"In our quest for quality English language teaching worldwide, research must come first."

James Alatis, TIRF Trustee

The International Research
Foundation
for English Language Education

About TIRF > Trustees > James Alatis

James Alatis

Dr. Alatis is Dean Emeritus of the School of Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University. He is also Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Modern Greek and Senior Advisor to the Dean of Georgetown College for International Language Programs and Research. Dean Alatis served as the first Executive Director of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from1966-1987. Prior to his appointment as Dean of the SLL, Dr. Alatis was employed by the U.S. Department of State as English Teaching and Testing Specialist, and the U.S. Office of Education where he worked in language research and materials development in the less commonly-taught languages. Dean Alatis currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS), and the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL).