Board of Advisors

27th 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

Plenary Speakers

Dr. Joyce Kling

  • TESOL International President 2022-2023
  • PhD in Applied Linguistics, University of Copenhagen
  • Expert in English as a Medium of Instruction
  • Senior Lecturer at Lund University, Denmark

Dr. Antony John Kunnan

  • PhD from UCLA, Senior Research Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University
  • Principal Assessment Scientist with Duolingo
  • Conducted over 120 seminars, workshops, and plenary and invited talks in 36 countries on assessment, author and co-editor of over 50 books and articles on assessment
  • Research interests are fairness of tests and testing practice and assessment literacy

Dr. Melanie Gobert

  • TESOL Arabia President 2015
  • EdD in Educational Leadership, University of Phoenix
  • Awarded an Emirates Foundation Grant on Enhancing National Identity Through Indigenous Literature
  • Specialist in Teaching Reading, Writing, and Vocabulary
  • English Language Teaching Consultant, Author, and Editor

Heather Van Fleet

  • Certified Mindfulness Teacher and Social Emotional Learning Facilitator
  • National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Mental Health Coach, and Leadership and Resilience Coach
  • Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide
  • English Language Specialist, a program sponsored by the U.S Department of State.

Dr. Ali H. Al-Hoorie

  • PhD in English Language, University of Nottingham, UK
  • Expert in Motivation Theory, Research Methodology, and Complexity
  • Published in ELT Journal, Modern Language Journal, and Language Teaching Research Journal
  • Associate Professor of English Language

Dr. Luis Javier Pentón Herrera

  • President of Maryland TESOL 2018-2019
  • PhD in Educational Leadership, University of Concordia, Chicago
  • Expert in Social Emotional Learning and Identity in Language and Literacy Education
  • Assistant Professor at the University of Warsaw, Poland

Invited Speakers

Amira Salama

  • MA American University of Cairo, Egypt
  • Current President of Africa ELTA and Past President of NileTESOL and
  • Specialist in Teacher Burnout, Leadership for Teachers, and Equality and Inclusion in Education
  • Currently Academic English Instructor at Nile University, Egypt

Dr. Kay Gallagher

  • PhD Canterbury Christ Church University, UK
  • Specialist in English and Bilingual Education
  • Editor Education in the UAE: Innovation and Transformation
  • Professor at Emirates College of Advanced Education, UAE

Jim Pastore

  • Senior Academic Support Specialist Emirates Schools Establishment (ESE) Dubai
  • University of Notre Dame
  • Past Principal ADNOC Schools, Emirates National Schools, Clarion School

Ahlem Ben-Othman

  • International Entrepreneur, Executive Coach, and Motivational Speaker
  • Founder and CEO of World Network Consulting Services (WNCS) and Co-Founder of ARAHA SARL
  • President of the Youth Empowerment and Development Association (YEDA)
  • BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ohio State University

Dr. Andrzej (Andy) Cirocki

  • Associate Professor in English Language Education, University of York, UK
  • Visiting Professor of TESOL at Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
  • Editor-in-chief of The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL

Dr. Christine Coombe

  • Associate Professor of General Studies at Dubai Men’s College, UAE
  • Past TESOL International Association President and Convention Chair
  • Named to the US Department of State’s 30@30 English language specialists in 2021
  • Recipient of TESOL’s James E. Alatis Award in 2018
  • Authored/Edited 57 books on ELT teaching, research, and assessment

Yousef Al Awadi

  • Master’s Degree in Project Management from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia
  • Certified NLP trainer, hypnotherapist, and an inspired leadership trainer
  • Selected to participate in Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in Washington, DC

Dr. Jaime Lynn Cardwell

  • Doctorate in Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
  • Expert on Emirati Achievement in the ADEK Charter School Project
  • Vice-Principal at Al Ghad Charter School, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Michelle Beukes

  • Assistant Principal at Al Ghad School, a charter school in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  • English and Drama teacher in British and US Curriculum with over 10 years of experience

Anna Hearrell

  • Bridge Education Group, Denver, Colorado, USA, Director of Operations
  • Developer of innovative online programs designed to meet the needs of English language teachers around the world

Maggie De Oliveira

  • Bridge Education Group’s Teacher and Institutional Relations Manager
  • Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics, Taught in Brazil and USA
  • Designed innovative teacher training feedback

Eli Ghazel

  • Executive Director of EU Professional Advancement and Development
  • Authored several English language learning series among them Mega Goal
  • Developed and implemented the Modular Learning Design (MLD) for English teachers at the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabi

Dr. Lana Hiasat

  • Senior Lecturer & Program Team Leader of General Studies, HCT-Dubai
  • Published journal articles and book chapters on blended learning, emotional intelligence, and future foresight
  • Recipient of four interdisciplinary research grants
  • Doctor of Education- educational leadership and technologies
  • Senior Fellow HEA, and certified trainer of future foresight