All of our faculty are trained professionals with at least a master's degree in TESOL or related field.

Our administrators have degrees and special training in their areas of expertise.

​Administrators and Staff

​Leyah Malcha Bergman-Lanier, PhD.DirectorDr. Leyah Bergman-Lanier brings more than 20 years of ESL teaching and administrative experience to her position as Director of Spring International Language Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Her teaching spans all ages from kindergarten through adult levels. She served as Director of the Program in ESL at the University of California at Irvine, Assistant Director of ESL at Pitzer College, and Program Coordinator of Adult Education and K-12 Programs in Claremont, California; Leyah has also directed the Spring Institute for International Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Bergman-Lanier speaks fluent Japanese and taught in Japan for four years. She has also taught and conducted research in the People's Republic of China. Her undergraduate degree comes from the University of California at Berkeley, and she completed her M.A. (Education and Reading) and Ph.D. (Education and Sociolinquistics) at Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Bergman-Lanier has traveled extensively in Asia, Europe and Latin America. Her home town is in West Los Angeles. In her spare time, Leyah enjoys weaving, reading and exploring the outdoors.Adriana TreadwayAssistant DirectorAdriana Treadway is originally from Argentina. She started teaching English in 1982. She has worked as a translator for corporations and individuals in Argentina and in the USA; as an English as a Foreign Language instructor in public and private schools in Argentina and in Japan; and as a Spanish Teaching Assistant in the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Arkansas. In 1992, she started working at Spring International Language Center as an ESL instructor. Adriana completed an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language and Translation at the University of La Plata in Argentina. In 1993, she completed an M.F.A. in Translation at the University of Arkansas. Adriana loves teaching, traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.Lora MackeyInternational Student Advisor & RegistrarLora Mackey graduated from Southern Technical College in May 1993 with a diploma in Computerized Office Technology. Shortly thereafter, she joined Spring International as a receptionist and program secretary. She remained in that position for nine years. In January 2003, she left Spring to go home and watch her children grow. Lora is married and has two sons. In June of 2008, she returned to Spring International as the International Student Advisor. Since Lora doesn’t travel very much, she enjoys working at Spring because she meets people from all over the world. Lora enjoys camping, fishing, cooking, and, most of all, reading.Jana GusichInternational Student AdvisorJana was born in Slovakia, a small country in the heart of Europe. After she and her family moved to Toronto, Canada, Jana finished her studies with a degree in European Studies and Languages from the University of Toronto. Jana is a certified ELS teacher and can fluently speak 6 languages.  Throughout her teaching career, she taught English to students from all walks of life: from young learners in Ukraine to corporate clients in Serbia; from schoolchildren in South Korea to university students in China. Her husband Jordan became an instructor at SILC in 2012, and Jana quickly fell in love with the international community found there and took up a position as a student advisor. Through daily interactions with our students, she continues to learn about the world and its many wonderful cultures. In her free time, she loves to blend world cuisines in her kitchen, and to discover beautiful places in and around her new hometown.Nancy RodmanExecutive AssistantA native of Chicago, Nancy began her career in Los Angeles, California at a musical instrument wholesaler on the order desk. She later accepted a position at the Hughes Aircraft Company corporate headquarters in El Segundo, California, as an Executive Assistant. Her main responsibility was assisting the Group Vice-President with a division of twenty-five hundred employees. With a security classification of "secret," her additional responsibilities included supervising and training secretaries in office procedures and security guidelines. Moving to Arkansas, she recently completed seven years at Lenders Title Company as a closing assistant/closer. This included assisting in commercial closings. Looking for a change of pace, Nancy is now the Executive Assistant at the Spring International Language Center. In addition to accounting duties, she also assists in screening agents who wish to represent the Spring International Language Center. She finds it a welcome change to be able to interface with young students who have a fresh perspectives on the future. She is married to a gourmet cook and enjoys reading murder mysteries.Michelle LaundréAcademic CoordinatorMichelle Laundré, who is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, has been teaching at SILC since 2007. She holds a Master’s degree in TESOL from the University of Alabama and a Bachelor’s in English with teaching certification.  