MIDTESOL Board

2026 Conference Chair

Takijah Loguda, Nebraska

Takijah Loguda is a curriculum specialist at Westview High School in the Omaha Public Schools. She earned her B.S. in Secondary education with endorsements in 7-12 math and Spanish, her bilingual education endorsement, and is currently working toward her Ed.S. from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She earned her English as a second language endorsement and M.A. in Education Administration from Concordia University, Nebraska. She spent 12 years teaching dual language mathematics and supporting summer math programs for language learners. She strives to support staff and students both in and out of the classroom to ensure all can find success. When not working, she enjoys running, reading, playing soccer, and spending time with her husband, son, and 3 dogs.

2026 Conference Program Chair

(Current interim position held by various officers)

Exhibitor Coordinator

Lorraine Gardner, Missouri 

Lorraine Gardner is the Lead ELL Instructor at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, Missouri, where she has been teaching since 2007. She began her teaching career in adult education as a volunteer literacy tutor at Metro Community College in Omaha, Nebraska, over 30 years ago. Lorraine then taught English and French in South Korea. She first joined MIDTESOL in the mid-‘90s while working on her M.A. in TESOL at the University of Northern Iowa. She taught in the Culture and Intensive English Program at UNI and ESL at Hawkeye Community College. She is currently a Board Member at Large in the Missouri Association for Adult Continuing and Community Education (MAACCE). She is excited to be the Exhibitor Liaison for MIDTESOL. In addition to teaching, Lorraine loves music, technology, and travelling. Contact her at lorrainegardner@midtesol.org. 

(Fun fact: Lorraine has lived and taught ELL in three of the four MIDTESOL states!)

 

Communications Director / Chair

Vicki Anderson, Nebraska

Dr. Vicki Anderson is the director of the undergraduate and graduate ESL/ELL/TESOL teacher preparation programs at Concordia University Nebraska (in Seward, NE) and chair of that institution’s Department of Intercultural Studies and Modern Languages. Vicki received her PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) and her MA in TESOL/Linguistics from Ball State University (Muncie, IN). She has taught English in a variety of K-12 and university contexts in Chile and France, as well as in Intensive English Programs at Indiana University and Ball State; she currently trains and leads teams of students every summer to China to run ESL summer camps. When not working, Vicki enjoys cooking and hiking and drinking espressos on the front porch with her husband and two teenaged sons.

MIDTESOL Journal

Amy Walton, Iowa
Editor

Photo and bio to come

Jeanne Beck, Missouri
Technical Editor

Jeanne Beck is a Ph.D. student in the Applied Linguistics and Technology (ALT) Program at Iowa State University and an EL coordinator/teacher at St. Cecilia School in Ames, Iowa. She has an M.Ed in TESOL education from the University of Missouri and an Ed.S in education administration from William Woods University, also in Missouri. Jeanne has previously taught EL learners, English Language Arts, and technology in Missouri; EL teacher trainees and university students in South Korea, and high school EFL students in Japan via the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. She was a graduate intern with WIDA in summer 2022 and previously served as an Edtech Interest Section Co-Chair for Midtesol from 2018-2019. Her research interests include second language assessment, CALL, teacher training, Project-Based Learning, and EL policy. 

Shamini Shetye, Missouri
Associate Editor

Shamini Shetye is an EdD student in Applied Linguistics and TESOL in the Teachers College of Columbia University, and a doctoral fellow in the Community Language Program. She is an active part of Columbia University’s ALTESOL (Applied Linguistics and TESOL) Language and Technology Research Group, and she chaired the conference committee for the 2023 AIRiAL (Artificial Intelligence Research in Applied Linguistics) held at Columbia University Teachers College.

Šebnem Kurt, Iowa
Associate Editor

Šebnem Kurt is a PhD candidate in the Applied Linguistics and Technology program at Iowa State University. She is a former Fulbright scholar and a TESOL certificate holder from Idaho State University. Her research interests include technology-assisted language learning and assessment, as well as online teacher training. 

