Idaho 2025 DLI Summer Institute

Lucia de la Cruz

For over a decade, Lucia de la Cruz worked as an Elementary school teacher, including 4 years as a principal. She has given classroom demonstrations as a model teacher for various state administrators, education departments, and political leaders, such as the Mexican Consul in Utah.

Lucia was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico and received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and her master’s degree in educational technologies from the University of la Rioja (UNIR) in Mexico City. She studied courses on educational psychology and leadership, in her home country and through UNIR.

Lucia has taught in the United States since 2018 in Wisconsin, and as part of the Utah Dual Immersion (DLI) program since 2019. She worked as a mentor for new teachers for the last 3 years and presented in the Utah intensive DLI (AUDII) trainings for the last 2 years.

Lucia’s goal is that students learn a second language as a tool for life. She also strives to empower teachers master new strategies for success in the dual language program.

Lucia will serve as a keynote speaker on our final conference day, August 9th, 2024

Dr. Brandee Mau

Dr. Brandee Mau is the Vice President of Professional Learning at Avant, where she leads the design and implementation of transformative learning experiences for world language and dual language educators. With a deep commitment to equity, biliteracy, and instructional excellence, she blends research-based practice with strategic innovation to support teacher growth across every phase of their professional journey. Previously she was a Dual Language Immersion Director in Utah. Her work is grounded in the belief that effective learning is cyclical, reflective, and rooted in purpose.

Dr. Mau will serve as a keynote speaker on Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Diego Benites

Diego Benites currently serves as the State Coordinator for the Spanish Utah Dual Language Immersion Program, a Teacher Specialist in Jordan School District, and the president-elect of the Utah Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). He is also a board member of the Utah Foreign Language Association (UFLA). In these roles, he supports administrators, coaches, teachers, and families from different schools and districts across Utah to strengthen DLI programs. Originally from Peru, Diego began his journey in the United States in 2016 as an international teacher in a elementary school in Utah, teaching in the Dual Language Immersion program. He is a graduate of the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional de Monterrico (IPNM) in Lima, Peru, and has taught learners of all ages. He also worked with the Peruvian Ministry of Education, training English teachers nationwide.

Diego holds a Master’s in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah and a Master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) from UNIB in Puerto Rico. His work bridges classroom practice and educational policy, driven by a passion for bilingual education and lifelong learning.