Faculty & Staff
The faculty and staff of the Center for Language Education and Development (CLED) are selected for their specific skills in cross-cultural communication, interest in international students, and sensitivity to the needs of students and scholars as they live and study in a new cultural environment.
CLED faculty hold graduate degrees in TESL or related fields and have many years of teaching experience in the United States and abroad. They are committed to providing outstanding classroom instruction using a variety of teaching methods and technologies to assure that students can achieve their learning goals.
Administration
Deanna Wormuth
Director, Center for Language Education and Development
Director, English as a Foreign Language Program
M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction, Texas A&M University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2002
Ms. Wormuth has held administrative and instructional positions in the field of ESL for thirty years. Before coming to Georgetown, she served as EFL program director at Towson University and at Texas A&M University. In 1989, she supervised the development of the Texas A&M University Branch campus in Koriyama, Japan. Ms. Wormuth has taught all ESL subject areas and levels; however the majority of her teaching has focused on the skills of writing, reading, and speaking for graduate and undergraduate students, visiting scholars, and researchers. She has also conducted teacher training workshops in Chile, Japan, and Taiwan.
Ms. Wormuth is a former member of the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) and she is a frequent presenter at TESOL and NAFSA conferences as well as the co-author of three texts on the teaching of writing. She enjoys working with students from diverse backgrounds and cultures who, as members of the EFL community, contribute to our global cross-cultural understanding.
Christa Hansen
Director, Special Programs and Program Development
M.A. in Applied Linguistics, University of Kansas
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2005
Ms. Hansen has worked on standardized test development and curriculum and program design in the field of ESL for almost twenty years. Prior to joining the GU faculty, she developed and directed programs and assessments at the University of Oregon and the University of Kansas. She enjoys working with institutional partners from diverse backgrounds and cultures to identify and address their evaluation, training and curricular needs. She has developed over 30 customized programs ranging from distance delivery teacher training to university preparatory programs to professional training. Ms. Hansen presents frequently at TESOL, NAFSA and international testing conferences. She has conducted teacher training and assessment training workshops in the U.S. and Taiwan. Her publications include articles on listening comprehension and testing issues in the Cambridge Applied Linguistics Series, Language Testing, and NAFSA publications. She is a former Chair of the Recruitment, Admissions, and Preparation Knowledge Community of NAFSA and she is a site reviewer for the Commission for English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).
Full-Time Faculty
Donette Artenie
Senior Instructor
Lab Coordinator
M.A. in Linguistics, Ohio University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2000
Donette Artenie’s professional interests include computer-assisted language learning (CALL), content-based learning, and English for academic purposes. In addition to teaching EFL courses, Ms. Artenie is the Coordinator of EFL Labs. Prior to joining the Georgetown faculty, she taught in the intensive English programs at Ohio State University and Ohio University. She has also taught English and trained teachers in Romania, where she was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, and she has done teacher training in Togo, West Africa.
Sigrun Biesenbach-Lucas
Instructor
PhD in Applied Linguistics, Georgetown University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2006
Dr. Biesenbach-Lucas has extensive teaching experience and has has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) as well as Linguistics at Georgetown University and at George Washington University. Before joining the CLED-EFL faculty at Georgetown in 2006, she taught in the TESOL Teacher Training Program at American University. In 2006, she was recognized as a World Teacher Honoree for outstanding teaching by TESOL. Dr. Biesenbach-Lucas has conducted extensive research, focusing on how technology, specifically email, affects language use and pragmatic differences between native and non-native speakers of English in student-professor interaction. She is a member in several professional/academic organizations, among them TESOL and AAAL, and she is the Local Chair of the 2008 AAAL Convention, to be held in Washington, D.C. Dr. Biesenbach-Lucas has presented at numerous international, national, and local conferences and has published in Language Learning & Technology, Computer Assisted Language Learning, and the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, among others. She is the Reviews Editor and a Member of the Editorial Board at Language Learning & Technology, a peer-reviewed academic journal, as well as a site reviewer for the Commission for English Language Program Accreditation (CEA).
Catharine Hannay
Instructor
M.A. TESL, American University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2001
Before coming to Georgetown, Catharine Hannay taught in the intensive English programs at American University and George Washington University. From September 2002 until February 2004, Ms. Hannay served as Academic Coordinator of the Georgetown University – Osaka International University Intensive English Program in Osaka, Japan. She frequently teaches in the advanced level of the EFL program focusing on writing development.
