About Us

Dr. Laura Baecher is a Professor at the Hunter College School of Education, City University of New York where she also serves as a faculty fellow in the Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching. Her interests relate to teacher/faculty learning, observation and coaching, and professional development. Recent books include Study Abroad in Teacher Education: Transformative Learning for Pre- and In-Service Teachers and Global Perspectives on the Practicum in TESOL. She is the Professional Development Blog author for TESOL (2021-2022), has served as TESOL’s Teacher Education Interest Section Chair, as an English Language Specialist for the US Department of State, and as President of the New York State TESOL affiliate. The winner of multiple awards for teaching and service, she is committed to advancing the professional knowledge base of educators in ways that build community, inspire growth and support reflection.

Araceli Salas has a PhD in Language Science and an M.A. in ELT. Dr. Salas is a professor/researcher in the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), México. She has been a speaker in local and international events and published several academic articles and chapters in the field. Dr. Salas serves as the editor-in-chief of Lenguas en Contexto (BUAP) and an associate editor of the TESOL and MEXTESOL Journals. She is involved in TESOL and is the past-chair of the EFL-IS as well as a member of the Awards Professional Council. Her research interests include teacher-education, ESP, Discourse Analysis and Leadership in ELT.

Eleni Symeonidou comes from sunny Greece and has been working in the ELT industry for the past 15 years in Greece and China.

She has been a teacher, teacher manager, teacher trainer and now she works as an Academic Manager Talent and Development for the British Council Hong Kong.

She is passionate about continuous development and women's rights.

Jennifer Pendergrass is the President of Georgia TESOL (GATESOL). She served 2 years as GATESOL Regional Liaison for Regions 1 & 2. She also served as Secretary in 2018 and 2nd Vice President in 2019 on the Executive Board of GATESOL. Jennifer is an elementary ESOL teacher and Coordinator of ESOL Professional Learning for Floyd County Schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Deaf education at Ball State University, her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at University of Phoenix, her ESOL endorsement at Northwest Georgia RESA, and her doctorate in teacher leadership at Walden University. Jennifer published her doctoral thesis, “Increasing the Vocabulary Acquisition Rate for Third Grade English Learners” in 2017. GATESOL In Action published her manuscript, “Cultivating Respectful Classroom Discourse in Trump’s America” in 2017 as well. She was selected by the Conferences Professional Council of TESOL International to be the Poster Sessions Team Leader for the 2019 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo.

Hind works as an English Instructor at the Leading National Academy LNA, Niagara College in Saudi Arabia.

She is the incoming Chair of the TESOL International Professional Development Professional Council and the Executive Secretary at Africa ELTA.

Hind is also a founding member at the English Language Testing Society (ELTS) and her main areas of interest include testing, curriculum development and student engagement.

Hind was selected as a 2021 TESOL International Leadership Mentoring Program Award recipient and a TESOL International Convention Ambassador.

Larissa L. López Hallman began her university studies in the English Department at the UPR- Humacao inspired by her love of the language and literature. On June 2015, she completed her B.A. in English Education at the Secondary and Elementary level with high honors as well as obtaining a minor in French. Larissa is a certified English Teacher at the Secondary Level by the Puerto Rico Department of Education. After graduating, she immediately began teaching English at The Palmas Academy in Humacao, P.R. where she taught for two years, while also pursuing post-graduate studies in TESOL at UPR - Río Piedras. She now pursues her studies at a Doctorate level. Larissa is currently completing her coursework as a doctoral student of the Curriculum and Instruction – TESL program as well as teaching English and working on other more personal projects. Larissa is a proud, active member of PRTESOL and TESOL International. She has served as the 2018 Vice-President of the PRTESOL Eastern Chapter, the 2019 Vice-President of PRTESOL, and was the 2020 PRTESOL President; where she hopes to continue to provide her service towards the organization and its members.

A Delta holder, Lenora Haranaka holds a BA in Languages (English-Portuguese) and has been an English language teacher since 1998 and currently works at Associação Cultura Inglesa São Paulo as an Assistant Manager and Headteacher.

She is also a partner at @TalkingEFL, where she has had the opportunity to contribute to the ELT community with various initiatives, and she occasionally writes for the Richmodshare Blog.

Her academic interests are Continuous Professional Development, Teacher Training, Design Thinking for Educators, Leadership in Education, and Positive Discipline.

On a more personal note, family, cooking, cats and mindful moments play a huge role in Lenora’s life.

Luciana C. de Oliveira, Ph.D., is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, USA. Her research focuses on issues related to teaching multilingual learners at the K-12 level, including the role of language in learning the content areas and teacher education. She has authored or edited 24 books and has over 200 publications in various outlets. She served as President (2018-2019) of TESOL International Association and was a member of the Board of Directors (2013-2016). She was the first Latina to ever serve as President of TESOL.