2025 Hybrid Conference: Activating the Power of Leadership for ML Success

Yvonne Oronoz Williams

Director of Multilingual Learner Engagement

Wisconsin Center for Educational Products and Services (WCEPS)

Yvonne is the Director of Multilingual Learner Educator Engagement at the Wisconsin Center for Educational Products and Services (WCEPS). In her role, she supports educators by fostering collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and meeting the diverse needs of multilingual learners. With over 29 years of experience in education, Yvonne has previously served as a Professional Learning Specialist at WIDA and is a passionate advocate for bilingual and multilingual students, leveraging her own experiences as an English language learner from Chihuahua, Mexico.

She has developed impactful programs, including a coaching initiative at WCEPS, which provides educators nationwide with the tools and strategies needed to better serve language learners. Her work emphasizes high expectations, cultural assets, and equitable education for all students. Yvonne is also a first-generation graduate with a master’s in bilingual education, reflecting her commitment to public education and multilingualism.

• 1:00 - 2:30 PM, Feb 18, 2025 Spring

  Unidos: Partnering With Families of Multilingual Learners to Create an Empowering Learning Community

Kelli Lechnir

Educator

Tolleson Union High School District

As an instructional coach and educator, Kelli Lechnir is dedicated to improving outcomes for Multilingual Learners (MLs). Ms. Lechnir has nearly twenty years experience collaborating with school leaders to ensure the growth of MLs. One of Ms. Lechnir’s main areas of focus is increasing teacher efficacy via targeted professional development. She has served on state level ML Leadership PLCs, holds a Master of Art in Teaching, and a Master of Science in Educational Administration. Ms. Lechnir regularly provides data-driven professional development opportunities for teaching staff that align with improving outcomes for Multilingual Learners.

• 10:00 - 11:00 AM, Feb 18, 2025 Virtual - Zoom

  Increase Multilingual Learner (ML) Achievement through Targeted Teacher Development

Dr. Kendra Katnik

Instructional Specialist

Southeast Service Cooperative

Dr. Kendra Katnik serves as an Instructional Specialist with Project Momentum, an NPD project at the Southeast Service Cooperative in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Katnik is an experienced educator with a passion for culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining pedagogy. She has held various positions throughout her career that have allowed her to work directly with diverse students as well as develop resources and professional learning for educators including the roles of elementary and middle school teacher, English Language Development teacher, consultant, and program coordinator, and Adjunct Professor of education. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Michigan, as well as professional licenses in teaching and central office administration. In all her work, Dr. Katnik strives to advocate for equitable educational opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

• 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM, Feb 18, 2025 Virtual - Zoom

  Expanding Access to High-Quality PD for Teachers of Multilingual Learners

Dr. Patricia Garcia is an Assistant Professor of Education at Lasell University, where she teaches courses in bilingual education, second language acquisition, school improvement, and teacher leadership. A former K-12 educator with over 30 years in public schools as a bilingual and TESOL teacher, director of Bilingual and ESL Education, principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of schools. While serving as superintendent of schools in Connecticut, Dr. Garcia had the highest percentage of English language learners in her school district. This prompted her to develop and lead the district’s dual and transitional bilingual programs. While stationed in North Carolina, Dr. Garcia was an assistant professor of Foreign Languages at Barton College. In this position, she led the initial certification program for Teachers of English as a Second Language, which was approved by the state of North Carolina.

Dr. Garcia is a member of the National Association of Bilingual Education, the Multistate Association of Bilingual Education, and the Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages. She frequently presents at conferences on the topic of bilingual teacher leadership. Her research interest is directly influenced and inspired by her experience as a second language learner and teacher. As such, her areas of interest include bilingual/TESOL teacher leadership, bilingualism, and the preparation of pre-service bilingual/TESOL teachers. Dr. Garcia has a Ph.D. from Florida State University, an Ed.D. from the University of Sarasota, and a master’s degree from the University of South Florida.

• 10:00 - 11:00 AM, Feb 18, 2025 Virtual - Zoom

  TESOL Teacher Leadership: A Pathway to System Change for the Success of MLL

Aryn Johnson

Educational Consultant

Hamilton County Educational Service Center

Aryn Johnson is a teacher, coach and coordinator. A Fulbright scholar who is herself a multilingual learner- English, Spanish, French, ligo (a little) Greek-Aryn has spent 25+ years in ESOL and Bilingual Education in Texas, California, Kentucky, Ohio, and abroad. She is passionate about bringing about systemic change for ELs and MLs in Ohio, as an Ohio TESOL Board member, and beyond. Aryn loves helping teachers support students and feel equipped to guide their educational journeys.

