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Meet the Director
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Jim Valentine, director of the American Language Institute, received his doctorate from the University of California,
Los Angeles specializing in Psychological Studies in Education with a cognate in TESL/Applied Linguistics.
He also holds a B.A. in French and Spanish from Dartmouth College. For seven years prior to his arrival at
the University of Southern California, he served as language coordinator for the international business programs
at the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.
His principal applied research interests are human motivation, the instructional design of language programs,
organizational psychology, and educational ethnography. |
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Meet the Faculty
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Lucienne Aarsen earned her MA in English Teaching at the University
of London Institute of Education. Her extensive experience includes teaching
locally at UCLA and USC as well as overseas in Indonesia, Israel, and London.
She is very passionate about fostering educational exchange with people
from various cultures, and enjoys picking up languages in the process.
She speaks Dutch and Italian and has studied French, Russian, and Spanish.
As a language enthusiast, her approach to teaching is to actively engage
students in topics of their professional, academic, and social interests
for students to gain confidence in their English language skills. |
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Gena Burgess coordinates the English language program and testing for international teaching
assistants at USC. Gena received her doctorate in Educational Leadership from USC. She has a wide range of ESL
and EFL teaching experiences in the United States and abroad. She is also an active participant in TESOL and CATESOL
where she not only has led a number of workshops, but has also served in leadership positions and was the 2004 LA
Regional CATESOL Conference Chair.
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Victoria Byczkiewicz Cutler holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from UC Santa Barbara and an MA in the
Anthropology of Visual Communication from Temple University. After exploring her roots and teaching English for six years
in post-unification Berlin, Germany, Victoria returned to her home city of Los Angeles, earning an MA in TESOL at
Cal State LA. Victoria has nearly twenty years’ experience as an editor and writer for both commercial and academic
publications. Her interests include classroom discourse analysis, language and identity issues, and oral language assessment.
She is also committed to developing engaging content-based instructional materials. In her leisure time Victoria enjoys
cooking, writing, Eastern philosophies, and all of the arts. |
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Reka Clausen earned her Master of Arts in TESOL from California State University, Los Angeles.
She began her teaching career in Bologna, Italy, where she spent 9 years teaching EFL at various universities,
language schools, and multi-national companies. Before joining the ALI faculty, she also taught ESL at UCLA Extension’s
American Language Institute and at Santa Monica College. As coordinator of the writing skills courses at the ALI, she is
dedicated to continually developing innovative materials and improving the curriculum for these courses. She is fluent in
Italian and Farsi and has studied French, Spanish and Portuguese, as learning foreign languages and traveling abroad have
always been a passion. |
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Barry Griner is the course coordinator of ALI 220 and 231. He is originally from the East Coast where he
received his BS in Mathematics Education. He spent ten years teaching in Hiroshima, Japan before returning to the States
to get his MA in Applied Linguistics and TESL at UCLA. He also did several years of study in the PhD program in Applied
Linguistics there, doing research in the morphophonotactics of Japanese and in intonational phonology. Barry’s 21 years
of teaching experience also includes program evaluation/development and teacher training for the US State Department in
faraway places like Uzbekistan. In his free time he enjoys baking, traveling, and camping around California.
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Juli Kirkpatrick is the Testing Coordinator of the ALI. She earned her BA in International Relations from
Stanford University and her M.A in TESOL from United States International University in San Diego, CA. She has taught
ESL/EFL in Japan and Turkey as well as at San Diego State University and UCLA Extension. Her special interests are in
teaching pronunciation and grammar. She enjoys traveling, learning foreign languages, and Middle Eastern dancing as well.
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Mary Ann Murphy's interest in language acquisition began as an undergraduate when she spent a year
studying in Chambery, France. She received her MA in TESL/Applied Linguistics from UCLA and has since taught in virtually
type of program and, it seems, virtually every school in the Los Angeles area. Most recently, Mary Ann spent 3 years
teaching pronunciation and writing at UCLA. Her areas of interest include: student motivation, generation 1.5, and teacher
training. She also bakes a mean pie.
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Sharon Myers holds a BA in Linguistics from UCSD, an MA in TESOL from the University of Washington,
and a Ph.D. in Multilingual/Multicultural Education from Florida State University. She has served as director for the
International TA Training Program and
the Academic ESL Program at Texas Tech University, and is interested in the pedagogy of 2nd
language writing and issues affecting international scientists, engineers, and academicians who publish in English.
She has published articles in English for Specific Purposes, TESL-EJ, and College Composition and
Communication. She is fluent in Spanish, and enjoys the work
of Latin American caricaturistas, reading about science, and writing poetry.
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James Polk
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Kimberley Briesch Sumner holds a Bachelor’s degrees in both French and psychology from the University of
Oklahoma, and a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language from UCLA.
Her interests lie in working with students who are experiencing U.S. culture for the first time and also
with students who need to hone their advanced English skills. Kimberley is originally from the state of Oklahoma but has
traveled to various places in the world including France, Germany, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. In her free time she enjoys
going out with friends, watching movies, and playing alto saxophone in the UCLA Alumni Band.
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Meet the Adjunct Faculty
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Sara Anderson. |
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Cynthia Dong |
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Eric H. Roth teaches students the
pleasures and perils of writing and public speaking. He has taught numerous English and writing courses across
Southern California. A former journalist and Congressional aide, Roth also directed the CES Adult Education Center
from 1996-1998. Roth received his MA in Media Studies (88) from The New School University, and his B.A. (84) in
philosophy from Wabash College. He has traveled to over 35 countries, taught in Spain and France, and led many
teaching workshops. Roth co-authored Compelling Conversations: Questions and Quotations on Timeless Topics in 2007.
He also advises the USC Conversation Partners Program.
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Meet the Staff
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Jim Cunningham, the ALI Program Administrator, directs and coordinates all the administrative
aspects of the American Language Institute. He is also the web master for all of the ALI's web pages. Mr. Cunningham
holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from UCLA, and an MA in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary.
He has travelled extensively in Asia and the Pacific, and lived in Thailand for 8 years. |
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Maricel Veluz, the ALI International Student Advisor, holds a Bachelor's
degree in Psychology. Maricel provides a wealth of information to ALI students on academic and other issues.
She also oversees student performance and attendance, coordinates various administrative and registration functions
for the ALI, and insures the implementation of university policies and procedures.
On the personal side, Maricel loves to play and watch basketball
especially the Lakers. She is our resident NBA expert! |
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Thuy Pham is the ALI Student Services Coordinator. Thuy provides friendly and helpful service to
students who need to register for classes or obtain "D" clearances. She also oversees the administrative aspects of the
ALI International Teaching Assistant (ITA) program.
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Shelly Hacco is the ALI Office Manager and is likely to be the first person
you see when you come to visit. She is very friendly and helpful. She also
keeps the office running smoothly and efficiently. If you have a question,
Shelly will probably have the answer or be able to find someone who does. |
