007- present
• NAFSA: association of international educators (member and committee participant)
• CACUHO: California association of college and university offices
• FLANC: association of foreign languages

• The power of storytelling to understand ourselves and each other: ELT Ireland Plenary 2022.
• “Revisiting Speaking Activities to Encourage Students” IATEFL Poland Webinar 2022/ TESOL Spain 2021.
• Moving From Study to the application of language skills through Projects IATEFL Poland 2021.
• Immersion English its benefits and challenges: TESOL Spain 2020.
• The Human Library: ELT Ireland, TESOL Spain, IATEFL Poland 2018.
• What's your Cultural Drift: IATEFL Hungary 2017

What do you believe is a burning issue in TESOL today; what would you as a leader of the largest international association in the field plan to do about it?

Many years in education, TESOL France and other associations has helped me to see how good people in leadership roles makes everything work better. Divisiveness and those only making a name for themselves destroys.

Our association needs leaders who can:

• see beyond themselves because the work will continue after us.
• see beyond the association and yet see how it connects so many dots in education and leadership.
• can connect to people and not fear their baggage and yet push for good things and all those it touches directly and indirectly: the good, the bad and the challenges.
• are not based on the level of their degrees but their advocacy to and for the other.
• uses their education to know the trends and needs for future generations who will come into roles of teaching, administrating and leading.
• need to be fully aware and sensitive to the real-life issues facing us each day: racism, sexism, bullying, phobias, culture etc.., which then affect how we currently interact with others and prepare future leaders.
• imperatively lead others to open taboo subjects when others hide or pretend that these sensitive issues do not exist. Language and our leaders must go beyond words to actions.

Usually being pretty good at suggesting transparent people for different roles, I know there are those who can be encouraged to see and act on the skills they may not see in themselves. I can help seek out those leaders for our association’s needs.

Write a biographical statement in which you highlight your professional and leadership experiences.

My involvement in student associations as a UC Berkeley student gave me a foundation of how I would see leadership in its different roles, including leading small groups in associative activities.

Working, it was through teaching French, creating a community college class, helping create a study abroad program, as well as a non-credit ESL program, I got involved with their professional associations linked with many opportunities to work with international students in the US and France:

• FLE association (teaching French as a Foreign Language),
• NAFSA (National Association for Foreign Student Advisors)
• the past 15 years or so TESOL (France and International, as well as our sister associations and IATEFL) in different roles of leadership and support.

In TESOL France, as a volunteer, and quickly targeted as someone who wanted to give to others, I was brought onto EXCOM leading to several roles:

• Young learners worldwide spelling contest
• Workshop Coordinator (15yrs or so),
• Vice President (3yrs),
• President (3yrs),
• board member (conference coordinator, membership committee, selection committee, exhibitor coordination) (15yrs or so).

Attending sister associations through:
by giving workshops,
being invited as a guest speaker,
helping judge their organized contests,
being a plenary speaker.

In TESOL International, I have had opportunities with:

• the Affiliates Leadership Council, then establishing the Affiliates Network Professional Council,
• Initiating new registration policies for those volunteers in TESOL,
• being in Reviewing process of the many conference proposals,
• contributing to other committees like the Conference Professional Council.