The U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce this year’s Alumni Impact Award and Institution Partner Award recipients. The awards will be presented by Deputy Assistant Secretary Ethan Rozenzweig on Thursday, March 23, during the TESOL 2023 Convention and English Language Expo in Portland, Oregon. The full schedule of U.S. Department of State events is available on the English Language Programs Events page.
Alumni Impact Awards
Richard Silberg is this year’s recipient of the English Language Fellow Alumni Ambassador Award, presented with appreciation for using his English Language Fellow alumni experience to continue supporting the English Language Programs community and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Mr. Silberg was a Fellow in Cambodia in 2015-2016, and an Alumni Ambassador in 2018-2019.
Dr. Susan Huss-Lederman is this year’s recipient of the English Language Specialist Impact Award, presented with appreciation for using her English Language Specialist experience to positively impact her local teaching communities in the United States upon return and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Dr. Huss-Lederman was a Specialist in Ecuador in 2017 and Peru in 2022.
Pearlie Lubin is this year’s recipient of the Virtual English Language Educator Impact Award, presented with appreciation for using her Virtual English Language Educator Program experience to positively impact teaching communities in the United States and Costa Rica while advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Ms. Lubin was a Virtual Educator in Costa Rica when this new program was in its infancy in 2020.
Skeisha Sheriff is this year’s second recipient of the Virtual Educator Language Educator Impact Award, presented with appreciation for enhancing understanding of American values, building relationships, helping the U.S. Embassy to reach their public diplomacy goals in Costa Rica, and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Ms. Sheriff is one of the teachers that Ms. Lubin worked closely with in Costa Rica.
Estelle Onguene is this year’s recipient of the OPEN/Virtual Exchange Impact Award, presented with appreciation for sharing knowledge and skills gained through the U.S. Department of State’s OPEN Program and Virtual Exchange Program in ways that have significantly impacted her region and educational community. Ms. Onguene, who currently serves as a teacher and teacher leader of English and French in Cameroon, mentors other teachers, especially those in underserved regions and from other African countries.
Dr. Maged Rushdy is this year’s recipient of the Access Teacher Impact Award, presented with appreciation for using his English Access Microscholarship Program experience to positively impact his local teaching communities in Egypt and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Dr. Rushdy has been teaching classes for visually impaired students in Cairo since 2015.
Liudmyla Totsyna is this year’s recipient of the Access Teacher of the Year Award, presented with appreciation for using her English Access Microscholarship Program experience to positively impact her local teaching communities in Ukraine and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. Ms. Totsyna has been an Access teacher in the city of Mariupol since 2017 and a trainer in the Access Alumni Civic Engagement Program from 2019-2022.
Institution Partner Awards
SIT Graduate Institute, with appreciation for their M.A. TESOL program being a Top Fellow Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 cycle and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. The award will be accepted by Dr. Leslie Turpin, Chair and Associate Professor of the MA in TESOL program at SIT.
Georgia State University, with appreciation for their M.A. TESOL program being a New Top Fellow Producing Institution for the 2022-2023 cycle and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. The award will be accepted by Dr. Sara Cushing, Chair and Professor of Applied Linguistics and English as a Second Language at Georgia State.
University of Southern California, with appreciation for sending the largest number of English Language Specialists selected for the 2022 calendar year and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange. To accept the Top Specialist Producing Institution award on behalf of their departments are:
- Dr. Nina Kang from the American Language Institute. Dr. Kang has been a Specialist in Lebanon and Vietnam.
- Melanie Johnson from the Viterbi School of Engineering. Ms. Johnson has been a Specialist in Russia and Colombia.
- Kate Kessler from the International Academy. Ms. Kessler has been a Specialist in Indonesia and Brazil.
- Dr. Emmy Min from the Rossier School of Education. Dr. Min has been a Specialist in Turkiye.
Tennessee State University, with appreciation for expanding the U.S. partner base and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange through participation in the English Language Specialist Program. The New Specialist Partner Institution award will be accepted by Dr. Kisha Bryan, Associate Professor, who was a Specialist in Peru.
Community College of Philadelphia, with appreciation for expanding the U.S. partner base and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange through support of the Virtual English Language Educator Program. The New Virtual Educator Partner Institution will be accepted by Dr. Muhammad Khan, Assistant Professor of English, who was a Virtual Specialist in Madagascar.
Kansas State University, with appreciation for expanding the U.S. partner base and advancing U.S. foreign policy objectives and educational exchange through their participation in the Online Professional English Network Partner Institution. The award will be accepted by Ketty Reppert, Interim Director of KSU’s English Language Program.