Trustees

Anna Krulatz is a Professor of English in the Department of Teacher Education at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She received her M.A. in English from the University of Warsaw and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Utah. She has worked with language teachers in Europe and United States. Her current research focuses on multilingualism with English, pragmatic development in adult language learners, content-based instruction, and language teacher education. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, teaching tips, and book chapters, including Enacting Multilingualism: From Research to Teaching Practice in the English Classroom (2018; a co-publication with Anne Dahl and Mona Flognfeldt) and an edited volume Handbook of Research on Cultivating Literacy in Diverse and Multilingual Classrooms (2020; co-edited with Georgios Neokleous and Raichle Farrelly). Through her active involvement with the international TESOL community and focus on professional development for teachers, she aims to promote culturally and linguistically inclusive classrooms and an asset view of multilingualism, regardless of the status of the languages in learners’ repertoires. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Professor Barry O’Sullivan is the Head of Assessment Research and Development at the British Council. He has undertaken research across a range of areas in language testing and assessment and its history and has worked on the development and refinement of the socio-cognitive model of test development and validation since 2000. He is particularly interested in the communication of test validation to various stakeholder groups, seeing this as a major weakness in current practice. He has presented his work at over 150 conferences around the world, while almost 100 of his publications have appeared in a range of international journals, books and technical reports. In addition, he has published five books in the area, the most recent being English on the Global Stage: The British Council and English Language Testing 1941-2016 (2017, Equinox). He has worked a series of test development and validation projects around the world over the past 25 years and advises ministries and institutions on assessment policy and practice.

Professor O’Sullivan is the founding president of the UK Association of Language Testing and Assessment (UKALTA) and is particularly keen on providing opportunities for coming generations of language testing and assessment professionals. He holds honorary and visiting chairs at the Universities of Reading and Roehampton (UK) and at the University of Lisbon (Portugal). In 2016 he was awarded fellowship of the Academy of Social Science in the UK, and in 2017 he was elected to Fellowship of the Asian Association for Language Assessment. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Dr. Christine Coombe has a PhD in Foreign/Second Language Education from The Ohio State University. She is currently an Associate Professor of General Studies at Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai Academic City Campus. Christine has published over 60 books in various topics in TESOL/ELT. Dr Coombe serves as the editor of Language Teaching Research Quarterly (2017 to present) and as the Editor of the Scopus-indexed Q1 Brief Reports section of the Asia TEFL Journal (2016 to present). Christine has lived and worked in the Gulf for the past 32 years. She is the recipient of the 2002 Spaan Fellowship for Research in Second/Foreign Language Assessment; 2002-03 TOEFL Outstanding Young Scholar Award; the Chancellor’s Teacher of the Year Award (2003); the British Council’s International Assessment Award (2013); and was named to TESOL’s 50@50 and the U.S. DOS 30@30, both of which recognize professionals who have made significant contributions to the TESOL profession within the past 50 and 30 years, respectively. Christine is the 2018 recipient of the James E. Alatis Award, which recognizes exemplary service to TESOL. She has served the profession on the TESOL Board of Directors as Convention Chair for Tampa 2006 and was TESOL International Association President (2011-2012). Christine’s research interests include: testing/assessment, teacher effectiveness, research methods in ELT, TBLT, leadership and management in ELT as well as teacher professionalism. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

David Nunan is Professor Emeritus of Applied Linguistics at the University of Hong Kong and President Emeritus and Distinguished Research Professor at Anaheim University, where he also served as President. He has worked as a teacher, teacher educator, researcher, and consultant in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dubai, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Oman, Peru, Thailand, Singapore, and the United States. He has published over 100 books and articles on curriculum development, research methods, teacher education, and technology in education. Dr. Nunan served as TESOL President from 1999 to 2000. His awards include a 2002 citation by the U.S. Congress for services to English language education, and the 2003 Heinle TESOL Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2005, he was named one of the 50 most influential Australians internationally. In 2008, Anaheim University created the David Nunan Institute for Language Education to further language education and research around the world. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Dr. Deena Boraie is Provost at The Knowledge Hub Universities. Prior to this position, she was Vice President for Student Life at the American University in Cairo (AUC) and a member of the university senior leadership group there. Dr. Boraie is a Professor of Practice and has three decades of experience in higher education administration and leadership, teaching, and research. She worked previously for 10 years in AUC’s School of Continuing Education where she served as Dean for five years and Associate Dean for five years.

Dr. Boraie is Past President of TESOL International Association; she served as President from 2013-2014. She has published and presented extensively at international conferences on issues of assessment literacy, language testing and assessment, teacher beliefs, student and teacher motivation, teacher professional development and effectiveness, and English as a lingua franca.

Dr. Boraie holds a PhD in Education (language testing) from the University of Wolverhampton in the UK and an MA in TEFL from AUC. She is a language testing expert and an assessment and evaluation consultant and trainer with extensive experience working with education projects and organizations in Egypt and the region. Dr. Boraie was the Senior Advisor to Egypt’s Minister of Education for assessment, examinations, and curriculum from May 2017 to August 2022.

Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Donna Christian is Treasurer of The International Research Foundation on English Language Education (TIRF). She has been a member of TIRF’s Board of Trustees since 2005 and was elected Treasurer in 2011. Dr. Christian received her MS in applied linguistics and PhD in sociolinguistics from Georgetown University. She is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington, DC where she served as President from 1994-2010. Her research and publications have focused largely on the role of language in education, including second language learning, dialect diversity, and public policy. She has co-edited, with fellow TIRF trustees, three volumes in the “Global Research on Teaching and Learning English” series, which is co-published by TIRF and Routledge. Dr. Christian was a Fulbright Senior Lecturer in linguistics at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland for two years. She has been honored with several awards, including the 2006 Promoting Bilingualism award from the Association for Two-Way and Dual Language Education, and the 2011 Victoria A. Fromkin Lifetime Service Award from the Linguistic Society of America. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Erik Gundersen is an educational publisher with a proven record of delivering best-selling content and professional services that make a difference in teachers’ and learners’ lives. Erik has worked across all regions of the world as an ELT (English language teaching) publisher, business development executive, author, and teacher. Until recently, he was the Asia business development director for National Geographic Learning (NGL) in Hong Kong, managing R&D partnerships across a diverse portfolio of accounts including VIPKid and New Oriental in China and Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. He now leads NGL’s new English Medium Instruction (EMI) initiative from the company’s Boston headquarters. Erik has published Go for It! (National Geographic Learning), China’s best-selling lower secondary series, and co-authored Select Readings (Oxford University Press), a popular university English textbook program. He has held English teaching positions at the American Language Institute in Lisbon, Portugal and the University of California, Berkeley’s College Writing Program. Erik holds an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. with Honors in Art History from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

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. She has explored issues in assessment and learning through her academic publications ‪and international presentations. Evelina holds a masters and a doctoral degrees in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University, USA. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Dr. Hanan Khalifa (PhD, University of Reading; MA, University of Cambridge; and MSc, Alexandria University & Lancaster University) is an award-winning international expert in education, assessment, and impact evaluation. She has recently joined MetaMetrics, Inc. to lead a Pan Arab initiative, namely, the development of the Arabic Lexile Framework and its constituent parts. Previously, she spent 20 years at Cambridge University Press and Assessment heading up teams and divisions working on test validation, technical research, publications, capacity development for ALTE courses’ participants, impact evaluation, education reform, partnerships, and business to government projects. Throughout her career, Hanan advised ministries of education and examination boards on language education in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Central and South America. Her academic work has benefited masters’ programs in various countries, leading to winning awards in educational innovations and for adoption by key English language testing organizations. Hanan started her career as a university lecturer before leading national assessment reform in her home country, Egypt, working with international development organizations such as USAID and DfID.

Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

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. 

Dr. Shin is an award-winning author and series editor. She is a co-author with Dr. JoAnn Crandall of Teaching Young Learners English: From Theory to Practice, which won the Ben Warren International House Trust Prize. Dr. Shin is also a Series Editor, with Dr. Crandall, of four English language books series by National Geographic Learning: Our World, Explore Our World, Welcome to Our World, and Impact. She recently published a co-edited academic volume with Dr. Polina Vinogradova through Routledge called Contemporary Foundations for Teaching English as an Additional Language and a co-authored book through TESOL Press called The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners: Young Learners in a Multilingual World with Dr. Vera Savić and Dr. Tomohisa Machida.

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. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Jun Liu is the President of TIRF and Rector of City University of Macau. Prior to these positions, he was Vice Provost for Global Affairs, Dean of International Academic Programs and Services, and Professor of Linguistics at Stony Brook University. Other past positions he held include Associate Provost for International Initiatives and Professor of Applied Linguistics at Georgia State University; Professor and Head of the Department of English; and Founding Director of Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona. His research interests include intercultural communication, curriculum and standards development, teacher education, and second language writing. He has published extensively in language education. He is the author of several books, including TESOL: A Guide (Bloomsbury, 2015, co-authored), Teaching English in China: New Perspectives, Approaches and Standards (The Continuum Publishing, 2007), Asian Students’ Classroom Communication Patterns in US Universities (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001), and Peer Response in Second Language Writing Classrooms (2nd Ed, University of Michigan Press, 2017, co-authored). He is also co-editor of Michigan Series on Teaching Multilingual Writers.

As a Past President of TESOL (2006-2007) and the current Vice President of TCSOL (Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages), Dr. Liu has given more than 300 speeches in over 30 countries around the world. He has received numerous awards. Among them are James E. Alatis Award for Outstanding Services to TESOL (2016) and the Georgia Governor’s Award for Outstanding International Programs of the Year (2015). Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Lorraine de Matos is on the Executive Board and a member of the Philanthropy Committee of the Associação Samaritano, and also on the Administrative and Financial Board of the Célia Helena Centro de Artes e Educação, both in Brazil. She was formerly the General Manager of the Cultura Inglesa, São Paulo, Brazil, when she also served on the boards of the Brazilian and Latin American Associations of Culturas Inglesas, and the English Speaking Union, Brazil. Lorraine has an MBA from Henley, UK and business certifications from the Fundação Getulio Vargas, São Paulo, Brazil. She has been involved in English Language teaching, the promotion of Cultural events and Festivals, and social projects for over 30 years. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

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.

