Fran LaMielle has been serving Multilingual Learners for nearly 15 years. With substantial experience including community college, university, and adult community education settings, the majority of her career has focused on serving MLs in low incidence K12 school districts. Currently Fran is the Multilingual Learner Teacher Consultant at DeWitt Public Schools where she has created a district wide program enabling students to thrive linguistically and academically.  She completed undergraduate degrees at Hope College and the University of Michigan-Flint, in addition to earning her MA TESOL from Michigan State University in 2013.  She is insatiably curious, especially about people and their cultures.  Her many interests include reading, biking, painting, and cooking, but she especially loves snowboarding and daydreaming about her next trip abroad.  

My name is Carrie Machkouri, and I am the Integrated Education and Training (IET) Coordinator and an English instructor with the Customized Workplace English program at the Literacy Center of West Michigan. I first came to the Literacy Center in 2015 as an AmeriCorps member for the Family Literacy Program.  I spent 2 and a half years teaching ESL adults in that role before becoming a part-time and then full-time member of the staff.  I have worked for all three of our direct service programs, connecting learners from numerous walks of life to the tutoring and classes that best fit their learning and career goals. I have continued to teach classes at the Literacy Center since 2015 and have grown so much both professionally and personally.  I was encouraged by my fellow staff members to get my Master’s in TESOL, which I received from Cornerstone University in 2018, and I also have a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Grand Valley State University.  I wear many hats in my role, but my favorite is teaching our diverse group of learners and writing curriculum for unique pilot classes. I am currently the Membership Coordinator with MITESOL, and I am also involved in planning and presenting at other state and national conferences, such as the Michigan Adult Education and Training Conference, the Michigan Region 4 Workshops, and at COABE conferences. Outside of work, I enjoy gardening, reading, and writing - I am working on my debut fantasy novel right now. My husband is from Morocco, so we enjoy traveling with the goal to visit all 50 states!

Alexandra is the Assistant Academic Director and an IEP/ESP Instructor at the Michigan Language Center (MLC) in Ann Arbor. She earned her MA in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University in 2018 and has devoted over 15 years to working with international students, professionals, and newcomers to achieve academic, professional, and personal goals. At MLC, she collaborates with the Academic Director, overseeing curriculum records, reviewing instructional materials, and supporting teachers on a daily basis. Additionally, she spearheads MLC's faculty professional development initiatives for lifelong learning, and ensures that MLC remains committed to excellence through strategic academic planning. Alexandra has extensive teaching experience with university students, international professionals, and community members both in the U.S. and abroad. Her special interests include culturally responsive curricula, cross-cultural communication, multimodal instruction, pragmatics, and second language writing. Since her graduate school days, she has actively participated in MITESOL and TESOL International Conferences, presenting on various ELT topics and fostering connections with educators all over the world. In her spare time, Alexandra enjoys spending time with her two fur babies - Mocha and Mochi.

Olivia Rivera grew up mostly in the Grand Rapids area but lived in China from 2007-2016. In her time there, she fell in love with teaching English and started to tutor Chinese university teachers and professors. In 2019, she earned her undergraduate degree from Evangel University in the field of psychology. She recently finished her Master’s degree in TESOL at Cornerstone University. She joined the instructor team at the Literacy Center of West Michigan in 2024 and is currently an instructor and English class coordinator. Other positions where she has served was as an EAP instructor and Academic Director at ELS Language Centers as well as an instructor at the College of Chicago. She enjoys working with adults because she feels that her learners can offer valuable skills and knowledge to the community. When she is not teaching, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and chocolate lab.

Jennifer Bashara

Jennifer is an English Learner (EL) Teacher for Ypsilanti Community Schools, currently serving students at Ford, ELC and Ypsilanti International Elementary School (YIES). She graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BA in Elementary and endorsements in Integrated Science (K-8) and Teaching English as a Second Language (K-12). Jennifer loves working closely with her students, their families and their teachers to support their learning. She also loves that she is able to learn so much about her students as well as be active in her school community. Jennifer is a lifelong resident of Michigan. When she is not teaching, she loves to spend time at home with her family, working outside in her vegetable garden and having fun!

Christy Osborne

Christy Osborne has served in various roles dedicated to educating English Learners and consultation for ELD Programs over the past several years. As an ELD consultant and SIOP trainer, Christy is an advocate for educational excellence, equity and opportunity for all multilingual learners. As part of the leadership and continuous improvement unit, she consults with schools identified through State Systems of Support. She earned her Master's degree in Linguistics with a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) endorsement from Oakland University.

