Election 2019

John has been a PSMLA member for 13 years and has served on the executive council for the past 8 years.  As council member, he chaired the professional development committee. He became second vice-president in 2016 and is currently serving a term as first vice-president. He co-chaired the 2015 PSMLA Fall conference and has already gotten busy working on the 2020 conference, both in Philadelphia. He has co-organized our Chestnut Hill Immersion Day taking place every March for many years.

John has been teaching Spanish and French for 33 years in the Upper Moreland School District. He is the district’s World Language Framework Leader, responsible for leading and co-planning professional development for his department as well as working with teachers to update and adjust scope and sequence of the world languages curriculum for all levels.

Isabel has been a PSMLA member for 25 years and has served on the Executive Council for the past 6 years. Isabel has chaired the Nominations and Elections Committee and the Membership Committee. She co-chaired the 2018 PSMLA Fall Conference in Pittsburgh and is now serving as second vice-president.

Isabel is a native of Trujillo, Peru. She has taught World Languages in Peru, Japan and the US for 28 years. She received her doctorate from Kobe University in Japan and is a National Board Certified teacher. She has taught at the middle school, high school and college levels and has worked on curriculum and assessment for the Japanese and Spanish programs at the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She is a recipient of numerous grants to support her programs and has been a presenter at local, state and national conferences. Isabel is a speaker of Spanish, Japanese and Portuguese and is currently teaching Japanese and Spanish at Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh.

Megan currently serves PSMLA as editor of its annual journal Pennsylvania Language Forum, a position she has held for the past 3 years. As editor she works with the executive council, contributing to conference planning and PSMLA publications. She enjoys co-presenting regularly at PSMLA conferences and workshops. This year is she was honored to represent PSMLA at the Leadership Initiative for Language Learning, a training organized by ACTFL.

In addition to her work with PSMLA, she is active in her school and at the national and local levels. Regionally, she is co-founder of the Association of World Language Educators (AWLE), an organization that hosts workshops and provides in-service sessions and trainings specifically for world language teachers. At the national level, Megan has served on the board of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica and presented at NECTFL, AATSP, and ACTFL conferences.

Megan is a high school Spanish teacher at Manheim Central High School in Lancaster County.

Jan served on the PSMLA Executive Council 2003-2017 in several capacities, including member and/or chair of various committees, First and Second Vice-President, and 2014-2015 President. She also initiated and continues to implement the PSMLA Global Scholars Program and manage the PSMLA Facebook page. She has co-chaired PSMLA Conferences and presented sessions and workshops at the conferences and at other venues. Her continued involvement in PSMLA is compatible with her professional goal of working to provide a standards and proficiency-based learning environment for Pennsylvania’s world language students as we prepare them for success in the global community.

Jan currently serves as an adjunct instructor at Seton Hill University teaching French and Education courses. She retired from Hempfield Area School District where she taught French in the high school and middle schools and served as World Language Department Chair.

Michael has been PSMLA Treasurer since 2015. In addition, he co-chairs the Finance Committee and the 2017 and 2019 conferences. He has organized a workshop each spring at Messiah College for the past four years. He frequently presents on target language use, developing interpersonal speaking skills, and technology integration. He was the first PSMLA representative at the ACTFL Leadership Initiative for Language Learning and is the NECTFL Vice Chair. A National Board Certified Teacher, he teaches Spanish, French, and Gifted Enrichment in the South Middleton School District (Cumberland County), which has been recognized by the PSMLA PEP program.

I would like to join the PSMLA Executive Council so that I can have an impact on my fellow World Language educators in the state of Pennsylvania. Having taught both German and Spanish for 15 years, I believe that I bring a unique perspective. I look forward to utilizing my skills and passion for event planning in this role. I enjoy networking and working collaboratively with others to produce beneficial results. I am a progressive thinker and am not afraid to brainstorm and implement new, exciting ideas that might benefit the whole organization. It is my desire to see Pennsylvania continue to be a leader in World Language education in the nation. Professionally I strive to constantly reflect upon and improve my teaching practices. I am active in a local organization, Association of World Language Educators (AWLE). Having presented at several professional conferences, including PSMLA, AWLE and AATG, I look forward to presenting at more. I have run a successful, private German exchange at my high school for the past 12 years. I hold a Master’s of Education degree in German from Millersville University and I am currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in Educational Technology. Please see my professional portfolio: https://sites.google.com/view/jennifercampbell/.

In an increasingly global society, the need for American students’ language development and enhanced cultural competency grows continuously. I believe PSMLA plays a vital role in connecting foreign language advocates who will continue to make a collective impact on language acquisition, global competency, and professional development for educators. I am particularly interested in helping to develop PSMLA’s role in providing support to language educators, who remain a fundamental link between students and their language and cultural competency goals. Having grown up in a bilingual home and with a culturally-diverse background, I have developed a penchant for learning languages and find excitement in exploring new cultures. Serving as a member of ExCo has presented the opportunity to blend my passion for languages with the need to engage people in the conversation surrounding foreign language proficiency. This fall marks the beginning of my twelfth year of teaching middle and high school German at Meadville Area Senior High School in northwestern Pennsylvania. I serve as the school-level coordinator for The Friendship Connection, a month-long exchange program to Germany and as our German Travel Club advisor. My teaching certifications are in German and French and I’ve been a life-long speaker of Pennsylvania Dutch.

As a member of PSMLA I have had the privilege to serve on the Executive Council as the chair of the Publications committee, which is responsible for our communications, including our webpage. I believe that continuity is important for professional organizations, and I hope to serve an additional term on the Executive Council in that regard. I am an Associate Professor of Spanish at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition to my ongoing work with PSMLA, I currently serve as president of the Appalachian Professional Language Educators’ Society (APPLES), a local collaborative of foreign language teachers in Central/Western PA. I also serve on the national level on the ACTFL Professional Learning Committee (PLC), and contribute to the development of quality teacher education programs through CAEP Program Review and the Standards Program Review Committee. Similarly, my research focuses on post-secondary educator effectiveness and quality teacher education programs and I frequently present at local, regional and national conferences. Full C.V. available here: https://www.people.iup.edu/huhn/. I look forward to continuing my involvement with PSMLA and ExCo, as well as representing post-secondary language education, as we continue our mission to support foreign language educators at all levels throughout the state of PA!

I am a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Bronx. I moved to Philadelphia to pursue my post-secondary education and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology & Spanish from Rosemont College, a Master in Education in K-12 Foreign Language Education from Saint Joseph’s University, and a principal certification from the School Leadership Graduate Program at the University of Pennsylvania. I have been a full-time teacher with the School District of Philadelphia since 2011 and have been a World Languages Professional Development Leader with the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Health and Welfare Fund since 2015. I am an International Service Learning Advisor, and have organized and led school events and student fundraisers for domestic and international travel to Costa Rica, Guatemala, Italy and Greece. My vision is to build a more engaged community of World Language educators within Philadelphia to share, support and engage in research based pedagogical methods and educational activities through professional development that is geared towards all World Languages. We will gather feedback on our ongoing PD opportunities and continue working on curriculum development. Further increasing awareness and participation from our Philadelphia teachers on a state level within PSMLA and other organizations.