Faculty and Staff

	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. She was the Student Advisor for five years, and then spent six years as 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. She 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. Barbara says, "My students make my life so enjoyable. I love them all!"
	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.
	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, and in 2004, he returned to the United States and settled in Sonoma County with his wife. Damon is conversant in Korean, and 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 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.
	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. Debra loves to travel, and has traveled all over the world. In her free time, she reads, quilts, exercises, and walks her dogs.
	Juhwan Kim Instructor BA Business Korea University in South Korea MA TESOL Sonoma State University Juhwan is the first and only SSALI instructor who has studied in SSALI. He was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the U.S. to study English in 2007. He began to study TESOL and teach ESL students as an instructional assistant in 2009. He has taught conversation, fluency, English through Games and English through Stories. Juhwan enjoys communicating with international students as an a instructor, a supporter, and as a friend. He likes being a friend to students because he has been through the process of learning English as his second language. He also loves to play soccer, so he often plays with SSALI students. He invites students to have fun with him anytime, but only in English!
	Siobhan McGregor Instructor BA Management - Sonoma State University MA TESOL - San Francisco State University Siobhan is a new and enthusiastic SSALI instructor. Previously, she worked at San Francisco State University's American Language Institute where she taught a variety of English language skills. Siobhan is thrilled to now be teaching students who live, study, and play in the same community as she does. In her free time, she knits, walks her dog, spends time with family and friends, and puresues her new hobby--scuba diving.
	Beatrice Romero Cortina Student Assistant at SSALI AS Chemistry - Etecap Brazil BS Molecular and Cell Biology - Sonoma State University (in progress) Bia absolutely loves her job!! As a student assistant since 2010, she is glad to help everyone at SSALI. She was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, and had one of the best years of her life when she was a SSALI student in 2006. Her passion for languages and for making friends is what brought her this far into the SSALI family! Bia speaks fluent Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and English, and she will find a way to greet you in your own language when you come visit us! She is very interested in Biotechnology and hopes to work in the field as a responsible and respectable researcher. Her hobbies include playing soccer, walking on the beach, yoga, working at SSALI, and barbecuing with family and friends.
	Peter Vincent Instructor BA Psychology - University of California Santa Barbara MA Education - University of California, Santa Barbara TEFL Certificate - Tokyo Language Arts College Peter teaches grammar and communication at SSALI and has taught extensively at various universities in the U.S. and Japan, including Stanford University, Utah Valley University and Rikkyo University in Japan. He was a professor at Seitoku University in Japan and has served as a consultant for the the Eiken STEP Test in Japan for about 20 years. He was also a director for the JAL/BBC Institute and a manager for Time-Life Educational Systems, both in Japan. He has published numerous articles and textbooks.
	Elizabeth Bennett Instructor BA English--California State Polytechnic University, Pomona MA Education--Claremont Graduate University, Claremont MS Marriage and Family Therapy--University of La Verne, La Verne Elizabeth taught international students at Oregon State University before moving to Sonoma County in 2010. Her passions include writing and reading which she enjoys sharing with her students. She finds teaching international students a wonderful adventure because she learns so much from them. In her spare time she likes to (you guessed it) write and read, but also do yoga, dance of any kind, play accordion, discover new walking trails in beautiful Sonoma County with her dog, and be with her family and friends.