Sonoma State University American Language Institute

staff and faculty

Helen Kallenbach

Program Director, Instructor
BA French - University of Missouri
MA Education, TESL Certificate - Sonoma State University

Helen began as an instructor at SSALI in 1988. From 1989 until 1994 she was the Student Advisor; then for 6 years she was the Academic Coordinator before becoming the Director in 2000. She continues to teach 2-3 courses each semester. In addition to speaking French and Portuguese, Helen has studied German, Italian and Spanish. She has lived in Switzerland and traveled in Asia, Europe and Brazil. Helen loves her job, saying that she is continually learning about the world from her students. She enjoys having students visit her home in rural Sonoma County where they enjoy walking under the redwood trees, swimming, playing the piano, and cooking ethnic foods.

Barbara McCall

International Student Coordinator, Instructor
BA History, TESL Certificate - Sonoma State University

Barbara has been with the SSALI program since 1986. She assists SSALI students with their applications, visas, immigration status and housing. If you phone the SSALI office you will probably talk with Barbara. Barbara has traveled to over 20 countries and loves learning about other cultures and meeting people from all over the world. She especially loves teaching pronunciation and conversation classes. She says, "My students make my life so enjoyable. I love them all!"

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free classes
- Free ESL classes
- Clases Gratis de ESL

	Berta Hodges Academic Coordinator, Student Advisor, Instructor BA International Studies - University of California at Berkeley MA Education, TESL Certificate - Sonoma State University Berta started teaching at SSALI in 1989, specializing in grammar and communication. In 2000 she took on the roles of Academic Coordinator and Student Advisor. Berta has studied French, German, and Modern Greek and has lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia. For her Master's thesis, she did extensive research on the education systems of Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
	Jeff Cady Instructor BA Philosophy - Brown University MA Education with ESL specialization - Temple University Jeff is from upstate New York, just a few miles from Niagara Falls and only about 100 yards from Canada. He earned his master's degree from Temple University's Tokyo campus in Japan, where he lived and taught for many years. Jeff has visited or lived in more than 45 countries and is co-author of Business Venture I and II and Target Listening. When Jeff returned from Japan in 1998, he began teaching at SSALI. Now he lives with his wife near San Francisco and loves computer games and hiking in the local hills.
	Rand Floren Instructor BA - Central Washington University MA English - San Francisco State University TESL Certificate - Sonoma State University Rand, a teacher at SSALI since 1988, specializes in teaching advanced and intermediate Reading, Writing, and Grammar. He has studied Spanish in Mexico. Rand especially enjoys introducing students to the history and interesting places in San Francisco and Sonoma County.
	Miriam Hutchins Instructor BS Education, BA History - Wayne State University MA Education, TESL Certificate - Sonoma State University Since 1992 Miriam has been teaching communication, reading, and composition classes at SSALI. She is also the director of a program for public school teachers in International Studies. She has received 2 Fulbright grants to study and travel with teachers in Brazil. She loves to have big dancing parties for SSALI students.
	John Lowe Instructor MA, TESOL/Applied Linguistics, University of Leicester, UK BA, English and French, SUNY at Buffalo, NY Born and raised in Long Island, New York, John has lived in three states (California, Hawaii and New York) and three foreign countries (England, Germany and France). As a one-year exchange student at the University of Paris (La Sorbonne), he not only discovered a hidden talent for languages (he has now achieved native-like fluency in both French and German) but also a keen interest in other cultures. John has considerable experience both as a teacher and in the business sector, though teaching ESL/EFL remains his favorite activity, largely because of his love of cultural diversity and interpersonal communication. In addition to his "pet' subjects of world history, geography and meteorology, he also loves animals, hiking, water sports and travel, both within and beyond US borders
	Kate Lothyan Instructor BA Education, Drake University BA English, MA English, TESL Certificate Sonoma State University Kate has been a member of the SSALI faculty since 1991 after spending a year teaching for ELS in South Korea. She enjoyed everything about Korea, except, she says, “having to eat moving octopus tentacles.” Kate’s favorite activity is swimming, and she was thrilled to swim with dolphins in Hawaii. She also likes growing rare and unusual flowers and spending time with her many pets.
	Damon Vettori Instructor BS Business – Georgetown University MA Education/TESOL – University of Tasmania, Australia Born and raised in Maryland, Damon is one of the newest members of SSALI. He began teaching EFL in South Korea in 1998. In 2004 he returned to the United States and settled in Sonoma County with his wife. Damon is conversant in Korean. His love for travel and interest in cultural diversity are what have driven him to be an ESL/EFL instructor. In his free time Damon loves to spend time hiking, swimming, and reading
	Audrey Schell Instructor BA Community Studies - University of California, Santa Cruz MA TESOL - University San Francisco Audrey began her SSALI career in 1997. She enjoys teaching grammar, reading and composition at all levels. She has worked in Central America and traveled in Europe. Audrey really loves having students to her wonderful home set deep in the redwood forest of Sonoma County.
	Daniela Kingwill Instructor BA, Language Studies – University of California, Santa Cruz Teaching Credentials – Sonoma State University MA, English with TESOL emphasis – San Francisco State University Daniela has been teaching at SSALI since 2004. Previously, she taught bilingual elementary school in Santa Rosa, as well as EFL in Italy. She was fortunate to learn German and English growing up, from her German mother and American father. She also speaks Spanish, Italian and French. She has lived and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Daniela loves to swim and do water aerobics. She lives in Sonoma County with her husband and their dog. She loves teaching at SSALI because she can interact with and learn from people of diverse cultural backgrounds.
	Cheo Massion Instructor BA American Studies & Biology – Wellesley College MA TESOL – San Francisco State University Cheo has always loved traveling—in the U.S. and abroad—and learning about other cultures. She enjoys speaking French, and she lived in Lyon, France in 2001. Her interest in traveling and teaching took her to Poland for two years where she taught English at a private language school. More recently, she has earned her master’s degree from San Francisco State University and has taught ESL classes locally for several years. Her favorite weekend activity is hiking at Pt. Reyes National Park in Marin County.
	Cher Evans Instructor A.A. in Behavioral Science, College of Marin Counseling Certificate, S.S.U. B.A. New College, Humanities M.A. New College, Clinical/Social Psychology TESOL Certificate, S.I.T. Cher began her career as a social worker and counselor. She has travelled extensively, and as a result became interested in teaching English as a way to live and work overseas. After receiving her TESOL Certificate, she began working at SSALI, and decided that she would stay right here! Cher has also taught at her local college, teaching writing and interpersonal skills to disabled students. She spends her free time hiking on Mt. Tamalpais near San Francisco with friends, and planning her next trip out of the country.
	Debra Crow Instructor BA – English, Secondary Education, University of Wisconsin JD – Loyola Law School MA, TESOL – San Francisco State University Debra has been teaching at SSALI since 2004. Prior to obtaining her Master’s Degree, she was a lawyer for 20 years, but she thinks that teaching English as a second language is the best job she has ever had. She has studied Japanese and Indonesian and is currently studying Spanish. In her free time, Debra reads, quilts, exercises and walks her dogs. She loves to travel and has traveled all over the world.