Panelists

Dr. Julie Foss

Professor of Modern Foreign Languages

Department of Modern Foreign Languages

Saginaw Valley State University

Dr. Julie Foss is a Professor of Modern Foreign Languages, teaching French and world language teaching methods. Her scholarly interests include second language acquisition and pedagogy, particularly communicative and proficiency-oriented approaches to language teaching. She is Public Affairs Liaison for the Michigan World Language Association and serves on MDE's Seal of Biliteracy Advisory Council.

Dr. Akiko Imamura

Director of the Japanese Language Program 

Department of Asian Languages and Cultures

University of Michigan

Akiko Imamura (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison) taught Japanese as a foreign language at all levels and introductory courses in Japanese linguistics, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics. She also served as the Japanese language program coordinator at Michigan State University from 2020 to 2023 and has been an officer of the Japanese Teachers Association of Michigan (JTAM) since the Summer of 2022.

Dr. Jungmin Kwon

Assistant Professor of Language and Literacy 

Department of Teacher Education

Michigan State University 

Dr. Jungmin Kwon is an assistant professor of language and literacy at Michigan State University. Currently, she is the licensure area leader for PK-12 World Language Teacher Preparation Program. Her research interests focus on immigrant children and families, bilingualism and biliteracy, and transnational migration. 

Dr. Anne Violin-Wigent

Associate Professor of French

Faculty Supervisor for the French and Spanish Basic Language Programs

Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies

Department of Romance and Classical Studies

Michigan State University

Anne Violin-Wigent is an Associate professor of French. Her research focuses on explicit instruction and pronunciation development in a second language as well as on student retention in language programs. She has served as French Language Director for many years, and she is actively involved in teacher professional development, with the Michigan World Language Association (President in 2011) and in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.