Helena Kore

Helena is an online English language teacher creating educational content that is shared on social media. She earned her M.A. in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University in 2021. She has spent time researching the Latvian-American heritage language community as well as teaching practices in second language classrooms. Additionally, she enjoys developing and teaching curriculum that incorporates content-based and task-based methodologies. Her Master's capstone was a curriculum called "Teaching English with a Garden." When she isn't working on something teaching related, she enjoys spending time on the trails or at the beach close to her home in Whitehall, MI

Ahmed Almosawi is currently serving as an ESL instructor at both the University of Detroit Mercy and Henry Ford College, where he also represents the School of Liberal Arts as an Adjunct Faculty Senator. Initially earning a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with a Chemistry minor, a pivotal trip to his home country of Iraq sparked a profound passion for teaching English to speakers of other languages. This inspired him to earn his MA in TESOL from Eastern Michigan University in 2024, working toward his ultimate goal of opening his own ESL institute in Iraq. Deeply committed to cross-cultural academic collaboration, Ahmed successfully bridged the educational gap between Michigan and Iraq in 2023. He designed and facilitated three specialized workshops at Muthana University and Imam Jaafar Sadiq University, focusing on beginner reading strategies and the ethical, responsible integration of AI in education. In his free time, Ahmed enjoys playing soccer and spending quality time with his wife and two daughters.

Amira earned her Ph.D. in Education from the College of Education and Human Development at Western Michigan University, where she also completed her M.A. in TESOL in 2020. She is currently an instructor in the College of Education and Human Development at the Teaching, Learning & Educational Studies (TLES) department at WMU. Her research focuses on teaching English to refugees and immigrants, culturally responsive pedagogy, and teacher identity.

Kristin Homuth is the Graduate Studies Language and Learning Support Specialist at the College for Creative Studies (CCS), an art and design college in Detroit. At CCS, she provides support to both domestic and international graduate students, with a particular focus on assisting them with their thesis writing. Kristin also teaches a graduate-level communication course and an undergraduate writing course for multilingual students. Prior to joining CCS, Kristin worked as an instructor and curriculum administrator at Language Center International in Southfield and instructor at the Michigan Language Center in Ann Arbor. She also currently serves as an intermittent essay rater for Michigan State University and has served as an IELTS examiner. She holds an MA TESOL degree from Eastern Michigan University (2013). Her journey with multilingual learners began early in her career as a 6th-grade teacher at an international school in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. When not teaching, Kristin enjoys the creative pursuits of cooking and baking, the imaginative play of LEGO building, and spending time with her husband, two children, and three feline companions.

Dan Brown

Dan is an Assistant Professor of English at Grand Valley State University where he teaches courses in applied linguistics. He has taught ESL/EFL and trained English teachers in Arizona, Hawaii, Thailand, Japan, and Chile. His research interests include second language acquisition, second language writing for academic purposes, meta-analysis and research synthesis, and second language teaching methodology. He has published his research in TESOL Quarterly, the Journal of Second Language Writing, Second Language Research, and Language Teaching Research. He has also served as a reviewer for Language Learning, TESOL Quarterly, the Modern Language Journal, Language Teaching Research, and System, and he is excited to join as as a coeditor for the new MITESOL Journal.

Dr. Briana Asmus is an Associate Professor and Director of the Literacy Program in the School of Education at Aquinas College. In 2023 she returned to higher education after teaching English as a Second language (ESL) at a Title I high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Prior to this position, she was ESL/Bilingual Program Director and Director of a National Professional Development (NPD) grant at Aquinas College. She has fulfilled teaching contracts in South Korea, Japan, and China, where she taught middle and high school students, and continues to design, lead, and teach bilingual summer immersion programs. 

Dr. Asmus’ research interests focus on social justice and critical approaches to pedagogy. With a PhD in English education / postcolonial studies from Western Michigan University, she advocates for approaches to language learning & text that foster growth and empower student identities. Her peer reviewed publications, including the  co-edited collection, Engaging the Critical in English Education: Approaches from the Commission on Social Justice in Teacher Education published under Peter Lang Publishing, reflect her commitment to social justice pedagogies. She has led national, state, and local-level professional organizations, including MITESOL (Michigan TESOL, past President) and ELATE-SJ (English Language Arts Teacher Educators Social Justice Commission, former Co-Chair).

Katie Coleman (she/her) has been teaching at the U-M ELI in Ann Arbor, MI since 2015. She has taught a number of courses for U-M graduate and undergraduate students that explore different elements of academic communication and culture, such as Writing for Academic Purposes, Research Paper Writing, and Interactive Communication. She also teaches the Academic Communication course for international scholars, researchers, faculty, and postdocs during the academic year and the EAP Reading and Writing course in summer. 

