We are elated to announce that TIRF Vice President Dr. Suzanne Panferov Reese has been selected as the recipient of TESOL International Association’s 2025 James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL!
According to TESOL’s website, the recipient of the TESOL Alatis Award is selected according to evidence of:
- Genuine and long-lasting support of TESOL International Association through leadership and service;
- Exemplary professionalism and representation of TESOL values of professionalism, respect, integrity, and lifelong learning;
- Commitment to the mission of TESOL; and
- Dedication to the field/the profession.
Beyond her service to TIRF and TESOL International Association, Suzanne is Chair of the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Ph.D. program and teaches on the Public and Applied Humanities faculty at the University of Arizona. Previously, she served as the Associate Vice President for Global Initiatives at UA and for over a decade she was the Director of the Center for English as a Second Language there. Additionally, she has served in a variety of other administrative roles as the Director of the University of Arizona National Center for Interpretation and of the Writing Skills Improvement Program. She teaches courses in applied humanities, on various topics in second language learning, and in language program administration and has published on topics ranging from teachers transitioning into professional leadership roles, ESL program marketing, and parental support for K-12 ELL students. Read more about Suzanne’s professional background by clicking here.
We asked Suzanne what receiving the TESOL Alatis Award meant to her. She replied, “Every year, TESOL International Association honors the vision and foresight of our first Executive Director, Dr. Jim Alatis, with an award to recognize one member’s long-standing service to the profession and the association. I am so grateful and honored to receive this award. Jim recognized and valued language education and multilingualism, values which I hold near and dear to my heart. And now, after more than three decades of TESOL giving this award, amplifying these values and advocating for our students and our profession, is somehow more critical than ever.”
The James E. Alatis Award for Service to TESOL was established in 1987 to honor Dr. James E. Alatis for his 21 years of devoted service as TESOL’s first executive director. Dr. Alatis was a charter member of TESOL International Association and dean emeritus of the School of Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University. The award is given to recipients who have shown genuine and long-lasting support of TESOL International Association through leadership and service and representation of TESOL values of professionalism, respect, integrity, and lifelong learning, as well as a commitment to the mission of TESOL and dedication to the field of English language education. For more information about the Alatis Award and its past winners, click here.
Please join the TIRF community in congratulating Suzanne on this much deserved recognition!
