Board of Advisors
26th TESOL Arabia International Conference & Exhibition
Volunteer Advisory Scientific Committee
Dr. Christine Coombe
Associate Professor of General Studies
Dubai Men’s College
Past President, TESOL International
Fathi Ben Mohamed
Specialist, Learning & Development
ADNOC Technical Academy
Dr. Melanie Gobert
ELT Consultant, Author, and Editor,
President of TESOL Arabia 2015
Invited Speakers
Dr. Justin Shewell
- Ph.D. in Educational Technology from Arizona State University
- Member of the Board of Directors for the TESOL International Association
- Author of several books and book chapters, including 50 Ways to Teach Online and 50 Ways to Learn a Language
Dr. Christine Coombe
- Associate Professor of General Studies at Dubai Men’s College.
- Past TESOL International Association President and Convention Chair.
- Named to the US Department of State’s 30@30 English language specialists in 2021.

Professor Barry O’Sullivan
- Senior Advisor English Language Assessment at the British Council
- Founding president of the UK Association of Language Testing and Assessment
- Has over 100 publications

Dr Christina Gkonou
- Associate Professor of TESOL and MA TESOL Programme Leader, University of Essex, UK.
- Published extensively on teacher education and development, and on psychological aspects surrounding the foreign language learning and teaching experience.

Dr. Patrick Dougherty
- Dean of the Faculty of International Liberal Arts & Head of the English for Academic Purposes Program’ Akita International University, Japan.
- Numerous published works that focus on education in the United Arab Emirates.

Dr. Jacqueline S. Stephen
- Assistant Professor, Director of The Office of Distance Learning, and Instructional Designer, in the College of Professional Advancement at Mercer University, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
- Ed.D. in Instruction and Curricular Leadership with a concentration in instructional design and technology.

Dr. Melanie van den Hoven
- Ph.D. in Intercultural Education from the University of Durham, England
- Published on English-medium policies and translanguaging practices in the United Arab Emirates, multilingualism and interculturality, and linguistic landscaping.

Josephine Clark Kennedy
- AMIDEAST Regional Director of English Language Programs, supporting quality and innovation across the organization’s Middle East and North Africa centers.
- Past Divisional Vice President at World Learning, a US non-profit supporting Ministries of Education around the globe

Dr. Lana Hiasat
- Doctoral degree in educational leadership with specialization in educational technology.
- Senior Lecturer and program team leader of the General Studies department at HCT, Dubai Men’s college.
- Has published in areas of future foresight, emotional intelligence, artificial intelligence, smart learning, blended learning, educational leadership, intercultural intelligence, and online teaching and learning.

Prof. Tariq Elya
- Professor of Applied Linguistics at King Abdulaziz University, KSA
- Areas of interests include Global English, Teacher Identity, Policy Reform, Media Studies, and Women Studies in the Middle East.
- Winner of many professional awards and fellowships
- Has been the most highly cited author in Saudi Arabia in the fields of Education and Applied Linguistics since 2012.

Dr. Mick King
- Assistant Professor at the Community College of Qatar.
- EdD in TESOL from the University of Exeter, UK, and an M.Sc. in Educational Management from Aston University, UK
- His professional service to TESOL includes board membership of TESOL Arabia and TESOL Gulf, conference organizing, teacher training, and journal article/conference proposal reviewing.