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Professor Anne Burns has published extensively on teacher education, and teaching speaking, and is internationally known for her work on action research. Recent books include “Sustaining Action Research: A Practical Guide for Institutional Engagement” (with Emily Edwards and Neville Ellis, Routledge, 2022) and “The Routledge Handbook of Language Teacher Action Research” (edited with Kenan Dikilitaș, 2025), the first major collection on action research in language education, described as “outstanding” and a “landmark.” In 2017, she was recognized by TESOL International Association as one of the ‘50@50’ influential professionals in the field who have made outstanding contributions to ELT. In 2019, she was listed on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Burns_(linguist)
Bedrettin Yazan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He has experience teaching English in Türkiye and preparing teachers to work with English language learners in the US. He has served TESOL and AAAL in various roles (e.g., conference strand coordinator, nominating committee, interest section chair, and conference connections). His research focuses on language teacher learning and identity, collaboration between ESL and content teachers, language policy and planning, and world Englishes. Methodologically he is interested in critical autoethnography, narrative inquiry, and qualitative case study. He currently serves as the co-editor of the TESOL Journal and associate editor of the International Multilingual Research Journal and Second Language Teacher Education.
Ching-Ni Hsieh is a Research Scientist in the Research Division at Educational Testing Service. Her current research focuses on validity and test validation, assessing young language learners, and speaking and writing assessment. She received her PhD in Second Language Studies from Michigan State University and Master’s in English Language Teaching from the University of Nottingham.
Dr. Evelina Galaczi is Director of Research—English at Cambridge University Press and Assessment. She has worked in English language education for over 30 years as a teacher, teacher trainer, materials writer, researcher, and assessment specialist. Evelina leads a team of experts in language learning, teaching, and assessment in the delivery of high-quality research supporting the Cambridge tests, learning materials and world-leading expertise in language education. Evelina’s expertise lies in second language assessment and learning, and her current work focuses on the challenges – and exciting opportunities – of using AI in language assessment and learning.
He is Director of Assessment, Learning, and Research for OET. He has over two decades of experience in the field of assessment as an examiner, item writer, test designer, test development manager, and researcher. Gad has published in all major language testing journals, and has lent his expertise to the US Department of Education, the UK government’s Ofqual, and to the OECD, among others. He is also on the board of the International Language Testing Association. His interests include language testing, performance assessment, standard setting, English for Specific Purposes, and the relationship of these to education and public policy. His PhD is from the University of Michigan.
Joan Kang Shin, PhD is a Professor of Education and the Associate Dean for Faculty Success in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. She is also the founder and director of the Global Online Teacher Education Center (GOTEC) at Mason. Dr. Shin specializes in teaching ESL/EFL/EAL to young learners and teenagers and has provided professional development programs and workshops to English language teachers in over 100 countries around the world through both online and in-person programs. She is an expert in online TESOL education and professional development and conducts research on building international virtual communities of inquiry for English teachers. In her career, Dr. Shin has secured over $12 million in grants primarily focused on developing global online English language teacher professional development programs. In 2016, Dr. Shin was named one of the 30 Up-and-Coming Leaders of TESOL by TESOL International Association. In 2021, she was named one of the top 30 English Language Specialists by the U.S. Department of State in recognition of her lasting impact on the Specialist Program and the field of TESOL.
Dr. Joseph (Joe) Lo Bianco is a professor emeritus, of language and literacy education, at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and former president, of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. He is a language policy specialist combining academic research and hands-on policy writing and advocacy. His theoretical and analytical studies of language problems and policy solutions have been conducted in many parts of the world especially in South and Southeast Asia. Over three decades he has led multicounty language problem-solving teams in Southeast Asia. In recent years he has focused on conflict mitigation and peacebuilding for inclusive citizenship and language rights. He has been commissioned by UNICEF, UNESCO, and national governments and conducted assignments under World Bank funding.
Dr. Kara McBride serves as Senior Technical Education Specialist at World Learning, where she focuses on teacher training and curricular reform across a range of programs in Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories, Kosovo, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Morocco, and Algeria. She serves as World Learning’s English Specialist for the USAID-funded education project in Lebanon called QITABI 2*, which works to improve reading and writing instruction for grades 1-6, across three languages, and the integration of social and emotional learning into all aspects of schoolchildren’s day. While at World Learning, McBride led the design of online teacher training courses that have been completed by teachers from over 120 countries, including Integrating Critical Thinking into the Exploration of Culture in an EFL Setting and Content-Based Instruction, both of which form part of the US Department of State’s Online Professional English Network (OPEN).
Before coming to World Learning, Dr. McBride was a tenured professor in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Saint Louis University, where she served first as director of the basic Spanish Language Program and, later, as Director of the Spanish Masters program.
Dr. McBride holds a doctorate degree in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona. She was awarded TIRF’s Russell N. Campbell Doctoral Dissertation Grant in 2005, for her dissertation on the user experience in online course design and the development of EFL listening comprehension over time.
Her publications include journal articles and book chapters on online task design, media literacy for teachers and learners, critical thinking, and the development of intercultural competence.
*Quality Instruction Towards Access and Basic Education 2
Kathleen M. Bailey is a Professor of Applied Linguistics at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and has served as the President of TIRF, TESOL International Association, and the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL). She is the recipient of the James Alatis Award for Service to TESOL, the Leslie Eliason Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Allen Griffin Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Monterey Peninsula area. In 2021 Dr. Bailey was honored with the Distinguished Scholarship and Service Award from AAAL. Dr. Bailey’s research interests include teacher education, supervision, and development; second language acquisition; language assessment; classroom research; and leadership in language education. She has served on the TIRF Board of Trustees since 2000.
