Featured Speakers

Educational Consultant - Seidlitz Education

Dr. Marie Heath brings over 30 years of experience in education, having held a variety of influential roles including ESL teacher, department head, compliance facilitator, specialist, curriculum writer, and adjunct professor. Prior to joining Seidlitz Education full-time, she served as the curriculum coordinator for a North Texas school district with over 12,000 multilingual learners. Dr. Heath has deep expertise in working with students from diverse backgrounds, particularly focusing on first-year emergent bilinguals. Her work has been featured in The Middle Level Leader with the article “Successful Middle School Newcomer Programs,” and in ProQuest with her research titled “Texas High School (Im)migrants Negotiation Acculturation: Measuring Bicultural Identity Integration in a New Cultural Context.”

Dr. Heath holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Texas and a Doctorate from Texas A&M Commerce, where her research focused on acculturation among immigrant adolescents and the factors that contribute to successful bilingual and bicultural integration. In 2022, the state of Texas adopted the Multilingual Acculturation Studies course she designed, which provides newcomer high school students with the opportunity to earn graduation credit while receiving social, cultural, and linguistic support.

As the child of an immigrant, Dr. Heath personally experienced the challenges of balancing two cultures and has dedicated her career to helping others navigate the complexities of multicultural identity. She lives in North Texas with her husband, and enjoys spending time with her seven children and six grandchildren.

Educational Consultant - Seidlitz Education

Adrian Mendoza began his journey in education teaching English learners (adults and children) in Monterrey, Mexico, more than 12 years ago, where he discovered his passion for education. When he moved to Texas to teach 5th Grade in a bilingual classroom, he understood the importance of the language and the culture in order to inspire students to become contributing members of our society.

Adrian previously worked as an Instructional Math Coach in San Marcos CISD, and has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Texas State University. His commitment leads him to innovate in the education area, and his present action research project is about the importance of Building Mathematical Growth Mindset Communities.

Adrian has provided Professional Development to educators for more than 5 years in the areas of Bilingual Education, Math, Science, Technology, and Student Engagement, working with teachers and parents in United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Educational Consultant - Seidlitz Education

Elise White Diaz is well-versed in the challenges facing diverse students from difficult backgrounds.

Prior to her work in public education, Elise’s passion for trauma-informed pedagogy began when she moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to serve at a school for child laborers in the garbage dump. There she taught bilingual and ESL education at the secondary level, and learned so much from her students who overcame obstacles and went on to college.

Upon returning to the United States, Elise brought her experiences to a diverse district in North Texas. She wove together principles from culturally-relevant, trauma-informed education and language acquisition in innovative ways, bringing dramatic gains in standardized test (STAAR) scores. Soon after, she began to mentor and coach teachers in how to recreate these routines. Elise has served in various roles in Emergent Bilingual education, including co-teaching, instructional coaching, writing curriculum, and offering professional development to Texas schools.

As a consultant for Seidlitz Education, Elise enjoys supporting teachers in their important work of building language and connection across cultures and obstacles. She holds a Master’s degree from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies and lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children. She is a member of the National Association for Bilingual Education and Women-for-Orphans-Worldwide, and returns to Central America wherever she can.