At ELI, Katie has led a CAI grant-funded project to develop immersive and interactive XR/VR EAP instructional materials, coordinated the ELI’s “Summer in Michigan” program for several years, and served on the ELI’s curriculum committee. Prior to joining the ELI full-time, Katie helped develop and market ELT publications at the U-M Press, developed standardized English language tests at Michigan Language Assessment, and taught ESL and literacy skills as a Literacy AmeriCorps member in Palm Beach County, FL. She received her MA TESOL degree at Eastern Michigan University in 2012. She is active in local and international TESOL organizations and currently serves on the MITESOL Board as Submissions Editor of the MITESOL Journal.

Eliona Balilaj serves as a dedicated Multilingual Learners (MLL) Teacher with Global Educational Excellence. With over 12 years of experience teaching English as a Foreign and Second Language, Eliona brings expertise in curriculum design, assessment strategies, writing instruction, and project coordination. Eliona’s career spans both K-12 and higher education in the United States and Europe, where she has taught ESL, EFL, and Composition. Before transitioning into education, she gained valuable experience in project management and as a translator and conference interpreter. Her work includes translating 14 books, reflecting her deep appreciation for communication, human rights, and literature. Outside of her professional commitments, Eliona enjoys traveling to sunny destinations and exploring diverse cultures.

Kristy Crosby is the Multilingual Learner Coordinator at Kearsley Community Schools.  Previously she served MLs at Genesee Intermediate School District.  She enjoys spending time with her family, watching her kids’ sports, visiting Disney World, Cedar Point, and the Outer Banks.

Tugra Yatir is interested in the use of technology and games in education, with particular attention to digital tool integration, game-based learning, and research on how technology can enhance language learning and student engagement.

His work includes English language instruction, academic support, curriculum development, and communicative language teaching across diverse educational settings in Türkiye and the United States.

He is especially interested in the intersection of language education, educational technology, and innovative teaching practices that support inclusive and effective learning environments.

Angela Super is a TESOL Specialist with over 25 years of experience teaching multilingual learners across diverse educational settings. She spent 18 years teaching English learners before expanding her focus to teacher training and mentoring. She is currently the TESOL Program Coordinator and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Oakland University, where she teaches courses in linguistics and applied language studies, oversees the TESOL Practicum (a teacher training and internship program), and partners with La Casa Amiga in Pontiac, Michigan, and local school districts to supervise and mentor teacher candidates pursuing TESOL certification or endorsement.

She has extensive experience in higher education, including many years at Oakland University’s ESL Institute, as well as in community-based and adult education programs.

Angela earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and two M.A. degrees in TESOL and Linguistics from Michigan State University, where she also taught in the English Language Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Education (Educational Leadership) from Oakland University.

Her research interests include language pedagogy, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices, and advancing equity for multilingual learners and their caregivers.

Virginia David

Virginia is originally from Brazil and moved to the United States in 2008 to pursue a master's in TESOL at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. After that, she did my PhD in Second Language Studies at Michigan State University. She has taught English as a foreign or second language for different ages and proficiency levels for almost 15 years. Currently, she is a faculty specialist and coordinator of the TESOL programs at Western Michigan University. In 2017, she and her colleagues were awarded a National Professional Development grant by the U.S. Department of Education, so the majority of their students are in-service teachers seeking their ESL endorsement. Virginia also volunteer teaches ESL at the ESL of Southwest Michigan program, which is run by the Kalamazoo Literacy Council. She would love to become part of the MITESOL organization because this will be a wonderful opportunity to meet more people in our field in the state of Michigan and become more involved with ESL teaching statewide. She has always attended and presented at MITESOL and she admires the hard work the MITESOL board puts into the conferences and organization.

Maria Lograsso is an experienced educator and instructional specialist with a strong background in English Learner program coordination, professional development, and instructional coaching. As the Troy School District's English Language Development Specialist, she has led initiatives in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and Professional Learning Communities (PLC) - centering the English Learner in each. Maria has also played a key role in curriculum adoption, program reviews, and supporting multilingual education. Additionally, she contributed to international education by developing instructional materials for Colombian educators during a Fulbright International Field Experience and for American educators wanting a focus on South Asian topics such as the University of Michigan K-12 Teacher Fellow. 

Colleen Brice

Colleen Brice is associate professor in the Department of English at Grand Valley State University, where she teaches courses in Applied Linguistics, TESOL, and ESL writing for undergraduate and graduate students. Her research interests include issues in second language writing, teacher education, and LESLLA (low-educated second language and literacy acquisition). Her work has appeared in the Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, International Journal of English Studies, TESOL Journal, and Language.