My scholarship addresses sociolinguistic, interactional and policy perspectives on second language learning and bilingualism, with particular attention to educational and familial practices impacting language use, language learning and equity. I teach graduate-level courses in sociolinguistics, language policy, language research methods, English grammar, and language education; teach an undergraduate class in linguistics; and I coordinate the undergraduate TESL minor. I currently co-lead a U.S. Department of Education-funded project (via CARLA) which promotes more equitable access to state seals of biliteracy.
Dr. Luciana C. de Oliveira (Ph.D.) is Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on issues related to teaching multilingual learners in K-12. Dr. de Oliveira has authored or edited 33 books and has over 200 publications in various outlets. She is the recipient of the 2025 Leadership through Research Award by Second Language Research Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). With over 30 years in the field of TESOL, she served in the presidential line (2017-2020), as President (2018-2019), and as a member of the Board of Directors (2013-2016) of TESOL International Association. She was the very first Latina to serve as President of TESOL.
Michael Carrier is an educational consultant and writer based in London and Washington, DC. He has been involved in English language teaching for over 50 years as a teacher, trainer, author, school director, and network director. He has worked in Germany, Italy, Poland, the UK, and the USA, and has lectured widely in many other countries. Mr. Carrier has an MA in Applied Linguistics and an MBA, and has worked in various senior management positions in language education. He was formerly Executive Director of Eurocentres in Washington DC, heading up the US subsidiary of the Swiss group of schools. Mr. Carrier then worked as CEO of the International House World network of schools. Later he was Director of English Language Innovation & Partnerships at the British Council in London. In this role, he led the British Council’s teams running capacity building projects in low-resource countries, and developed digital ELT resources such as the BBC TV series “Word on the Street” and mobile phone apps. He initiated the British Council’s contract to deliver the English language component of the distance learning program of Plan Ceibal in Uruguay, and designed the hybrid learning model of the ground-breaking project. He was the Editor of the Technology section of Modern English Teacher Journal, and was Associate Professor at New School University, New York. Mr. Carrier is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the Philological Society, and a Member of the Society of Authors, London.
Neil J Anderson is a Professor Emeritus of English Language Teaching at Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi. He has also taught at Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah, USA) and Ohio University (Athen, Ohio, USA). Neil’s primary research interests include improving L2 classroom reading instruction, especially building reading fluency; metacognitive awareness training, and learner motivation training. Neil served as President of TESOL International Association from 2001-2002. He also served as the Chair of TIRF Board of Trustees (2004-2006) and as a Trustee from 2002-2008.
Polina Vinogradova, Ph.D., is Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and TESOL Program Director in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at American University (Washington, DC, USA). Her research focuses on the use of digital stories in English language education and on postmethod pedagogy and advocacy in TESOL. Most recently, she has been studying the role of a pedagogy of multiliteracies and postmethod in TESOL candidates’ empowerment. She is a co-editor (with TIRF Trustee Joan Kang Shin) of Contemporary Foundations for Teaching English as an Additional Language: Pedagogical Approaches and Classroom Applications (Routledge, 2021). She has published her award-winning work in notable edited volumes and academic journals. Dr. Vinogradova has worked with English language teachers and learners worldwide and contributed to the TESOL International Association and its affiliate, WATESOL, in various leadership roles.
Spiros Papageorgiou is a Principal Measurement Scientist in the Research Division at Educational Testing Service (ETS), in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Prior to joining ETS, he worked as a researcher and a program manager at Michigan Language Assessment. At ETS, Spiros conducts research on the assessment of English as a foreign language and is involved in the coordination of the TOEFL internal research program, as well as the external research program supported by the TOEFL Committee of Examiners (COE). His recent projects include the mapping of the TOEFL iBT test scores to the China Standards of English Language Ability (CSE), conducted in collaboration with the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA), and TOEFL Steps, a research-based tool that demonstrates the learning path for the TOEFL Family of Assessments. Spiros is the co-editor of the edited volume Global Perspectives on Language Assessment: Research, Theory, and Practice, co-published in 2019 by TIRF and Routledge, and the edited volume Meaningful Language Test Scores: Research to Enhance Score Interpretation, published in 2023 by John Benjamins. Spiros was the recipient of the Robert Lado Memorial Award by the International Language Testing Association (ILTA), and the Jacqueline Ross TOEFL Dissertation Award by ETS.
Tony Clark is Head of IELTS Research at Cambridge University Press and Assessment, and a member of the UKALTA Executive Committee.
He is an experienced language assessment researcher and teacher, having worked as an instructor in Hungary, Italy, Morocco and Japan. Tony holds a PhD in language assessment from the University of Bristol. Comparing high-stakes tests and their implications for student performance is a key research interest of his, in addition to assessment for the academic writing domain, testing accommodations and diagnostic assessment. He has published and presented widely in these areas, and language assessment / applied linguistics more broadly.
Yecid Ortega is a lecturer of Applied Linguistics and TESOL at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland (United Kingdom). He finished his doctoral program in Language and Literacies Education (LLE) with a collaborative specialization in Comparative International, and Development Education (CIDE) at OISE – University of Toronto (Canada). He has over 20 years of international experience (Colombia, the USA, Canada, and the UK) in the field of language education and plurilingualism. He explores the linguistic and cultural lived experiences of minoritized communities and how they assert their identities while integrating and (re)settling in society. He currently focuses on alternative forms of research including but not limited to arts-based, creative, critical, and post-material methodologies to understand one’s place in the world.
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