Participants 2011
Allene Grognet is the Emeritus Vice President of the Center for Applied Linguistics and Director of CAL’s Sunbelt Office. She holds a PhD in linguistics, and has been involved in teaching, teacher training, research, writing, assessment, and admin-istration of TESOL for the past 50 years.
Amy Dickerson is an instructor as well as the International Student Advisor of ELS Language Centers–Ruston at Louisiana Tech University. Before beginning with ELS, Amy taught in the public school system for 15 years. Amy has a 19-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son.
Carolyn Jones has taught in schools in Jefferson Parish Public School System for over 30 years where she currently works as an ESL Instructional Strategist. She is especially interested in learning practical ways to engage language learners in the learning process. Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of New Orleans and a Master in Education degree from Our Lady of Holy Cross College.
Elena Romaach Dieck, a native of Cuba, holds a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in English as a Second Language from the University of Southeastern Louisiana. She is presently employed as an ESL teacher with the St. Tammany Parish School System.
Emily K. Johnson has just completed her first year of teaching ESL to international, adult students. She is working on her second Master’s Degree in Curriculum & Instruction for ESL.
Esther Perez Zemmels teaches ESL at Adams Middle School in Jefferson Parish. Her students have participated in National History Day in Louisiana for three years.
Gary R Howard has over 35 years of experience working with issues of civil rights, social justice, equity, education, and diversity, including 28 years as the Founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education. He is a keynote speaker, writer, and workshop leader who travels extensively throughout the United States and Australia. Mr. Howard completed his undergraduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Social Psychology at Yale University and did graduate work in ethics and social justice at Yale Divinity School. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at both Western Washington University and Seattle University. He holds a masters degree in education.
Joy Kidstry earned her M.Ed.in Curriculum and Instruction, TESOL, from Southeastern Louisiana University and currently teaches ESL K-12 in St. Tammany Parish Schools and graduate ESL classes online through the University of Phoenix.
Karen Seamans is an English as a Second Language teacher in Livingston Parish. She currently teaches 6-12 grades. She is part of the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project and completing research for a Master of Education with a concentration
in ESL.
Kathleen Gasparian (Featured Speaker) Managing Attorney for David Ware and Associates, earned her law degree in 2002 from Loyola University New Orleans where she earned the Joseph V. Bologna Prize for 1998-1999 as well as outstanding achievement awards in the Administration of Criminal Justice I and Property Law. While attending Loyola University's evening program, Ms. Gasparian began her career in immigration by working in the Loyola University Department of
International Student Affairs. Upon completion of her degree, she served in the Attorney General's Honors Program as a Judicial Law Clerk for the Executive Office of Immigration Review. She has authored and co-authored several articles on various aspects of immigration law. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has served as the AILA Mid-South treasurer. She is currently the AILA Mid-South Vice Chair and is liaison to the New Orleans Executive Office of Immigration Review.
Leslie Lightbourne (Featured Speaker) is an Education Program Consultant for the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Student Standards and Assessments. She works with issues regarding statewide assessments and special
education, limited English proficient, or Section 504 students, coordinates test security issues, and is the contact for charter schools regarding statewide assessments. Since the 1970s and in several states, she has worked with individuals with
disabilities in K-12 schools, colleges, and vocational centers. In addition, she has taught at the university level in special educations, statistics and research, and assessment.
Nancy Gomez, Ph.D., a native of Chile and teacher of English as a Second Language, received her Ph.D. in Education from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge in May 2003. She is also received her Certificate of Advanced Study in Library and Information Science as well as her Master in Library and Information Science from LSU. In April of 1991, Dr. Gomez received her Master of Arts in Linguistics with a Minor in English from la Universidad de Chile.
Nathan Huegen is the coordinator for National History Day in Louisiana, which is sponsored by The National WWII
Museum.
Rebecca (Becca) Guler is the Center Director of ELS Language Centers-Ruston, at Louisiana Tech University. Before
beginning with ELS in Sept. 2005, Becca taught ESL in Ankara, Turkey for 3 years and in Bangalore, India for two
semesters. She is part of a bi-lingual family with a 5-year-old son.