Until 2022, he was founder and Managing Director of Highdale Consulting, an educational consultancy working with clients such as Cambridge University, ALTE, and the British Council on language teaching projects. Highdale’s work for the British Council included developing radio programmes for language learning in Africa, and video materials for Workplace English development programs in Africa.

Mr. Carrier is currently serving on a number of boards and committees including TIRF and the ICC (the international language association). He is also a member of the British Council’s English Language Advisory Group and chairs the UK government’s ELT Working Group for the Department of Trade and Industry. His former Board service includes being on the Boards of EAQUALS, International Students House, ELTJ, and the Language Teaching Journal.

One of his main fields of interest is in e-learning and the application of technology to language teaching. He was the Editor of the Technology section of Modern English Teacher Journal, and was Associate Professor at New School University, New York. Also, he is involved in research into the intersectionality of historical linguistics and archaeogenetics.

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. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Ms. Mina Patel is Head of Research – Future of English at the British Council. Her background is in English language teaching and training. She has worked in the UK, Greece, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia as a teacher, trainer, materials developer, and project manager for ELT projects and has extensive experience working with ministries of education in East Asia. Mina has presented at numerous national and international conferences on ELT-related topics. Her academic interests lie in the areas of language assessment literacy, teacher education and development, and qualitative research methodology. She is currently a Ph.D. student at the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment (CRELLA) at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Most recently, Mina has co-authored Future of English: Global Perspectives.

Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Dr. Nick Saville has been involved in English language education for over 30 years. He is currently the Director of Research and Validation (R&V) for Cambridge English Language Assessment, a department of the University of Cambridge. In that role, he is a member of the Cambridge English senior management team and is responsible for directing the work of nearly 50 specialist staff in the R&V Division. Before joining Cambridge in 1989, he taught at the University of Cagliari and managed test development projects in Tokyo.

Dr. Saville has a degree in Linguistics, an MA in TEFL and a PhD in language testing. His research interests include the development of models for investigating test impact; the implementation of quality management systems in test development and validation; and the uses of language assessment for migration and citizenship purposes. He regularly advises on issues related to multilingualism, language policy, and the role of English as a lingua franca.

In 2014, Dr. Saville was elected Manager of the Association of Language Testers in Europe and has close involvement with European initiatives, including the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference and related ‘toolkit.’ He is a senior member of the University team responsible for co-ordinating the English Profile Programme and for setting up the Institute for Automated Language Teaching and Assessment.

Dr. Saville presents regularly at international events and has published widely on issues related to language assessment. He was a founding associate editor of Language Assessment Quarterly, is joint-series editor of the English Profile Studies series, and is on the editorial board for the Studies in Language Testing series. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

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) and has published her award-winning work in notable edited volumes and academic journals.

Dr. Vinogradova has worked with English language teachers and learners from around the world and contributed to the TESOL International Association and its affiliate, WATESOL, in various leadership roles. She holds a PhD in Language, Literacy and Culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and has MA degrees in TESOL from the University of Northern Iowa and in Intercultural Communication from UMBC. Her undergraduate degree is in Chemistry and TESOL from Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia (St. Petersburg, Russia). Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Spiros Papageorgiou is a Principal Measurement Scientist in the Research Division at Educational Testing Service (ETS), in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Spiros received his doctoral degree in linguistics specializing in language testing from Lancaster University, UK. 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). Spiros has published over 50 journal papers, book chapters, and technical reports on topics such as standard setting and score mapping to proficiency levels, score reporting and interpretation, and listening assessment. 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. He has also been an active member of the language testing community, having served as member-at-large of the Executive Boards of ILTA and the Midwest Association of Language Testers (MwALT). He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for TIRF, The International Research Foundation for English Language Education. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Susan T. Bell is a member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor and is the Director of the Office of English Language Programs in the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Susan has held various public diplomacy, policy, and senior leadership and management positions during her more than 31-year diplomatic career, with previous assignments in Colombia (twice), Brazil, Suriname, Canada, Germany, and Washington, D.C. Susan is especially proud to lead the incredible team of professionals behind the Department of State’s English language programs, having seen the powerful impact of English language programs firsthand – empowering English language networks, educators, and learners leading to educational and economic opportunity around the world. Susan is the U.S. State Department’s observer on TIRF’s Board of Trustees and does not have voting privileges. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].

Dr. Suzanne Panferov Reese is the Vice President of TIRF and recent Chair of the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Ph.D. program, where she teaches on the Public and Applied Humanities faculty at the University of Arizona (UA). 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.

Suzanne has given presentations in numerous countries on professionalism, teacher training, leadership, and language initiatives in internationalization at TESOL, NAFSA, AIEA, and other conferences. In 2009, she participated in a Fulbright Administrator Exchange in Jalisco, Mexico. Additionally, Suzanne has served as the President of TESOL International and as the 2007 TESOL Convention Program Chair, as well as the President of UCIEP and as the UCIEP Professional Development Chair. Write to me to learn more about collaborating with TIRF: [email protected].