Board of Directors

PRESIDENT

VERONICA LAW

Veronica Law currently serves as the Director of World Languages in Richardson ISD. She holds a Principal Certification from the University of North Texas, an M.Ed. in Bilingual Education from Dallas Baptist University, and a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of North Texas. Veronica is the recipient of the Outstanding Principal Certification Award from the University of North Texas and Outstanding Alumnus Award from Dallas Baptist University. Veronica has served as an ESL Teacher, Language Acquisition Specialist, World Languages Instructional Coach, and Bilingual/World Languages Coordinator. She led the TexTESOLV Board of Directors as conference chair of the 2023 state TexTESOL conference and has presented at numerous conferences. Veronica is a passionate advocate for multilingual students, and is dedicated to providing guidance and leadership in second language pedagogy.

PRESIDENT-ELECT

CYNTHIA KILPATRICK

Cynthia Kilpatrick is a long-time ESL teacher and TESOL trainer who has taught ESL in Guatemala, Papua New Guinea, Texas, and California. She is currently a TEXtrainer for Literacy ConneXus and faculty in Linguistics and TESOL at The University of Texas at Arlington, where she also directs the English Language Institute.

PAST-PRESIDENT

SARAH GUEDRY

Sarah Guedry serves secondary teachers and students in Lewisville ISD as an ESL Specialist. Her Bachelor’s degree from Texas Woman’s University and Master’s degree from Dallas Baptist University were both focused on Bilingual Education. Sarah has worked with a wide range of English learners over the past 20 years. During the school year she works primarily with teachers, providing coaching and training in Sheltered Instruction strategies. Every summer she coordinates enrichment opportunities for English Learners through STEM and inquiry projects in Lewisville ISD’s SOAR Academy for English Learners. Addicted to learning, she has attended and presented at many local and state conferences and is excited to continue learning and sharing with TexTESOL V.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVE

DR. DONGMEI CHENG

Dr. Dongmei Cheng earned a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics with distinction from Northern Arizona University and has worked as an English language educator and teacher trainer for the past two decades. She is currently Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where she teaches and mentors graduate students in the TESOL and Applied Linguistics programs. She is an active member and presenter of TexTESOL V and the International TESOL convention, and her scholarly publications have appeared in a book by Routledge and numerous peer-reviewed articles in renowned linguistics journal.

TREASURER

PAULA GIRON-GARZON

Paula Giron serves as a Title I ESL specialist in Arlington ISD. She has been an educator for 24 years. Prior to this, she worked at LaVega ISD as their district literacy coordinator and as bilingual dyslexia interventionist in Dallas ISD. She has also taught ELAR/Language Arts in grades 5th, 7th and 8th in Georgia and Tennessee.  Other positions include teaching ESL K-12th, RETELL specialist at the Department of Education in Massachusetts and being an English Language Fellow for the English Language Fellow Program in the Republic of Georgia. Ms.Giron holds a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Lee University and a Masters in TESOL from New York University. Being a former ESL student, Ms. Giron is passionate about supporting both teachers and students in the areas of ESL and Bilingual Education.

ADVOCACY

YANETH RIVERA

Yaneth Rivera is a bilingual and bicultural leader, first generation immigrant and college graduate who is dedicated to serving her community and advocating for education equity. She is a student in the PhD Educational Leadership program at UNT. Her research interests are Emergent Bilingual Accommodations and Bilingual Education Policy.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION REPRESENTATIVE

PAULA POLK

Paula Polk, M.Ed., has been an elementary educator for fifteen years teaching first and third grade. She currently serves as an ESL Instructional Facilitator in Frisco ISD. In this role, she coordinates professional learning for the ESL department and coaches campus ESL Leaders and Language Coaches as they build teacher teacher capacity to provide Content Based Language Instruction. She received both her bachelor and masters degree from Texas A&M University- Commerce. Her passion for serving culturally and linguistically diverse students has blossomed throughout her career in education leading her to champion high quality instructional practices and literacy for all. When she is not coaching or planning professional learning she can be found with her nose in a book either reading to learn or reading for adventure.

SECONDARY EDUCATION REPRESENTATIVE

ROSIE ROJAS

Rosie Rojas is an ESL teacher at Birdville High School in North Richland Hills, Texas. She brings 13 years of teaching experience, with the last 7 years focused on ESOL and English Language Development. She holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University at North Texas, a Master’s in Linguistics from Texas A&M Commerce and a TESOL graduate certificate. Rosie is a founding member of the Newcomer Academy in Birdville ISD, has served as a curriculum writer for ESOL and Social Studies, and has received accolades such as the Best First Year Teacher Excellence Award. Passionate about supporting SIFE students, Rosie has her students in a class project connecting ESL and TAFE students through an “E-Pen Pal” program, fostering communication, collaboration, and service projects. In the future, she aspires to use her experience and education to support teachers in sheltered instruction and their culturally diverse students and families.