Her areas of licensure include ESL, English, and music, k-12.  Before coming to SILC, Michelle gained experience teaching in several secondary schools and at the English Language Institute at the University of Alabama.  There she also taught several university composition courses for non-native speakers. At SILC, Michelle has taught a wide-range of courses and enjoys teaching ESL students of all levels.  In her free time, Michelle enjoys singing, reading, cooking, and spending time with her friends and family.Alannah MasseySpecial Programs CoordinatorA native of northwest Arkansas, Alannah Massey graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in English. Her professional experiences range from teaching middle school to organizing citywide festivals to managing an architectural firm’s office. By far her favorite experience, however, has been working with the wonderfully diverse student population at Spring International. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, making jewelry, being outside, reading, and live music.Jimmy BowieStudent Services CoordinatorJimmy Bowie is from Fayetteville, Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2006 with Bachelor's degrees in Journalism and Political Science. While studying at the University, Jimmy was a resident assistant at Holcombe Hall, which houses many international students. Immediately after graduating, he pursued a career in journalism, but the desire to help students never subsided. In January 2008, Jimmy was hired as the Student Services Coordinator at Spring International Language Center. In addition to helping international students, Jimmy enjoys spending his time outdoors hiking with his dog or spending time with his wife Kelly.Amanda SandersAdministrative AssistantAmanda joined the staff of Spring International in July 2010. She has had an interesting and varied career with experience  in many different fields, but is really enjoying the daily interaction with the students at Spring International. She was born in Australia and has lived in the USA for the past 15 years and understands how difficult it can be to adjust to a new culture. In her spare time, Amanda likes to make and listen to music, cook, read, create pretty things and play computer games.Kirk LanierGeorgetown Square Manager & PhotographerBesides being Dr. Lanier's husband, Kirk has been a professional musician for decades, now performing regularly with a popular band in Northwest Arkansas called Strange Heroes, both as a guitarist and singer. Two other bands he contributes his musical talents to are Watching Lucy and Kahula Gypsy Band. Kirk has recently discovered his talent for photography and has quickly become a celebrated artist in this field, having published a book of his amazingly beautiful and artistic photos of abandoned cars! Luckily, he is now SILC's own resident photographer, taking professional photos of all our students and of many of their activities.

​Faculty

​Gavin EdwardsGavin is a native Arkansan. She grew up in Hot Springs Arkansas and moved to Fayetteville to attend the University of Arkansas. She received her B.A. in English and relocated to Seattle, Washington. There she was the marketing manager for a hospitality company that managed conference centers, the World Trade Center Seattle, and boutique inns and resorts in the San Juan Islands. Gavin returned to Arkansas to earn an M.A. in Second Languages from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. During her studies, she received a graduate assistantship to teach with the Intensive English Language Program on campus. After graduation, Gavin traveled to Norway to participate in a Group Study Exchange, a position awarded her by Rotary International. Upon returning to the U.S., Gavin accepted a teaching position at the Intensive English Program at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Opportunity then led her to teach at Spring International Language Center (SILC) in Denver, Colorado on the Auraria campus. She taught there for six years until Arkansas called her home. Now she happily teaches for SILC Arkansas and has since 2012. Besides teaching, Gavin loves spending time with friends and family, gardening, mountain biking, and kayaking.Roseli FrancoOriginally from Brazil, Roseli Franco came to the U.S.A. to pursue her Master's Degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Before that, she was an English as a Foreign Language Teacher in Brazil for 10 years. She has also been an English as a Second Language Teacher in the U.S.A. since 2001. Currently, Roseli holds a Master's Degree in Curriculum & Instruction in addition to her Master's in TESOL. She brings to the classroom not only her vast experience as a language teacher but also her experience as a language learner. During all these years, Roseli has taught English to students of all ages and language levels, and from diverse backgrounds. She also enjoys cooking, doing yoga, and watching TV. Roseli loves being around her family and friends.Anne GreeottAnne has been teaching languages and humanities since 1994 and moved to Fayetteville in 2012 from her native city, Seattle. Her overseas teaching experience has involved teaching EFL in Italy, Switzerland and Peru, where she participated in a Fulbright Teaching Exchange in 2009. Near Seattle she taught ESL at Edmonds Community College, and for ten years she taught