President Elect

Laura Franklin

Bio

Dr. Laura L. Franklin is a Professor of French at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) in Alexandria, Virginia. She also teaches online language classes at all levels through NOVA’s Extended Learning Institute. With many years of classroom experience in World Languages, Franklin is a frequent user of instructional technology in her language teaching and the author of several instructional web sites.

In 2007, she was the recipient of the ACTFL Houghton Mifflin Teaching Foreign Languages with Technology award with IALLT. She is the founding co-Editor of the World Languages collection of the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) and its founding World Languages portal editor. From MERLOT, she received the 2010 Distinguished Service Award and the 2008 Innovative Use Award.

Franklin is a former President of the Greater Washington Association of Teachers of Foreign Languages and was the 2009 Chair of the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. She currently serves on the ACTFL Board of Directors as the NECTFL representative.

She has designed and implemented many faculty development workshops and courses, including the grant-supported NOVASTARTALK technology workshops and webinars. In this summer institute, teachers of less-commonly taught languages at all levels of instruction develop technology-enhanced materials in a hands-on environment.

Research interests include open educational resources (OER), less-commonly taught languages, technology-enhanced language learning and community college education. Her favorite National Standard is Communities, due to her belief that effective real-world communication in the L2 is what motivates students to become fluent speakers of World Languages.

Personal Statement

Throughout my many years as a language educator in French and Portuguese, most of them at the community college level, I have firmly believed in the crucial importance of constant and thorough professional development.

ACTFL is the national organization that meets this need through its conference, through its webinars and workshops and its high-quality publications. The leadership of this organization must respond to the needs of 21st century educators and learners at all levels, delivering the crucial message of our country's essential need to augment its language capacity. In the diverse community college in which I teach, we have an international student body comprised of students from just about every continent. The vast number of these students come to us speaking multiple languages, including English. I dream of the day that this fluency in a language other than English will be the norm for American students.

As President of ACTFL, my principal agenda will be to work with our regional, state and local language organizations, along with our language resource centers and governmental entities, to further the establishment of a robust national language agenda, from K-20 to the workplace.

Mary Lynn Redmond

Bio

Mary Lynn Redmond (BA, EdD UNC-Greensboro, MAEd UNCChapel Hill) is Professor of Education and Coordinator of K-12 Foreign Language Education at Wake Forest University (NC) where she also serves as Chair of the Department of Education. Mary Lynn teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in K-12 methodology and research and supervises student interns. Prior to her work at the university level, Mary Lynn taught French in grades K-12 in both public and private schools.

Mary Lynn has held numerous state and national positions, including president of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC) and president of the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL). She held the position of Executive Secretary of NNELL from 2003-2006. Mary Lynn is currently a member of the Executive Committee of ACTFL, serving as treasurer. An ACTFL member since 1990, her professional service activities include chairing the Florence Steiner K-12 Award Committee (1999) and nominations committee (2003), participating on the strategic planning committee (2004), and serving as a member of the New Visions project and Teacher Development Group. She was also a member of the task force that developed the ACTFL/NCATE teacher standards. Mary Lynn recently served as the external evaluator for the federal grant project on dual language/immersion for the North Carolina Public Schools which led to a K-5 curriculum and teaching licensure in immersion.

Mary Lynn’s contributions to the profession have been dedicated to the promotion of high quality K-12 proficiency-oriented foreign language programs. She is a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences and has coordinated several teacher development institutes at the state and national levels. Her research covers a wide range of topics, and she has published articles in The French Review, Hispania, Foreign Language Annals, Learning Languages, and The Language Educator. Mary Lynn received the 2004 SCOLT Teaching Award and the 2005 ACTFL/NYSAFLT Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education.

Personal Statement

It would be a great privilege to serve as president-elect of ACTFL during such an important time for the advancement of world languages in preK-16. My experience as a member of the ACTFL Board over the past three years has allowed me the opportunity to participate in the visionary work of very dedicated professionals. ACTFL is making extraordinary strides to promote and sustain language programs across the US, providing a voice for all of us in the field. The many initiatives that are currently underway to solidify the place of language study in our schools including the establishment of the Research Priorities agenda, the continued focus on proficiency and assessment, and efforts to advocate amongst key policy and decision-makers outside our field are helping us shape the future of world language education.