Mandy Kama
Senior Instructor
Academic Coordinator
M.A. Speech Pathology, Louisiana State University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1988
Mandy Kama holds an M.A. in Speech Pathology from Louisiana State University and taught in the EFL program at L.S.U. for 18 years before moving to Washington, D.C. After teaching two years at The University of Maryland, she came to Georgetown University where she has been for 21 years. Ms. Kama has taught at all levels of the EFL program and has designed pronunciation workshops for enrolled students. She is the Academic Coordinator for the Intensive EFL Program as well as the program's two summer programs.
Bennett Lindauer
Instructor
Master of Arts in Teaching, Georgetown University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1981
In his many years at Georgetown University, Bennett Lindauer has taught on campus and in several off-campus Georgetown programs in China, the Philippines, and South Korea. He has also worked on standardized EFL test development and curriculum and program design. Mr. Lindauer has engaged in professional consultancies in many countries around the world including Colombia and Turkey. In the summer of 2005, he taught in Georgetown/s intensive EFL Teacher Training Certificate Program. A dedicated teacher who derives much satisfaction from classroom teaching, he has taught at many levels of the EFL program.
M.A. Bi-lingual - Bicultural Studues, University of Texas, San Antonio
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2006
Before joining the faculty at Georgetown, William Little taught several years overseas at Tokyo Foreign Language College and Bilkent University in Turkey, as well as teaching in the United States at the University of Houston, Downtown and the University of Maryland. He also has spent time writing grants and consulting universities with international programs in China. At GU, he teaches in all skills in all of the levels, with a particular focus on reading, pronunciation and communication courses. William is also active in special projects and developing programs for international clients on campus and overseas. When he is not working on some English project, William enjoys tennis, swimming and all kinds of outdoor activities, traveling, reading and discovering new ethnic restaurants.
Instructor
Monica Maxwell-Paegle
Assistant Professor
PhD in Linguistics, Georgetown University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1981
Dr. Monica A. Maxwell-Paegle is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Language Education and Development and a member of the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics of Georgetown College. Her teaching career began as a Peace Corps volunteer in the West African country of Liberia.
Professor Maxwell-Paegle teaches courses to matriculating undergraduate and graduate international students. In her work, Dr. Maxwell-Paegle has focused on applying the principles of linguistics to language teaching and learning and is an advocate for foreign language programs in American schools. She has observed and analyzed successful foreign language programs in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany; she has presented numerous workshops for foreign language teachers both here in the US and abroad in France, Germany, Switzerland, Panama, and Taiwan.
Nancy Overman
Senior Instructor
M.Ed. in TESL, Boston University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1986
Nancy Overman received her B.A. from Earlham College and her M.Ed. from Boston University. She also holds SEITAR’s Certificate in Intercultural Training. Her areas of special interests include business English and argument-based writing for GU’s foreign freshmen. She often uses online material for reading, discussion, grammar, and business topics. She has made numerous presentations at TESOL and at other local and international conferences, focusing on ways to create EFL lessons and materials that provide real-world readings and tasks for students at all levels. In addition to teaching at GU using web-based materials, she has taught Business English courses online and via satellite. She has also taught in France, in Japan, in Boston at Boston University and Harvard University, and has conducted teaching training in Hunan, China.
Candith Pallandre
Senior Instructor
M.A. in French, Middlebury College
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1996
Since Candith Pallandre came to Georgetown University, she has taught in several levels of the program and served as both the faculty language lab coordinator and the curriculum coordinator. One of her main interests has been integrating technology in the classroom. Ms. Pallandre lived in France for several years and worked in interpretation and translation.
Instructor
Carol Romett
Senior Instructor
M.A. in Linguistics, University of Pittsburgh
Graduate Certificates in TESOL and ESP/EST
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1987
Carol Romett has more than twenty years of experience in international education, including teaching in university intensive English programs, in adult basic education for refugees, and in teacher and professional preparation programs in the U.S., Mexico, Japan, Korea, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, and Lebanon. Her particular interests include curriculum development, teacher education, and teaching English for academic and professional preparation in business, sciences and technology. Born in Washington, D.C., she delights in showing visitors the many attractions in, around, and above this capital city.
Instructor
M.A. in TESL, Brigham Young University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2007
Lily Sorenson joined the EFL program in 2007. Prior to coming to Georgetown, she taught English as a second language at a number of universities including Harvard, Northeastern, Boston, and Brigham Young. At Harvard University, in addition to teaching, she also worked on the committee that wrote and compiled the readers used in the classroom. At Northeastern University, she was the Assistant Director of International Academic Programs where she helped in the development of a new program. She loves to travel and has taught English to young children in China. She has experience in teaching all different levels and subjects as well as business English. She is interested in curriculum and program development, and the use of technology in the classroom.