Spanish and humanities at a private high school. Anne received her B.A. and Washington State Teaching Certificate in Spanish and history from Seattle Pacific University and her M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College. Currently she is an M.F.A. candidate in literary translation at the University of Arkansas, where she also teaches English composition. In her free time she enjoys riding her bike, reading, writing and translating poetry, and playing piano.Nazila GulNazila Aliyeva Gul joined SILC in January 2012. She was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, grew up in Poland, and, while still very young, visited the United States twice as a foreign exchange student. She got her BA and MA degrees in English Philology from Western University in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she subsequently became a faculty member and taught ESL. In 2004, she went to Turkey for a vacation and remained there for seven years teaching English at Yasar University in Izmir, until another adventure, this time following her husband on his academic pursuit, brought her to Fayetteville. Although she still has her academic aspirations of one day completing an abandoned PhD in English Literature, she currently devotes all her time off work to her husband and son.Jordan GusichAlthough he arrived at SILC in the fall of 2012, Jordan began facilitating language learners’ intellectual transformations in 2006 upon receiving his ESL Certificate from the School of International Training. After teaching EFL in Ukraine, Serbia, Korea, and China, he decided to earn a Master’s Degree in English with concentrations in TESOL and Composition/Rhetoric at IUPUI while teaching both second language and mainstream writers. His scholarly interests include teaching methodology, critical pedagogy, and intercultural communication. When he isn’t teaching or learning to be a better teacher, he might be found enjoying coffee and good conversation with friends and family or strumming away on his guitar.Christina Hadley MorreroChristina Hadley is a native of the great state of Texas. She had the experience of being a foreign exchange student her senior year of high school, which sparked her passion for cultures and traveling the globe. She received a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a focus in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in French from Texas State University. Later she moved to Manhattan, New York, where she earned a Master’s of Science in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the City University of New York. She has taught language camps in both South Korea and Taiwan. Additionally, she taught various levels of English to immigrant students from all over the world for four years at a high school in the Bronx. Afterwards, Christina joined an international school in Chile, South America, for two years, meeting more international students, trying to learn more Spanish, and traveling to the tip of the world. Christina is proud to have joined the diverse team at Spring International and loves the spirit of the Razorbacks!Tony HartmanTony Hartman’s eight years of teaching encompass classes ranging from Business English to Advanced Grammar to Beginning Speaking. In Guangdong, China, he trained high-school English Language teachers, and during his time there he also enjoyed learning Mandarin and travelling around China. Tony earned an M.A. in TESOL from Emporia State University in Kansas and has taught in university Intensive English Programs for 7 years. Tony enjoys learning about languages, science, and history. Tony has travelled in Asia, Europe, Central America, and around the United States. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer Rae, and his hobbies include fly-fishing, reading, travelling, taking photos, and learning computer programming and web design.James HedstromJames Hedstrom earned his Bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Photography in 2005 from Southern Illinois University.  After receiving his Bachelor’s, he went to South Korea, where he found a job teaching EFL to young learners and adults.  After teaching there for about five years, he decided to return to his alma mater to pursue an M.A. in TESOL in 2012.  While there, he was given the opportunity to teach in SIU’s intensive English program and the Department of Linguistics as a teaching assistant.  Shortly after completing his studies, he joined the faculty at SILC in January of 2013.  In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, watching movies, traveling, and hiking.Vladimir IvashchenkoVladimir Ivashchenko was born in Novosibirsk, Russia. His family later moved to Ukraine. He got his BA in English and French at Kiev State University in 1990. The same year he flew to Canada (a cloak-and-dagger tale, one of intrigue – the Wall had just fallen – but that is a tale for another day…), and from there to the United States. In 1992 he began the pursuit of an MFA degree in Literary Translation at the University of Arkansas, during which he taught elementary French and Russian in the Foreign Language Department, at times also tutoring in English, Russian and French, as well as translating for local companies and individuals involved in international business. He completed his studies in 1998, but he considers himself an eternal student, as