Welcome
Welcome to the 2017 CATESOL Northern California Regional Conference website. The theme for the conference, “Riding the Waves of Change", addresses the constantly evolving landscape in the field of ESL. Over time, there are shifts in student demographics, government funding, and academic expectations that ESL professionals must navigate and accommodate seamlessly into their professional lives. By taking advantage of opportunities such as the Northern Regional California CATESOL conference, those who work in ESL are seizing the chance to learn from and teach others useful and practical findings that they have learned through research and/or experience. Armed with this knowledge, ESL professionals will not be afraid of being overpowered by the seas of policy, funding, and unrealistic expectations. Instead, they will be able to anticipate and confidently ride the waves of change that will inevitably continue to crash on the shores of our profession.
Meet the Conference Committee
Michelle Mireles-Bagwell is a doctoral student at the University of California Santa Cruz. Michelle earned a M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Southern California and a M.S. in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University. Her research focus is in teaching writing with an emphasis on English Language Learners and technology.
Michelle Mireles-Bagwell
Conference Chair
Kara Mac Donald is an Associate Professor, Faculty Development Trainer, at the Defense Language Institute. Her background consists of over twenty years in foreign language teaching and teacher training. She earned a Masters in Applied Linguistics, TESOL and a Doctorate in Applied Linguistics.
Kara Mac Donald
Conference Co-Chair
Ondine Gage
Conference Co-Chair
I joined CATESOL in 1990, while a graduate student in Linguistics. As a new teacher, the CATESOL community introduced me to amazing colleagues, who were tackling the tough issues of that time, provided professional development to guide me in developing my craft, and mentored me into leadership roles. I then became active in the Saroyan Chapter, where I served as coordinator twice, held several committee roles on the 1997 Annual Conference in Fresno, and continued to contribute to the Chapter as others moved into leadership. After many years of teaching ESL as well as TESOL professional development, I returned to pursue a doctorate at U.C. Santa Cruz. During this time, I helped to revive the Steinbeck Chapter and again served as a Chapter Coordinator. Currently, I am an Assistant Professor of Education in the Department of Liberal Studies at CSU Monterey Bay, where I work with pre-service multiple subject teachers. I currently serve CATESOL in a new role, aiming to be the CATESOL community, which guides new teachers, tackles contemporary issues, and encourages a new generation into leadership.
Gus Leonard
A/V Coordinator and Support
Gus Leonard works at CSU Monterey Bay as the Language Lab Coordinator for the School of World Languages and Cultures. He supports the various technology, and language and culture learning efforts in formal and informal learning environments in WLC.
Gus came to CSUMB in 2000 from the University of Minnesota (UMN) CLA Language Center. At UMN he earned his M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from the Program in Second Language Studies; and also trained in Scandinavian Languages and Literature, and Instructional Technology. He has taught English as a Foreign Language in Yamanashi-ken, Japan (1995-98), English as a Second Language at UMN, and Swedish as a Foreign Language at UMN and Minneapolis Community Education programs.
He has worked with the CSU Virtual Language Learning and the Transforming Course Design projects and various rounds of the HP Mobility Grant through the CSUMB WeTEC Institute supporting learning and technology integration.
Tiffany Oallesma Galicia is a lecturer in the American Language and Culture Program and the University Writing Program at California State University, Monterey Bay. She has an M.A. in TESOL with an emphasis in English for Specific Purposes from San Jose State University and a B.A. in English from UC Davis. Her interests include academic writing and language teaching theory and pedagogy.
Tiffany Oallesma Galicia
Registration and Accounting
Kristen Arps
Exhibitors and Advertisers
Kristen Arps serves as the Director of the Salinas Valley Adult Education Consortium, a state-formed regional group of adult education providers working collaboratively to improve and expand education, training, and support services for adults. Her career has included instruction and program coordination in community based and higher education settings, with a focus on English language development, basic skills, high school equivalency, and career development programming, in the U.S. and abroad. She moved to the Monterey Bay region to do graduate work in international education and language learning at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, where she studied Spanish and earned a M.A. in International Education Administration in 2014. In 1999 she graduated from Gonzaga University with a B.A. in International Relations and minors in French and Italian. Kristen currently lives in Salinas, CA and is based at Hartnell Community College. She represents Adult Education and Community College interests on the board of the local Steinbeck Chapter of CATESOL.
Rogers Walker is passionate about using creativity to help students achieve academic and personal growth. He has taught in a variety of English language instructional contexts, including in IEPs in the US and EFL programs abroad. He is the associate director of Intensive English Programs at Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. He has a BA in English from George Washington University and an MA in Applied Linguistics from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Conference Program
Jennalee Kulig is a MATESOL candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and is serving as the MIIS graduate representative for the Northern Regional CATESOL Association. She grew up in Connecticut and received her B.A. from Bates College where she studied sociology and Spanish. Jennalee was introduced to the field of TESOL through her year of AmeriCorps service where she taught adult ESL classes at a Catholic Charities in Lynn, MA. She hopes to teach adult immigrant ESL learners in a non-academic setting upon receiving her M.A. from MIIS.
Conference Program