Who I am:

Although I am Professor Emerita of Education from Purdue University, I continue to be actively involved in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) teacher training at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the U.S. and internationally. Currently, I work as a freelance online curriculum developer and TEFL trainer, drawing on my extensive experience in the field of education.

Since 1992, I have gained international experience in TEFL through various roles. From 1992-1994, I served as a secondary TEFL Peace Corps volunteer in Poland. In the years since, I have been a Fulbright Scholar in Poland and Belarus, focusing on teacher training, and in Moldova, teaching intercultural communication to translation majors. Additionally, I have been an English Language Fellow in Albania and an English Language Specialist in Chad, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan specializing in teacher training and online course design and teaching.

I have an M.S. in Information and Library Science, an M.S. Ed. in TESOL, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Teaching with a concentration in the Cultural Foundations of Education.  My teaching and scholarship integrate all of these disciplines.

My Fulbright grant focuses on:

This Distinguished Scholar award placement is in the Institute of Modern Languages and Literatures at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland. In addition to teaching, I also plan to organize workshops and presentations on various topics for students and faculty at the university as well as for K-12 teachers in the Lubelskie region. I also intend to engage with the UMCS American Corner Education and Business Center in Lublin.

I decided to apply for a Fulbright grant because:

My TEFL career began in 1992 as a secondary TEFL Peace Corps volunteer in Poland. This experience laid the foundation for my growth as an academic and scholar. Overall, I have spent more than 5 years in Poland as a teacher, an academic, and as a volunteer. Now that I am nearing the end of my career, I’m drawn back to Poland where it all began.

After completing my Fulbright grant I would like to:

I intend to submit proposals for conference presentations at TESOL 2026 and other conferences based on some aspect of my experience as a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in Poland. I will also volunteer to teach a course for the Adventures in Learning program for seniors at the Shepherd’s Centers in Greensboro, NC and St. Andrew’s, SC that focuses on my experiences and lessons learned in Lublin and will seek out similar opportunities to share what I have done and what I have learned.