 

HIGHER EDUCATION / ADULT EDUCATION REPRESENTATIVE

LISBETH ZUERCHER
Lis Zuercher is a language professor who has taught in various countries and at several universities in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. She taught her first ESL class in Azerbaijan, and later at UTA and University of Dallas (ESL and French at both). In 2010, she taught in Russia for a year. Then, she taught at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates several years. Returning to the U.S., she taught ESL at Richland College. In 2018, while teaching French for a year at UNT, she began teaching ESL at Collin College, where she remains. Her early experience studying French in Switzerland helps her understand her students’ experience here. She has a BA in French, an MA French, and an MA TESOL. One of her interests is making new activities and approaches to teaching. Another is learning new languages. She looks forward to learning and serving on the TexTESOL Board.
 

SECRETARY

SHENIQUA JOHNSON

Sheniqua has 15 years of elementary education experience. Her teaching career began
in Dallas ISD as a 1st Grade ESL Teacher. She transitioned to Lewisville ISD where she served
as a second and third grade ESL Teacher. She continued her passion of serving students and
teachers as a Language Acquisition Specialist and most recently as an Elementary LA/SS
Facilitator.

Sheniqua is a passionate, servant leader who strives to model advocacy and
stewardship while fostering a culture of engagement, elevation and empowerment to promote
growth and excellence. She is eager to partner with all stakeholders to ensure language
learners experience equitable learning opportunities that will equip them with the necessary
tools to achieve academic success.

MEMBERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

SUE HURT

Sue Hurt is currently a National Educational Consultant for Savvas Learning Company. After many years teaching Spanish, ESL, and English in grades 1-12, she served as an ESL Specialist at Region 4 in Houston developing instructional materials for teachers of secondary ELs, and then was invited to join Pearson’s National SIOP Faculty for 10 years. As a Pearson SIOP Consultant, she provided sheltered instruction training for teachers, schools, and districts across the United States, from New York to Saipan. She acquired her B.A. in English in Hawaii, studied Educational Administration for an M.A. from Lamar University, and then obtained an M.A. from Texas A&M–Commerce in Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Sue is passionate about supporting and mentoring teachers of ELs, especially in secondary grades.

 

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

NALI KIM

Nali Kim is a teaching innovation research associate at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence (CRTLE). In her position, she has developed the Center’s College Teaching Training Certificate program and oversees workshops focused on developing research-based, foundational teaching skills for graduate students, designing learner-centered, accessible courses for all. Nali also teaches at the English Language Institute at the University of Texas at Arlington and has an Ed.D. in Higher Education from Southern Methodist University.

 

TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR

DANIELLE OAKLEY

Danielle Oakley is a Secondary ESL Coordinator for Lewisville ISD. She was a middle school teacher for 9 years, and 7 of those years were dedicated to teaching beginning and intermediate English Learners and managing ESL program compliance for her campus. She earned her Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Texas Woman’s University and moved into the ESL Coordinator role where she guides the development of linguistically accommodated curriculum for ESL English Language Arts courses in middle school and high school, provides professional learning opportunities around instructional strategies, and supports teachers who are preparing to take the ESL certification exam. Danielle also leads a team of campus ESL specialists who manage program compliance and provide daily support to teachers, students, and their families.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

VANESSA CONATSER

Vanessa began her career as a secondary English language arts teacher while coaching various sports. However, earning an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction led to her educational passion for serving students and teachers in leadership and literacy. Pursuing a second M.Ed. in Digital Learning and Leading extended her passion for digital innovations in education. She is currently obtaining an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, with an emphasis on educational technology innovations. Vanessa is presently the Coordinator for Dyslexia Services for Plano ISD where she brings the worlds of language acquisition and dyslexia together. She is also a certified reading specialist and master reading teacher in Texas. Her vast experience includes developmental education for Collin County Community College, first to sixth Dyslexia Therapy, high school newcomers, middle and high school ELAR, and a secondary literacy coach. Vanessa has presented at the Texas TESOL Regional Conference, TABE Regional Conference, CESD, TEDA, and Region 10 Coordinator’s Roundtable, Digital Coaching Conference, Summer Dyslexia Institute, and Multilingual Symposium.

 

PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR

RITA DEYOE-CHIULLAN

Dr. Deyoe-Chiullán has taught bilingual students of all ages in the U.S. and Colombia since 1968.  
She teaches graduate online courses for the American College of Education where she has written online masters and doctoral courses in linguistics, and she is Chair or Committee for ten doctoral dissertation writers. She was recently honored as Faculty Celebrity for 2019 at ACE. Her most recent publication was Deyoe-Chiullán, R. & Franke, J. with Kane, K., Catanzaro, R., & Filzer, P. (2020). “The Genius Course–A Dialog with Commentaries.” TexELT: Texas English Language Teaching, 9(1), 46-70. Volume 9 of Texas English Language Teaching (TexELT), which she edits under the sponsorship of the TexTESOL V Board, where she serves as Publications Coordinator,
published in September, 2020.

PUBLICATIONS COPY COORDINATOR

LANA SLOAN

Lana Sloan, Ed.D., is the assistant provost of Curriculum Production Services at American College of Education (ACE). In her current role, she works directly with faculty leadership to develop ACE’s course offerings and oversees the creation of the courses in the learning management system. She has worked in curriculum development and course production at ACE since the college’s founding in 2005. A career educator and award-winning journalist, Sloan received both Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University-Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of North Texas-Denton. She also holds an endorsement in talented and gifted education, principal and teacher licensure, and ESL certification in Texas.

If you are interested in being part of the board, please fill out the form below-

Interest Form Board of Directors