I have dedicated my life to supporting language educators and I believe it is critical to continue our commitment to provide an early start and uninterrupted sequence of study in preK-16. Our collaboration as language professionals can ensure a strong national presence which can benefit students of all ages. If elected to serve as president-elect, I will be fully committed to carry out ACTFL’s vision for our profession and will serve our membership to the fullest extent possible.

Board At-Large, Higher Education

Benjamin Rifkin

Bio

Benjamin (“Ben”) Rifkin earned his BA and MA in Russian Studiesfrom Yale, worked for two years as a translator in Moscow, and then earned his Ph.D. in Slavic from the University of Michigan. At the University of Wisconsin from 1990-2005, he supervised the work of graduate student TAs and student teachers, and coordinated the Russian language program, ultimately serving as chair of the Slavic Department and director of a Title VI interdisciplinary center. He was director of the Middlebury Summer Russian School from 1999-2003. From 2005-2009 he worked at Temple University as Professor of Russian and from 2005-2007 as Vice Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. Since 2009 he has been Professor of Russian and Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at The College of New Jersey. Rifkin became an ACTFL OPI tester in 1992 and an OPI trainer in 1996. He has served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Foreign Language Annals, was Associate Editor for Pedagogy for the Slavic and East European Journal for 10 years, and recently completed a term on the Board of NECTFL. A member of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Teachers of Russian since 1993, Rifkin has also served in the leadership of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, as Vice President (1997-1998) and President (2003-2004). He has written Russian-language textbooks and numerous articles – for Foreign Language Annals, Modern Language Journal, and Slavic and East European Journal – and invited lectures and workshops about foreign language education. He has won grants and gives conference presentations regularly at ACTFL, NECTFL, and AATSEEL. Rifkin was recognized with awards for teaching and advising at UW-Madison, as well as with the AATSEEL award for Outstanding Contribution to the Slavic Profession and two book awards for contributions in pedagogy.

Personal Statement

ACTFL has changed my life, so I will do all I can to help ACTFL change yours and the lives of all our students. I will advocate for foreign language and heritage language learners and teachers of all languages at all levels of instruction, from pre-school to graduate school, from Aleut to Zulu. I will work to advance strategies for working with decision-makers – such as school principals, school district superintendents, college deans, provosts – to support world language education. I will also look to enhance collaborations across the profession, matching researchers to programs, to celebrate the success of our best practices.

Tom Mathews

Bio

Tom Mathews has been teaching Spanish at the secondary and university level for over 30 years. He is a professor at Weber State University where he teaches all levels of Spanish language as well as courses in Spanish linguistics, advanced grammar and methods courses for future teachers. He completed an M.A. at Middlebury College (in Madrid) and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Delaware. He has been invited five times to teach graduate courses in Mexico for Southern Oregon University and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Tom has published articles on language teaching in Foreign Language Annals, Hispania and Connections, among other places. His interests include student affect and assessment, teacher proficiency, and program assessment. He has presented regularly at the Utah Foreign Language Association, SWCOLT and ACTFL.

He has twice been elected president of the Utah Foreign Language Association (he is currently UFLA Executive Secretary), was an elected board member of the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching, including president in 2008-09, and has served as president of the Utah chapter of the AATSP.

Personal Statement

I first learned of the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Guidelines as a graduate student in the early 1980s and have ever since been enthralled by the excellent guidance and support thatACTFL provides for language teachers. I 'm honored to be nominated to bring my talents and enthusiasm to the ACTFL Board. I have long valued the opportunity to serve and my profession through activity in professional organizations. Helping to shape the present and future of language education and to aid and inspire teachers has been a very rewarding experience that I would aspire to continue at the national level.

Board At-Large, K-12

Todd Bowen

Bio

Todd Bowen serves as the Department Chair for Modern and Classical Languages at New Trier Township High School in Winnetka, Illinois, in a department of 37 teachers of seven languages. Previously in Barrington, Illinois, Todd chaired the World Language Department and managed state and federal language grants to create innovative programs and re-align the curriculum. As a French teacher at Adlai Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, he achieved National Board Certification, was honored with AATF’s K-12 Ludwig Excellence in Teaching, and served as a reader for AP. Todd began teaching in Indiana at Winamac Community High School and Bloomington High School South where he was honored as Indiana’s French Teacher of the Year in 1998. In 2012, Todd was decorated as a Chevalier in les Palmes Académiques. Todd holds a B.A. from Anderson University, an M.A. in French Language and Civilization from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. He has studied, traveled, and led student exchanges abroad.

Todd is active in the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, the American Association of Teachers of French, the Joint National Committee on Languages, the National Association of District Supervisors of Foreign Languages, and ACTFL. He has served on the CSCTFL Board of Directors, as the Delegate Assembly Co-Chair and Finance Chair, as president of ICTFL and currently serves as the Professional Awareness Chair of ICTFL, attends the JNCL-NCLIS Delegate Assembly, as well as leading Team Illinois to advocate for languages. He shared those experiences at the 2011 ACTFL Delegate Assembly. Todd served on ACTFL’s Florence Steiner Award committee and as its chair. He has presented on numerous occasions at the local, state, regional and national levels.

Personal Statement

As an educator, I value how leaders build on past successes, see familiar situations with new eyes, and create growth for the future. I accepted the nomination for the ACTFL Board of Directors because I have learned the importance of these skills in my experiences as a teacher, school leader and organizational leader. The visionary role that ACTFL plays in strengthening our professional practice, supporting research on language learning, and responding to our needs for standards, assessment tools, and professional dialogue motivate me to serve as a hard-working advocate for languages in our national organization.

Gregg Roberts

Bio

Gregg Roberts is the World Language & Dual Language Immersion Specialist for the Utah State Office of Education. His work with the Utah Legislature and Governor’s office has led to groundbreaking changes in the way world languages are viewed and funded within the state’s K-12 schools. As part of that work, he led a group of K-12 educators in collaboration with the state’s institutions of higher education in the design and implementation of Utah’s highly successful Critical Language and Dual Language Immersion programs, and Utah’s Language Roadmap. He has been a classroom teacher at the university and secondary levels, school district specialist, and state educational leader. Gregg was named the 2009 NCSSFL State Supervisor of the Year and is a member of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques.

Personal Statement

I have a strong desire to work collectively with other Board members and ACTFL officers to continue the progress already made to move the profession forward in the 21st Century. I believe some of the strengths that I would bring to the ACTFL Board are:

• experience at classroom, school, district, and state levels of world language education
• experience in working with a state legislature in writing legislation, leading advocacy
• and funding secondary and elementary language programs on a state-wide level
• experience in grant writing and directing projects at the state and federal levels.

I would be grateful for the opportunity to serve on the ACTFL Board.

Deborah Robinson

Bio

Deborah W. Robinson, Ph.D., taught pre-K through university French and Spanish for 15 years in immersion, afterschool, summer, and traditional programs. Debbie then joined the faculty of the Ohio State University’s Foreign and Second Language Education Program where she taught methods, second language acquisition, and teacher education courses to students from around the world. In 2001, Dr. Robinson was hired by the Ohio Department of Education to shepherd the development of the state's academic content standards and model curriculum. She also served as the project director for a U.S. Department of Education-funded K-4 content-enriched Mandarin curriculum, leading an international team of Chinese teachers to write detailed units.

Debbie is a recent past president of the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL). Through NCSSFL, she collaborated on a common version of LinguaFolio®, a student goal-setting and self-assessment tool used in states, STARTALK, and beyond. Additionally, she worked with NCSSFL, Hanban, and the College Board to interview and inservice Chinese Guest teachers who live and teach across the U.S.

Debbie has served as president of the Ohio Foreign Language Association (OFLA) and as the Ohio and Central States representative to the National Network for Early Language Learning (NNELL). Recently, Dr. Robinson chaired the Institutional Impact Taskforce of ACTFL’s three-year International Research Studies grant investigating the impact of the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning on the profession.

Throughout her career, Debbie has presented hundreds of sessions and workshops and authored many articles. She was named NCSSFL’s 2010 State Supervisor of the Year and honored with OFLA’s Professional Service Award during the 2011 conference.

Dr. Robinson retired from the state of Ohio in January to join The Language Flagship as their K-12 strategist and consultant. She coordinates initiatives within Flagship and among partner organizations to promote high-quality, outcomes-based world language learning opportunities.

Personal Statement

I believe that my background as a preschool through university world language educator and state consultant enables me to see the field from multiple perspectives. While I don’t have all the answers, great minds working together can accomplish wonders. I relish the opportunity to give back to the profession through collaboration with others whose expertise and passion set the course for world language education in the nation. Our field must evolve to embrace learner-centered, 24/7, standards- and outcomes-based learning opportunities. Like you, I want never to hear “I took three years of X and all I can say is ‘hello’.”