MEET OUR ITA
ACADEMICS DEPARTMENT

Sarah spent time in Chile working for the Ministry of Education, starting with the English Opens Doors Program, before teaching English for Specific Purposes to the hospital staff of her local community, the Department of Forestry, and a GED program for students living on the border towns of Chile and Argentina. She later returned to the US to earn her MA in English - TEFL/TESL from Colorado State University.

A former Chicago course instructor turned Curriculum and Content Creator, Betsy has been working with ITA since 2014. Betsy has a MA in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Northern Arizona University and a master's Certificate in Online Teaching from the University of Illinois Online.

A published writer and translator, Juliana holds an M.A. in English Philology & Theory of Literature. She has taught Business English and TOEFL preparation courses abroad; English and American Literature at the university level; & has worked as a foreign language instructor in English, Bulgarian, Russian, and Italian.

Nicole holds a BA from Villanova in political science and both MAs in Teaching and English from the University of Memphis.   She has taught adult English language learners both in the US and abroad, specifically the Czech Republic and Costa Rica. Prior to becoming a language teacher, Nicole served as a Russian linguist in the U.S. Navy for 8.5 years.

Mariam has a MA in Linguistics with a TEFL certification from Northeastern Illinois University. She grew up in Beirut, Lebanon until the age of 13 and has also spent some time living in Saudi Arabia. Mariam spent three years teaching English in Vienna, Austria, and four years teaching English in Oman.

After spending three years in Chile with the English Opens Doors Program, Byron moved to Costa Rica for six years to teach English. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and a Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies with a concentration in Intercultural Communication from DePaul University. He is currently near the end of his Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies with an emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Alyssa joined the ITA team in the spring of 2018. She has her BS in Spanish Education from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse and a M.A. in TESOL from The New School. Alyssa taught English abroad in South Korea and Macau.

Barbara earned her BA in Spanish & Education with Honors and her MA in TESOL & Bilingual Education from Northern Illinois University. She has taught English abroad in Hanoi, Vietnam & Barcelona, Spain.

Courtney has been an ITA Online TEFL course instructor since April of 2021. She holds an undergrad degree in Spanish Language & Culture, a Master of Education in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in ESOL, and she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in English language learning. Courtney taught English in Izmir, Turkey for almost two years.

Emily has her M.A. in Foreign Language Education from the University of Texas. Emily was an Assistant Professor at the Universidad Catolica del Norte, Antofagasta in Chile, and she also taught English in Thailand, Mexico, and Venezuela.

A native of Colorado, Emily earned her BA from Cornell College and her M.A. in TEFL & Education from Colorado State. She studied abroad in Germany and worked for the Red Cross in Mexico before moving to South America to teach English in Bolivia.

Jasmine earned her M.S. in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University. She taught English all around the world ( Nicaragua, Guatemala, The Dominican Republic, India, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Ghana, and Rwanda) and visited more than 25 countries.

Jesica holds a Masters of Liberal Studies, ESOL Education. She's been teaching with ITA since March of 2013. She has taught ESL at 3 different U.S. universities and also taught English in Thailand, Jordan, Honduras, China, and Uganda.

Online TEFL Class Professor Johnny Beshara holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Metropolitan State University and an M.A. in English Education from Brooklyn College. He has taught in Vietnam, France, Spain & Argentina.

Katie has her MEd Curriculum & Instruction and an ESOL Endorsement from George Mason University. Katie taught English abroad in Mumbai, India!

Karen has taught English in Japan and Mexico and holds an M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Colorado State University and a BA in Science, Elementary Education from Kansas State University. She has also experienced the Great Wall of China via zipline!

Kari joined the ITA team in August 2017. She holds a M.A. in Education from the University of Colorado and also has her TEFL & CELTA certificates. Kari taught ESL in Chile and English in a high school in Honduras.

Kelli has her M.A. in English as a Second Language from Kent State University, and she has been teaching ITA's Online course since December of 2017. She has taught English in both Spain and Germany.

Lauren started with ITA in the Spring of 2020. She has a BA in Marketing and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with an endorsement in ESL from the University of Illinois. She's taught in Illinois, California, Florida, and Brazil.

Lynn joined the ITA team in July of 2020. She has an MA in TESOL from Ball State University and has taught English abroad in Yemen, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Georgia, and Azerbaijan as well as in the USA.

Marika has her MA in Teaching English Language and Literature to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Presov, Slovakia. She taught English for 7 years in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and for 13 years in the USA. She joined team ITA in April of 2021.

Mary earned her M.A. in TESOL from the University of London, and she was the Associate Director of International Affairs ad responsible for the Intensive English Program at the University of Colorado (Colorado Springs).

Micah earned his M.S. Ed in Curriculum and Instruction, TESOL emphasis, D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY. He also taught English and leadership skills to Bible institute students from Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.

Quinn earned her M.A. in TESOL and Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College. Quinn has taught non-profit adult ESL courses for adult immigrants/refugees here in the US, as well as a bilingual elementary program in US public schools working with at-risk students. She also taught in Costa Rica and Ecuador.

Rhonda not only teaches ITA's Online TEFL Course, but also the Teaching English Online Specialty Class. She has an MA in ESL from the University of Minnesota and a Foundations of Teaching Online Certification from the University of Wisconsin. Rhionda has taught English abroad in Kazakhstan and Estonia.

Sandy has her MA in TESOL from the University of Northern Iowa and 25 years of experience working in the field. She has taught in Vietnam, Philippines, Germany, South Korea, Mexico, and even on a cruise ship!

Shannon has her Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. She has taught in the educational/EFL departments in universities in Mexico and Honduras and has online EFL experience teaching students from China, South Korea, and Central and South America.

Wayne has been an ITA Online course instructor since June 2014. He holds a M.A. in TEFL/TESL from Colorado State University and a BA in Mathematics & Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. Wayne has also taught English abroad in the Czech Republic & Spain.