Meet Our Teachers
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The IEI full-time faculty are experienced professionals who are trained in ESL teaching methods. Our faculty have either a Master's degree or Ph.D. in Teaching English as a Second Language, Linguistics or a related field. Most IEI teachers speak at least one other language and have lived abroad. To find out more about individuals, check out the biographies below. |
Dr. Susan Gonzo, Director
Dr. Gonzo obtained her undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. A linguist by training, Dr. Gonzo began her career as a faculty member in the English Department at Iowa State University and later moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she served as Associate Provost with special responsibility for undergraduate education. Dr. Gonzo is a professor of applied linguistics in the Division of English as an International Language and SLATE (Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education Program). She has been Director of the Intensive English Institute since August 2001.Stan Van Horn, Associate Director
Stan oversees curriculum and teaching in the IEI and also coordinates special projects and programs. He has a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Illinois and his research interest include cross-cultural communication and world Englishes. Stan has taught IEI courses in business English and grammar for as well as courses for EIL and Linguistics departments. Before coming to Illinois, Stan lived and worked as a teacher for in Micronesia where he came to appreciate eating sushi, kayaking and hiking in the mountains. He has also studied in Switzerland and Washington, D.C. His personal interests include rollerblading, bicycling, reading, learning about languages, and listening to music from different places in the world.Pam Fernandez, International Student Advisor
Pam received a Masters Degree in TESL from the University of Illinois and has been working at the IEI since 1981 - part time while her son was young and full time since 1988. She has had a variety of roles in the IEI and, in addition to being a classroom instructor, she is also the International Student Advisor. Pam has taught a variety of courses at the IEI but has been teaching current events for some time now which she thoroughly enjoys because of the nature of the class - - the new issues that constantly arise and the discussion and sharing of ideas that follow. Her "dream" class is one in which everyone is thoroughly "tuned in" and engaged and confesses that her most recent classes have met her expectations. In her free time she enjoys reading, going to movies, traveling and just hanging out at home.
Kristin Bouton, IEI Faculty
Kristin has been with the IEI since 1996 and is the coordinator for the Upper Level Listening and Speaking Classes. She has also taught English through Computers and the Internet for the IEI and been involved with maintaining the IEI Web site. She has an MA in English Literature from the University of Illinois and has been an ESL/EFL teacher since 1984. She first began teaching English in Spain where she lived for 12 years. In her free time Kristin enjoys travelling, reading, watching movies, and, most of all, spending time with her husband and two boys.Joy Chen-Howard, IEI Faculty
Joy joined the IEI in the summer of 1997. Born in Taiwan, she came to the U.S. in 1986 for graduate studies. In 1989, she received her first master's degree in sports psychology from Purdue University, Indiana and in 2003, her second master's degree in TESL here at the University of Illinois. While she has taught a variety of ESL subjects, she is devoted to the study and teaching of grammar. She has an overall interest in foreign languages as well and has taken courses in Russian, French, German, Polish, and Serbo-Croatian. Joy is a dedicated animal lover and one of her favorite things to do is spending time with her dog and her cats. She also loves baseball with great passion and is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan.
Peter Chiligiris, IEI Faculty
Peter has been teaching ESL for fourteen years, including seven years in Asia, and has taught every age group, every subject, and every skill level. He has two master's degrees from the University of Illinois: one in Education, the other in TESL and is the TOEFL component leader and testing coordinator for the IEI. Peter enjoys basketball (he is a passionate Illini fan), rollerblading, and reading, but his favorite way to spend his free time is playing with his two young children.
Maggie Courtright, IEI Faculty
Maggie is the Reading Coordinator at the Intensive English Institute where she often teaches classes in Reading , Composition, and English Language through Film. Maggie has worked in several universities in the United States and has taught in Asia on several occasions. She has a BA in American Literature from Miami University , an MA in TESL and a PhD. in Education from the University of Illinois . Not surprisingly, Maggie likes to read and is an avid movie goer. She also enjoys traveling and making new friends.Kate Curry, IEI Faculty
Kate earned her Master’s Degree in Teaching ESL from the University of Illinois. She did her undergraduate work at Earlham College, where she studied Japanese and TESL. She taught English in Japan to students of varying ages and levels. She also taught Japanese to middle school students in Maryland. Kate volunteered for AmeriCorps for two years by coordinating a literacy program for children. She has taught a variety of courses at the IEI since 2003. She loves horse-back riding, reading, running and traveling.
Anissa Dalle, IEI Faculty
Anissa received her Master's in English with a concentration in English as a Second Language from the University of Memphis, where she also completed her undergraduate work in English. She has been at the IEI since 2005, and has also worked as an English teacher in France and China. Anissa has taught several different classes at the IEI, but she especially likes listening/speaking and pronunciation. She loves history, travel, eating foods from different cultures, and entertaining friends.
Dr. Silvana Dushku, IEI Faculty
Silvana finished her BA in English and Albanian Language Teaching at the University of Tirana, Albania. Following this she obtained an MA degree in TESL, and a PhD in Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has taught EFL overseas for eight years. For the past 14 years, she has been teaching Academic Writing, Listening and Speaking to international graduate and undergraduate students from all over the world. Her main hobbies are reading, travelling, dancing, and pottery making. She also enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and taking landscape pictures.Julian Elias, IEI Faculty
Julian received his Master's degree at the University of Illinois in 2002. Since 1999, he has taught a variety of IEI classes, such as Academic Listening and Speaking, Business English, and Pronunciation. He has coordinated some of the Special Programs, as well. When he has free time, he enjoys watching movies, reading, and talking with friends.
Ljubinka Jandrich, IEI Faculty
Anna Kasten, IEI Faculty
Anna has a Masters in TESL from the University of Illinois. Her first experience abroad was as an exchange student in Austria. Before coming to the IEI in 1993, she taught EFL at universities in Japan and Venezuela. Anna coordinates Student Services and Activities for the IEI and enjoys being part of the IEI “support system”. She loves music and especially loves to sing. These days her daughters Joanie & Sophia also keep her pretty busy!
Anita Mumm, IEI Faculty
Anita Mumm is the IEI Student Activities Coordinator and has taught here since 2005. She has an MA in TESL from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in linguistics and French from the University of Kansas, her home state. She has taught English in France and China and enjoys traveling, learning about other cultures, eating out, and going to movies. Her favorite food is sweet corn, so when she arrived in Champaign-Urbana, she knew she was in the right place!