there is so much to learn in the language field. He joined Spring International in August 2000; he has been teaching ever since, and truly enjoying it, and he finds teaching one of the best means of learning.Rochelle KeoghRochelle graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic, and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language. At Spring International Language Center, she has developed and led both pre-service and in-service teacher development programs for the US-Mexico Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange, Srinakharinwirot University and Mahasarakham University in Thailand, Vietnam National University, and the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She has also led leadership development programs for Shimane University and Kanto University in Japan. She is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Higher Education at the University of Arkansas, where she will continue her work and research in international education.Lindsey KingLindsey King obtained her Master’s Degree in International Human Rights and International Law at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.  She has recently lived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as an English professor at King Abdulaziz University.  Passionate about human rights issues, Lindsey has also volunteered in Tbilisi, Georgia on a project for juvenile justice.  She speaks English, Arabic, and French, and has traveled worldwide.  She is pursuing a permanent career in international human rights, with a focus on human trafficking and international law.Michael KneppComing soon...Julie KrolakJulie Krolak is originally from Minnesota. She has a Bachelor?s degree in history and economics from the College of St. Catherine and a Master?s Degree in TESOL from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She has taught English to speakers of other languages for over thirteen years. She taught for seven and a half years in China, one year in South Korea, and four years in the United States. In addition to teaching, Julie has also held various language program management positions. In 1999, she started her own language schools in China and managed them for four and a half years. She was also the academic director of a language school in Santa Barbara, California for two years and a program coordinator at the Monterey Institute. Her specialties are in teaching business English and content-based courses in economics and international politics. Julie loves traveling, learning about different cultures, cooking, reading, and doing yoga.Joseph MasonJoseph Mason has been teaching at Spring International Language Center for one year, while concurrently finishing his masters course work at the University of Arkansas. Joseph grew up and lived in France for nine years and enjoys keeping up his French as much as possible. He has also traveled throughout Europe and Asia and worked for four years in Indonesia. His love of languages, cultures, and teaching fit perfectly together in teaching English at SILC. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, running, reading and traveling.Wendy McBrideWendy McBride came to Spring International with many years of teachingexperience in adult education, job readiness training, GREpreparation, community college English courses and English as a SecondLanguage programs in Illinois and Japan. She earned a B.A. in Englishand Psychology with a journalism focus from Augustana College and anM.S. in TESOL and Bilingual Education from Northern IllinoisUniversity. Wendy reads and writes avidly and has a published noveland nonfiction book to her credit.Christine ParkWhile Christine considers Chicago her home, she is originally from Seoul, South Korea. She developed an interest in teaching English as a student aid in high school while tutoring, and later while teaching in Taiwan.  Upon earning her M.A. in Intercultural Studies and TESOL in 1999 at Wheaton College, she began teaching ESL to college-bound international students, recent immigrants, and refugees in both credit and non-credit courses at various community colleges and universities.  In addition to teaching, Christine was also involved in academic management, student advising, writing placement essay evaluation, and as an ESL trainer.  In 2005, she and her husband relocated to San Francisco Bay Area where she held several positions in program management; as CEA accreditation coordinator, learning assessment coordinator, and as a faculty member at both Chabot College and Converse International School of Languages.  Her own experience becoming bilingual in Korean and English has been an asset in understanding the needs and experiences of her diverse students from around the world with all levels of language proficiency. In the fall of 2012, Christine joined the SILC faculty.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, singing, listening to stories, and eating Asian food.Cindy RauthCindy earned her B.A. in Latin American and Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and M.A. in TESOL from the University of Washington, Seattle.   She began teaching ESL so that she could travel the world and her first teaching job took her to Oporto, Portugal in 1997.  