• 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM, Feb 18, 2025 Virtual - Zoom

  From the field- how to help General Education teachers support ELs and MLs to be successful in language and content acquisition

Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld

Professor

Molloy University

Andrea Honigsfeld, EdD, is professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy University, Rockville Centre, New York, where she teaches graduate courses related to cultural and linguistic diversity. Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher in Hungary (secondary and adult) and an English-as-a-second-language teacher in New York City (elementary and adult). She also taught Hungarian at New York University. She was the recipient of a doctoral fellowship at St. John’s University, New York, where she conducted research on individualized instruction. She has published extensively on working with multilingual learners and collaborative instructional practices. She received a Fulbright Award to lecture in Iceland in the fall of 2002. Over the past 20 years, she has been presenting at conferences across the United States, Great Britain, China, Denmark, Japan, Thailand, Sweden, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. She frequently offers professional learning opportunities, primarily focusing on effective differentiated strategies and collaborative practices for ELD and bilingual/dual language specialists and general-education teachers. She coauthored over 60 articles and chapters and coauthored or coedited over 30 books, 11 of which are national bestsellers. See https://andreahonigsfeld.com for more information on Andrea's work.

• 10:00 - 10:45 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency VI & VII

  Keynote Presentation

Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard

Director of English Language Development

Springfield Public Schools

Dr. Merica Clinkenbeard is currently the Director of English Language Development for Springfield Public Schools, in Springfield, Missouri. She is knowledgeable in compliance, instructional strategies, and professional learning, and contributes valuable connections within the field.

Merica has over 20 years of experience in the educational field at the local and state level. She is a certified K-12 Spanish and ESL teacher with a research focus on professional learning to promote language proficiency within the content. Prior to her current role, Merica worked at Missouri State University as an English Learner Instructional Specialist for the state. She has a B.A. in International Studies, a M.A. in Education, and a doctorate in instructional leadership from Lindenwood University.

She is the Vice President of the National Association of English Learner Program Administrators (NAELPA) and also serves as co-chair for the NAELPA Professional Learning committee.

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency VI & VII

  Leading Change for Multilingual Learners: Activating Teacher Leaders and Administrators to Create System-Wide Impact

Dr. Diep Nguyen

President and CEO

Center for Applied Linguistics

Diep Nguyen, Ph.D., serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Applied Linguistics. Dr. Nguyen earned her Ph.D. in Educational Studies and her M.A. in French Literature from Ohio State University. She received her B.S. in Secondary Education from West Virginia University.

Dr. Nguyen has over three decades of experience in teaching, research, and leadership in PreK-12 schools and institutions of higher learning (IHEs) and a proven record of organizational management and thought leadership in bilingual/multilingual education.

Before joining CAL, Dr. Nguyen served as the Director of Educational Learning Research and Practice and subsequently as Senior Director of Research and Outreach for the WIDA Consortium at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she led a team of researchers and Professional Learning specialists to provide the WIDA ELD standards and professional resources to educators serving multilingual learners across the consortium.

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice

Mary DiSimone

Mountaintop Education Consulting LLC

With over 20 years of experience as an EL teacher, coach, and administrator, Mary DeSimone specializes in providing professional development worldwide, equipping educators with the skills to effectively support English learners.

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency V

  Supporting Leadership: Building Capacity for Effective ML Instruction

Dr. Joan Lachance

Associate Professor/Educational Consultant

UNC Charlotte

Dr. Joan Lachance is an Associate Professor of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She directs the TESL graduate programs and undergraduate TESL Minor. She is the co-author of the National Dual Language Education Teacher Preparation Standards and the Director of the CAEP Specialized Program Association in Dual Language Education called “EMMA: Education for a Multilingual Multicultural America.” She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education, Modern Languages and Linguistics from Florida International University. With Spanish as the language of program delivery, she completed graduate coursework to earn her master’s degree in School Counseling from Pontifical Catholic University in Poncé, Puerto Rico. Dr. Lachance completed her doctoral work in Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis on Urban Education, Literacy, and TESL at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Dr. Lachance’s research agenda and professional learning via her consultancies encompasses dual language teacher preparation, academic literacy development, and authentic assessment with multilingual learners. Her work has resulted in numerous publications including articles, book chapters, technical reports, and state-level curriculum guides since joining UNC Charlotte. She serves on several journal editorial boards and is a board member of the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education, Northeast (MABE). With the publication of a forthcoming Corwin book, she is specializing one aspect of of her professional consultancies with collaboration and co-teaching for multilingual learners in the dual language context. She is also working to support dual language education for the preservation of Native American languages, currently and most-honorably collaborating with a K-8 school serving the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians [EBCI].

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Project SEMBRAR: Transforming DLBE Teacher Preparation

Michael Rodríguez is the newly-appointed Executive Director of Dual Language Education of NM (DLeNM). For the past six years he has served as the organization's director of operations, heading up and expanding the Leadership Development trainings while supporting schools, districts and state agencies across the country to create quality, sustainable dual language programs. Throughout his career as an administrator, he has helped to establish and operate three different dual language programs in New Mexico.