TEFL Instructor
Ph.D. in Education, Language and Culture, George Mason University
Joined the Georgetown faculty in 2008
Dr. Steeley teaches in the TEFL certificate program and holds a doctorate in Education, Language, and Culture from George Mason University. She has extensive experience with EFL/ESL students and teachers at the secondary, post-secondary, and adult education levels, and has also lived and worked internationally. Having taught ESL/EFL and provided teacher education for international and domestic teachers in a variety of settings and programs, she has a special interest in teacher identity and classroom culture and conducted and presented research in those areas. She also holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s University.
Heather Weger
Instructor
Ph.D in Applied Linguistics, Georgetown University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2007
Dr. Weger's teaching interests are conversational strategies for succeeding professionally and academically, grammar in context, and writing for academic purposes. Her research interests include individual differences and SLA, identity construction in the adult learner, and teacher training. She has published several articles and presented her research at numerous national conferences. Her service experience includes coordinating the Georgetown University Roundtable on Languages and Linguistics (GURT 2005) with Dr. Heidi Byrnes and assisting Georgetown’s Office of international Programs on the Title VI National Study on Assessment of Student Learning Abroad. She holds an MAT in TESOL and Bilingual Education from Georgetown and a MA in Education from the University of Oklahoma.
Adjunct Faculty
Martin Barclay
Adjunct Instructor
M.Sc in African Studies, Edinburgh University
Cambridge RSA Delta Diploma
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2006
Before coming to Georgetown, Martin Barclay had been teaching ESL overseas. During the last twelve years, he has worked in developing countries such as Hungary in central Europe, Eritrea in the Horn of Africa and Haiti in the Caribbean. During that time, he has worked for international educational organizations such as the British Council and International House, national educational ministries, and non-profit educational programs such as VSO and the Soros foundation. Aside from classroom instruction in high schools and universities, he has led teacher training workshops, helped run regional conferences and set up educational projects for resource poor regions. Currently, he is also working as the examiner trainer for the IELTS English proficiency test on the US East Coast. Martin also works for the North American team with the University of Cambridge as an item writer for the listening and reading sections of the IELTS. In the last two years, he has been working as reading/writing and news analysis instructor with the EHLS program.
Charles Carson
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. in Secondary and Adult Education/TESL, University of New Mexico
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2010
A new member of the EHLS teaching staff, Chuck brings over 35 years of experience working with academic and corporate language training programs around the world, including assignments in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, and most recently Equatorial Guinea.
Adjunct Instructor
M. Ed. (ESL), Marymount University
M. Sc. Information Systems Development, George Washington University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2010
As a 2010 addition to the Georgetown EHLS team, Tracy, in her role as Professional Oral Communication and Career Skills instructor, brings a strong IT background and professional experience to both her traditional and hybrid language classes. She worked over 15 years as an IT professional in government and as a contractor, so understands the workplace culture that scholars will eventually be part of. In terms of language development, Tracy places a heavy emphasis on hands-on experience in the classroom and encourages students to self-assess and to articulate their comfort levels in simulated workplace cultures. She enjoys traveling and socializing, being outdoors, and experimenting with technology to bring a creative edge to the learning environment of the classroom.
Adjunct Instructor
Adjunct Instructor
Myra Shulman
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. in English, American University
Certificate in TESL, American University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 1998
Myra Shulman has more than thirty years of experience in international education. She has been awarded two Fulbright Fellowships, one to Brazil in 2000 and one to Jordan-Israel in 2001. Since 1991, Ms. Shulman has written and published many textbooks for international students, including Selected Readings in Business, Journeys through Literature, Cultures in Contrast, Thinking Critically, In Focus: Strategies for Academic Writers, and In Focus; Strategies for Business Writers.
Ms. Shulman has been the academic coordinator and an instructor in the EHLS program since 2007. She specializes in courses at the advanced level in reading, writing, research, and cross-cultural communication. She has done extensive training for government agencies and private corporations in communication skills, such as Professional Writing, Effective Listening and Memory Development, and Time Management.
William Stout
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. Linguistics, Surrey University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2006
Bill Stout has taught at Georgetown University since the summer of 2006. He currently teaches "Finding Work in the International Marketplace", grammar, and intermediate electives. He has taught at various levels to adults, including community based programs, with emphases in both academic and workplace English. He planned, wrote and directed a TEFL certificate program to train new teachers of English, edited and contributed to various publications, and supervised curricular development, particularly in the area of testing. He is also a certified IELTS examiner.
Adjunct Instructor
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. TESOL, University of Washington, Seattle
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2008
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. Education-TESL, Oral Roberts University
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2009
Tasha M. Troy has been teaching English and foreign languages since 1995. She has taught in many different environments, including high school, intensive English programs, and professional development. She lived and worked in South Korea for eight years, and she speaks Korean, Spanish, and French.
Adjunct Instructor
M.A. Foreign Language Education, University of Texas, Austin
Joined the Georgetown Faculty in 2009
After receiving her M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin, Tricia began working as an instructor, curriculum writer, and OPI rater in the Specialized English division of the Defense Language Institute English Language Center in San Antonio, Texas. After a stint of teaching for DLI at the Czech military language academy in Brno, she spent three years at Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic, as an EFL Fellow. As a Fellow she taught in the university's English requalification and undergraduate English teaching programs, and provided in-service training courses for English teachers in the region. She later taught general and business English to faculty and staff at the Czech Management Center outside Prague, where she also served as editor of CMC faculty publications. Tricia is lead career skills instructor, career counselor, and point of contact for federal agencies.
Administrative Staff
Lynn Screen
Director of Admissions
M.A. in International Education, George Washington University
Joined the EFL Program Staff in Fall 2008
Lynn Screen is the Director of Admissions for the EFL program. Lynn is responsible for processing all incoming student applications including immigration documentation. She serves as the department advisor on immigration regulations. Lynn has been working in the field of international education since 2001. She has experience teaching EFL in Italy and here in Washington, DC. Most recently, she served as the director of the Virginia campus of LADO International College.
Camilla Durfee
Program Assistant and Office Manager
B.A. in Art, Skidmore College
Joined the EFL Program Staff in 2001
Camilla Durfee works with students when they inquire about the EFL program and after they have enrolled. Students come to her to make appointments with their instructors, to get additional information about the program, and to learn more about Washington, D.C. She has served as the Director of Volunteer Services for a non-profit organization and has worked in sales management. In addition to her interests in travel and painting, she is a member of a Potomac River competitive rowing team that has won several national and international awards.
Administrative Assistant, Special Programs
M.S. Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
Joined the Special Programs staff in 2010
Jason is the contact person for Special Programs students and our partner institutions. He is available to assist students with questions and concerns about program requirements, the application process, scheduling, and course technology. Before coming to Georgetown, Jason worked as a Student Services Manager at George Mason University, where he also completed his Masters in Conflict Resolution. In addition, Jason served as a Peace Corps Rural Sanitation Volunteer in the eastern lowlands of Bolivia from May 2003 to July 2005. He completed his BA in History at the University of Virginia in 2002.
Maria Mariani
EHLS Program Manager and Director of Recruitment
M.S. in Spanish Linguistics, Georgetown University
Joined the EHLS Program Staff in 2006
Maria Mariani is the Program Manager and the Director of Recruitment for the English for Heritage Language Speakers Program (EHLS) where she is responsible for program management and recruitment. She also serves on the admissions committee. Prior to her work with EHLS, Ms. Mariani was an Adjunct Instructor in the EFL program at Georgetown University. She has taught ESL at University of California at Berkeley and the University of San Francisco. Ms. Mariani began her career as a computational linguist, and she was one of a group of six linguists from Georgetown University who developed the first spell-check system for the IBM corporation..
Special Programs Academic Coordinator
Ph.D. Linguistics, Georgetown University
M.S. Linguistics, Georgetown University
Joined the Special Programs staff in 2010
As Academic Coordinator of Special Programs, Dr. Matula oversees the faculty and curriculum of on-site Georgetown Special Programs. She also participates in the recruitment, selection, and orientation of candidates for the State Department-sponsored English Language Fellow Program and in the pre-TESOL Convention workshops for international educators. Dr Matula brings more than 15 years of experience in the field of second language education as an administrator and an instructor, including program development, curriculum and materials design, and faculty supervision. She has conducted extensive teacher training via video conferencing and in-country in Tajikistan. Her research interests include cognitive linguistic analysis of language and its adaptation into classroom instruction and materials.
Dee Moore
Assistant Director of Administration
Joined the EFL Program Staff in Fall 2010
Dee Moore is the Assistant Director of Administration and is responsible for budget and financial management for the EFL department.
Ai-Hui Tan
Assistant Director, Special Programs
M.A. in Communication, Culture and Technology, Georgetown University
Joined the Special Programs Staff in 2002
Ai-Hui Tan is the Assistant Director of Special Programs, in charge of program management and budget processes. She works with Christa Hansen on the development of partnerships with U.S. and international institutions. Before joining CLED, Ms. Tan was Assistant to Dean Emeritus James E Alatis at Georgetown’s International Language Programs and Research unit. Ms. Tan moved to the United States from Singapore where she had worked in broadcasting and taught writing to media design students.