She has also lived abroad in Chile, France, and in southeastern Europe, specifically Montenegro and Croatia, where for several years, she taught English and trained pre- and in--service English teachers through the U.S. Department of State’s English Language Fellow Program.  She has been teaching and training teachers for Spring International since 2007.  In her free time, Cindy enjoys hanging out with her family and teaching her two young children.  When life permits, she squeezes in hiking, dancing, swimming in the sea, music and of course travel!Molly StaeheliHaving earned a BA and a couple of Masters degrees in international education and communication, Molly Staeheli joined the field of English language Education in 2002 to teach in a New York City public high school.  She has taught in Japan and most recently worked in Kosovo and Turkey on US Government granted projects where she worked extensively on teacher training projects, promoting English language development and intercultural understanding.    She spends her summers directing an English language camp that promotes peace to youth of Eastern Europe.  She has taught ESL/EFL at all levels from primary through graduate school, and is happy to add the University of Arkansas and Spring International to her teaching experiences.Alice ShepherdAlice graduated from Northeast LA University with an MA in English. She taught remedial reading at Sequoyah Indian School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and English at Springdale High School in Springdale, Arkansas, and did a one-year Fulbright Teacher Exchange (1985-86) in England, about 30 minutes. from London in a town called Surbiton. After a year back in Springdale, she missed England so much that she arranged to take a position at an international school in Cobham, Surrey, UK. Intending to stay only a few years, she wound up living in the UK for 18 years before returning to Fayetteville in 2006. Her favorite leisure activities over the years have included reading, attending the theater, travelling around Europe, photography, and writing for her own amusement but not for publication. She has one grown daughter, who also lives in Fayettteville.Iris ShepardIris Shepard, a native Arkansan, completed her PhD in English at the University of Arkansas. She has taught university level English classes for eight years as well as developing curriculum for literacy intervention programs for middle and junior high schools throughout Northwest Arkansas. She's starting her second year at SILC. In addition to teaching, she also writes; her fiction and non-fiction have been published in journals including JAELP,  Elder Mountain, and Wolf Review. When not teaching or writing, Iris enjoys running, hiking, and spending time with her family.Erik ThornquistErik was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up near San Francisco. After receiving a bachelor's degree in English & literature, his first job (as a copy editor for the government) inspired him to leave for a teaching position that served the LG corporation in South Korea. Since then, he has taught ESL, EFL, composition, and technical writing for universities in the United States, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, he spent four years in Taiwan, where he taught corporate and elementary school students as well as managed and trained teachers. Upon returning to the States, he earned his M.A. in TESOL from the University of Idaho. He has been at Spring International since 2010 – and he feels fortunate to have worked with such bright, hard-working students!  He enjoys lateral thinking and lives with his wife, daughter, and two relentless cats in Fayetteville; they enjoy canoeing, camping, music, and general tomfoolery.Don WilliamsA native of the Chicago area, Don Williams graduated from Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois, and began his teaching career at the elementary level. In 1974 he moved to Australia, working as a high school teacher for twelve years. During this time, he first experienced ESL teaching as a volunteer instructor for two months at Hangzhou University in China. He returned to Chicago, received an MA in Curriculum & Instruction, and in 1991 he joined the Peace Corps and went to Poland. There he experienced an intensive language program, but as a student this time! For the next eight years, Don lived in Krakow, teaching English at Krakow Pedagogical University, at a Polish high school, at several private schools, and at an intensive language program for the Polish military. In 1999, thanks to the Peace Corps again, Don studied ESL teaching at Wichita State University and worked at the WSU Intensive English Language Center, and in 2000 he joined SILC. Don loves his ESL work very much, and also enjoys drawing and painting, cooking, reading and travel.Anna WillsonAfter receiving a B.A. in Elementary Education from University of Missouri, Kansas City, Anna taught 4th grade until 1991. In 1992, she received an M.A. in TESL from Central Missouri State University and began teaching English at a Hungarian high school in Romania under the auspices of Soros Foundation for an Open Society. From 1994 to 1999, Anna was an instructor in the Intensive English Program at Central Missouri State University. In addition to teaching international students, Anna enjoys traveling, playing the piano, singing with her church choir, going to Razorbacks games, and playing with her dog.Triny Yates-KneppComing soon...