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Project SEMBRAR: Transforming DLBE Teacher Preparation

David Rogers

Former Executive Director

DLeNM

David Rogers supports the work of Dual Language Education of New Mexico-DLeNM whose mission is to promote the effective design and implementation of dual language education (www.dlenm.org) in New Mexico, and beyond. He is part of the EMMA Advisory Leadership and Project SEMBRAR's Grant Administrator.

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Project SEMBRAR: Transforming DLBE Teacher Preparation

Tyler Ramey

Owner and Lead Consultant

Enaltecer Education Consulting LLC

Tyler M. Ramey, an accomplished educator with over 20 years of experience, has made significant contributions as a teacher, coach, administrator, college professor, and consultant. Her specialty lies in Multilingual Learner instruction, with a distinctive focus on supporting newcomers. As a dedicated advocate for equitable instruction, Tyler is passionate about empowering fellow educators. Her engaging sessions draw from a wealth of experience, emphasizing the importance of creating inclusive learning environments. With a strong commitment to Multilingual Learners, Tyler brings both insights and inspiration to the conference, fostering a community of excellence in ML education.

• 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency V

  Supporting Leadership: Building Capacity for Effective ML Instruction

Elise White Diaz

Educational Consultant

Seidlitz Education

As a consultant with Seidlitz Education, Elise travels across the country to assist state education agencies and districts in fostering language development and cross-cultural connections. Before joining Seidlitz Education, she served in various collaborative roles in a high-performing district in North Texas (language acquisition specialist, instructional coach, professional development presenter). Elise specializes in empowering educators to serve newcomer students from hard places, and looks forward to her forthcoming book, Discover, Connect, Respond: A Practical Approach for Trauma-Informed Education.

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency VI & VII

  Overcoming Collaboration Challenges to Effectively Support ML Success

Stephanie Vogel

State Title III and EL Program Director

VT Agency of Education

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Regency V

  Building Multilingual EL Programs in Rural Areas: A multi-level collaboration between the University of Vermont, the Vermont Agency of Education, and Essex-Westford School District

Dr. Julie Sugarman

Associate Director for K-12 Education Research

Migration Policy Institute

Julie Sugarman is Associate Director for K-12 Education Research at MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, where she focuses on multilingual learner education and helps stakeholders understand complex research and policy issues, improve program design, and evaluate program effectiveness.

At MPI, Dr. Sugarman has published analyses on topics such as federal policy supporting immigrant-background and English Learner (EL) students, school funding, federal and state data systems, and assessment and accountability. Additionally, she has published numerous research reports on how state and federal policies impact the educational options of newcomers who arrive in U.S. schools in high school. She has been an active contributor to policy efforts in the field, including as a member of the Public Policy Professional Council of TESOL International Association and as an advisor to the executive board of the National Association of English Language Program Administrators. She has also provided expertise to the Office of English Language Acquisition at the U.S. Department of Education; the Council of Chief State School Officers; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and numerous state and local education agencies and community-based organizations.

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice

Dr. Ester De Jong

Professor, CLDE Program

University of Colorado-Denver

Ester de Jong is Professor in the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education program at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to UC Denver, she was the Director of the School of Teaching and Learning and Professor in ESOL/Bilingual Education at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She has been in the field of ESL/bilingual education for over thirty years, as a practitioner and a researcher. Her research focuses on preparing teachers to work with bilingual learners in K-12 schools, and integrated approaches to the schooling of bilingual learners, including two-way bilingual education. Dr. de Jong was President of TESOL International Association (2017-2018) and currently serves as editor of the Bilingual Research Journal. Her recent co-edited books include the Handbook of Dual Language Bilingual Education (Routledge, with Juan Freire & Cristina Alfaro) and English Language Learners in the Southeastern United States (Lexington Books, with Eric Dwyer & Mary Elizabeth Wilson-Patton).

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman

Strategic Advisor

Californians Together

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman is currently the Strategic Advisor of Californians Together focused on policy and practice. She previously served for 13 years as the Executive Director of Californians Together, a coalition of 34 statewide teacher, administrators, school board members, teacher educators, parents and civil rights organizations focused on improving schooling for multilingual learners. Shelly was the Senior Project Director for the Multilingual Academic Support unit for the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE). She also worked as an English Language Development Consultant, Coordinator for the Bilingual Teacher Training Program and Title VII Developmental Two-Way Immersion Director for LACOE. She served as a member of the English Learner Advisory Committee to the California State Board of Education. She also served as a member of the Public School Accountability Act Advisory Committee, English Language Development Standards Project and the California Curriculum and Supplemental Materials Commission. She was a teacher in one of the first Title VII funded bilingual programs. She created and served as the principal for children of United Farmworker Union children in Delano, California and a district bilingual/ELD specialist. Shelly received her Masters in Education with an emphasis in Bilingual Education from Whittier College, credential from UCLA and undergraduate work at California State University at Northridge.

• 2:40 - 3:30 PM, Feb 19, 2025 Learning Center

  Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice