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James E. Alatis, Co-Director
Dr. Alatis is Dean Emeritus of the School of Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University. He is also Distinguished Professor of Linguistics and Modern Greek and Senior Advisor to the Dean of Georgetown College for International Language Programs and Research. Dean Alatis served as the first Executive Director of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from1966-1987. Prior to his appointment as Dean of the SLL, Dr. Alatis was employed by the U.S. Department of State as English Teaching and Testing Specialist, and the U.S. Office of Education where he worked in language research and materials development in the less commonly-taught languages. Dean Alatis currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS), and the Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL). |
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Anna Uhl Chamot, Co-Director
Dr. Chamot is Professor of Secondary Education (ESL and Foreign Language Education) in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development of the George Washington University. She has directed a number of studies investigating the language development of second and foreign language learners and has authored books and articles on language learning strategies. She codesigned and has written extensively about the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA) and spent seven years implementing the CALLA model in the Arlington Public Schools in Virginia. She holds a Ph.D. in ESL and applied linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin. |
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Jill Robbins, Project Director
Dr. Robbins is Adjunct Professor of Secondary Education (ESL and Foreign Language Education) in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development of the George Washington University. She has conducted research and authored books and articles on learning strategies for second and foreign language speaking and listening comprehension. Her teaching experience includes ESL, EFL, and teacher preparation in the US, China, and Japan. She views her most satisfactory accomplishment this year as having helped to open the National Museum of Language. She holds a Ph.D in Applied Linguistics from Georgetown University. |
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Catharine Keatley, Director of Research
Dr.Keatley served as a TESOL teacher in the Peace Corps in Senegal, received an M.A. in Remedial Reading and Learning Disabilities from New York University, and later received her Ph.D. from Hong Kong University in Cognitive Psychology with a specialization in the organization of bilingual memory. Most recently, Dr. Keatley has served as senior analyst of the NCLRC “Learning Strategies in Elementary Immersion Programs” research project and Project Director of Project Accelerated Literacy, a study of literacy acquisition in low-literacy ESOL high students. Dr. Keatley has beenProject Director of the NCLRC since 2001. |
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Christine Foster Meloni, Senior Research Associate
Dr. Meloni is Associate Professor Emeritus in English as a Foreign Language at the George Washington University. She holds a B.A. from Wells College and an M.A. from the Middlebury College Graduate School of Italian in Florence, Italy in Italian language and literature. She also holds Master's degrees in the philosophy of education from the University of Rome and in linguistics from American University. She has a doctorate in higher ed/international education from the George Washington University. She has taught ESL/EFL in Italy and Washington, DC. She has also taught Latin and Italian. Christine is currently teaching ESL at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, VA. |
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Margaret Malone, Senior Testing Associate, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
As Senior Testing Associate, Margaret E. Malone directs projects related to test development and research. Her current areas of interest include oral proficiency assessment and program evaluation as well as improving understanding of language testing by educators. Her current projects include a research study of user beliefs about the Internet-based TOEFL, development of online courses to increase educators’ knowledge of language assessment and development of the multimedia rater training program for Arabic. Dr. Malone received her Ph.D. from Georgetown University and has directed language testing for Peace Corps-Worldwide and taught language testing and teaching methods at American University and Georgetown University. |
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Dora Johnson, Program Associate, Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Dora has worked at CAL for over four decades. Most of her projects have involved addressing various aspects of the less commonly taught languages. She has conducted and published surveys on materials and needs. She has developed language learning materials LCTLs and worked on literacy issues for adults whose language is other than English. She directs the Arabic K-12 Project that is focused on increasing the teaching and learning of Arabic in the U.S. and in supporting teachers and administrators in their efforts. Ms. Johnson holds an M.A. in Linguistics from the Hartford Seminary Foundation. |
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Anup P. Mahajan, Associate Project Director
Anup P. Mahajan is Associate Project Director of The National Capital
Language Resource Center. He draws from a graduate background in
Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University, over seven years of
experience in the corporate financial sector, and currently pursuing a
doctorate. Amongst other foci, he directs the recently funded South
Asian Languages K-12 Research Study, a U.S. Department of Education
International Research and Studies (IRS) grant. Also active in the
philanthropic sector, he is an Associate Board Member of the National
Museum of Language, and is a regular contributor to special exhibits.
A life-long admirer of classical music, he plays the violin. He has
studied Latin, French, Ancient Greek, Marathi, Hindi, and most
recently, Japanese. |
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Mike Greer, Arabic K-12 Coordinator
Mike coordinates the Arabic K-12 Project at the NCLRC. He holds a B.S. in Communication and is currently pursuing his masters degree in International Education at the George Washington University. Before joining the NCLRC, Mike served as a Peace Corps TEFL volunteer in Jordan. He has lived in Jordan, Egypt, China, Kenya, and Brazil. Mike speaks Arabic and has also studied Chinese, Swahili, and Spanish. |
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Candice Michalowicz, Program Coordinator
Candice is Program Coordinator of The National Capital Language Resource Center. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. She is planning to pursue a Masters in Business Administration. Having a deep appreciation for the arts, she brings a unique expertise to NCLRC in blending language instruction with Western European schools of art. In addition to other responsibilities, she coordinates the recently funded South Asian Languages K-12 Research Study, a U.S. Department of Education International Research and Studies (IRS) grant. Always a believer in giving back to the academic community, Candice is an advisor in a University program for incoming freshmen. |
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Leah Mason, Senior Researcher
Leah is an Ed.D. Candidate in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University where she also received an M.Ed.. Her dissertation research focuses on the implementation of language education policy in the United States. Leah has completed research projects on small learning communities and inquiry based instruction for the National Center for the Restructuring of Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST) and the Student Press Initiative. She has taught ESL in Maryland and EFL in Austria as a Fulbright Teaching Assistant. She is a Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education Research Fellow and a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. |
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Erica Manta, Senior Intern
Erica will be graduating from Georgetown University in the spring of 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics and double minors in Spanish and Classical Studies. She spent the spring 2009 semester studying in Santiago, Chile and traveling around South America, and is already looking for an excuse to go back. Erica also knows Latin and Ancient Greek, as well as a few sentences of French and two words of Arabic. Outside of the language community, she devotes her free time to the Georgetown theater community, service work, and various creative endeavors.
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Danielle Fearon, Senior Intern
Danielle Fearin is a Junior in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and is majoring in Science, Technology, and International affairs. She is currently studying Spanish, but intends to start Chinese or Arabic in the near future. Danielle is an intern at the NCLRC and when not there she could be found on the water coxing the Georgetown Lightweight Men’s crew team or volunteering for Dance DC, a program that provides children in the D.C. area the opportunity to learn how to dance who might otherwise not have the chance. |
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Flavia Vehbiu is currently a junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University, pursuing a double major Economics and International Affairs. Originally from Tirana, Albania (but a native New Yorker for 13 years!), Flavia is fluent in Albanian and Italian and is seeking to revive her past fluency in Spanish, and achieve fluency in German and French as well. Flavia is also active in SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), a student-run organization which aims at using business concepts to develop projects that can be implemented in the community, to help those in need. |
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Talia Kowitt, Research Assistant
Talia earned her M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction with K-12 ESOL Certification from the University of Maryland at College Park. She also holds a B.A. in Psychology. Originally from Israel, she has studied English, Hebrew, Spanish, Russian, Italian, and has begun to study French. Talia has developed and implemented an Internet-based K-Adult curriculum for ESOL and foreign language students in Maryland. Talia also serves as a multilingual educational consultant. |
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Aieysha Kayani, Research Assistant
Aieysha is currently a senior at The George Washington
University majoring in
Sociology and minoring in History. She intends to pursue a M.A. in
International Affairs and Development with a concentration in conflict
management and social change and development. She is fluent in Urdu
and Spanish and looking to attain fluency in French, Italian, and
Arabic. She served as an executive board member for the GW Muslim
Student Association and has been serving as a mentor for Big Brothers
and Sisters for the past 4 years. At NCLRC, Aieysha works with the recently funded South Asian Languages K-12 Research Study, a U.S. Department of Education International Research and Studies (IRS) grant.
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Maha Saad, Research Assistant
Maha graduated from the University of Virginia in May 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs. She also minored in Media Studies. At the center, she is working with the Arabic K-12 Project learning more about how Arabic is taught at schools across the country. She loves traveling and has been to Egypt, Spain, and other European countries. |
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