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 Academics Department Project Coordinator, Betsy has been working with ITA since 2014. Betsy has a MA in Teaching English as 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.

Adrian has been an ITA Online course instructor since 2012. He earned his M.A. in TESOL from Northeastern Illinois University and a BA in Economics/Business Administration from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He has taught ESL both within the USA and in Matsue, Japan.

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.

Andy has been an ITA Online TEFL course instructor since April of 2021. He holds a BA in International Studies from Fort Lewis College and an MA in English TESL/TEFL from Colorado State University. Andy has taught English in Thailand and Turkey and serves as an instructor and teacher trainer in Madagascar, Comoros, and Indonesia

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.

Brian earned a M.Ed. in International Education with a concentration in ESL from Endicott College and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champagne. He taught ESL and ELA in Turkey to both primary and secondary school learners and has visited more than 30 countries.

Carlie taught English abroad in Madrid for six years and has traveled extensively throughout Europe. She holds an M.A. in TESL from Greenville College and currently works as an ESL teacher at Green River College in Auburn, WA.

Christine has her BE in French/TESOL from Goshen College and her M. Ed in TESOL from Lehman College City University of New York. As well as having taught English in the USA, she has also taught abroad in both Guatemala and Ecuador.

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.

Dreah joined the ITA team in the summer of 2020. She has an MA in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University and a BA in English Education from Sanda University. Dreah has taught ESL in the U.S. in San Diego, and EFL in China, Thailand, and Germany.

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.

Jenna holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Illinois in Chicago. She has taught English in Thailand, Kurdistan, and Northern Iraq and has traveled to more than 20 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.

Jessica used to be one of our Chicago In-Person TEFL Course instructors before moving to the West Coast. She has her MA in International Education & TEFL/TESOL Certification from Concordia University Irvine and has taught English abroad in China, Italy, and Germany.

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.

Kenneth started teaching the ITA Online class in the summer of 2013 and re-joined the team in 2018. He holds a M.A. in English with Emphasis in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (MATESOL) and has taught abroad in Japan and China.

Kristen joined the ITA instructor team in the summer of 2020. She has an MA in English Linguistics from Tuebingen University in Germany, and a TEFL Certification from Georgia State University. Kristen has taught abroad in Indonesia 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.

Based out of NJ, Lora has a BA in Spanish & Middle Eastern Studies and an MA in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. She taught abroad in Spain for two and a half years and in Egypt for seven years. Lora joined team ITA in April of 2021.

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.

Maggie joined team ITA in April of 2021. She comes to us with a BA from Western Washington University and an MA TESOL from Portland State University. Maggie has taught English in Mexico 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).

Mary has her BA in English from California Polytechnic State University and her MA in Applied Linguistics from Newcastle University in the UK. She has taught English abroad in Poland, the UK, Japan, and Kuwait.

Megan joined the ITA team in the summer of 2020. She has an MA in TEFL/TESL from Colorado State University and a BA in English from York College. Megan has taught English abroad in Argentina, Peru, and Chile.

Melinda joined team ITA in April of 2021. She has a Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language from Northern Arizona University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications-Media Studies from DePaul University. Melinda taught abroad in South Korea, Morocco, and Patagonia Chile, for one year each.

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.

Rachel joined team ITA in April of 2021. She has an undergrad in Psychology, an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, and an M.S. in Leadership and Organizations. She taught English in Bangkok, Thailand for a year, and also at a private university in Turkey.

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.