Editor, Marketing – Membership

Shaeley Santiago, Iowa

Shaeley Santiago is passionate about advocating for English Learners (ELs) and partnering with teachers to improve student outcomes. She taught secondary ELs in Central Iowa for nearly 15 years before becoming an ESL instructional coach. Currently, she is the EL coordinator for Ames Community School District in Ames, Iowa. Shaeley is an avid reader. She reads YA and children’s books with a particular interest in multicultural subjects. She is also a big fan of Twitter as a means for personalized professional learning for teachers.

 

Editor, Marketing – Social Media

Adrienne Johnson, Missouri

Dr. Adrienne Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Missouri Western State University, preparing both undergraduate and graduate teachers to teach English language learners.  Adrienne earned her Ph.D. in Linguistics (Second Language Acquisition) from the University of Kansas following 8 years teaching K-12 English language learners in rural and inner-city public schools in South Korea, Chicago, and Michigan.  She has taught in EFL, ESL, bilingual, sheltered, and dual language environments and is always learning.  Originally from Colorado, when she is not teaching, you can find her running, biking, swimming, playing with her kids, and just enjoying being active outdoors

 

Editor, Newsletter

Vicki Anderson, Nebraska

Dr. Vicki Anderson is the director of the undergraduate and graduate ESL/ELL/TESOL teacher preparation programs at Concordia University Nebraska (in Seward, NE) and chair of that institution’s Department of Intercultural Studies and Modern Languages. Vicki received her PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University (Bloomington, IN) and her MA in TESOL/Linguistics from Ball State University (Muncie, IN). She has taught English in a variety of K-12 and university contexts in Chile and France, as well as in Intensive English Programs at Indiana University and Ball State; she currently trains and leads teams of students every summer to China to run ESL summer camps. When not working, Vicki enjoys cooking and hiking and drinking espressos on the front porch with her husband and two teenaged sons.

 

Editor, Website

Melissa Lowery, Kansas

Melissa Lowery first started building websites in 1996 when she decided to learn HTML “just because”. Since then she’s built websites and managed online presences for small businesses, celebrities, important causes, and family members. She assisted in managing a federal grant providing ESL endorsement to in-service teachers for six years and completed several courses in TESOL from Emporia State University, in addition to undergraduate degrees in History and English and an M.A. degree in English Literature. Melissa is a freelance writer, specializing in corporate supplier diversity and issues pertaining to minority business enterprises.

Rules and Resolutions Chair

Dr. Ben Vilkas, Nebraska

Dr. Ben Vilkas teaches education courses at Wayne State College, including those focused on strategies for teaching English Learners as well as courses on curriculum, assessment and best instructional practices in the elementary school classroom setting. Before teaching at WSC, Dr. Vilkas taught at Grand Canyon University. He is a member of MIDTESOL and Kappa Delta Pi.

Socio-Political Concerns and Professional Standards Chair

Colleen Jennings, Missouri
Colleen Jennings teaches ELLs with Literacy KC in Kansas City, Missouri. She’s been teaching ELLs since August of 2018. The focus of her graduate work in her Political Science and International Education programs was alternative education for refugee children where she traveled to Jordan and Lebanon to conduct independent case studies. She homeschooled her five children in Ohio and Colorado and moved to Missouri in October 2023. Her family on her mother’s side comes from Iowa, but her family was a Navy family, so she spent her childhood overseas in Japan, Greece, and Puerto Rico and mostly on the east coast in the US. She taught Political Science and American government in 2021-22 at community college and she is also a swim teacher! She swims, does yoga and weight training for exercise, and in her free time she is constantly researching global political events and analyzing US policies, both foreign and domestic. Her hope for the future is to improve education policy resulting in better practices in the U.S. and internationally.
 

Awards Committee Chair

Nikki Ashcraft, Missouri

Dr. Nikki Ashcraft has been immersed in the field of TESOL for over 30 years. She holds a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics/TESOL from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in Adult Education from the University of Georgia. During her TESOL career, she has taught ESL in community-based adult literacy programs, community colleges, and intensive English programs in the U.S. She has also taught EFL and trained teachers in Mexico, Chile, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan. She is currently an Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Missouri, where she teaches in its online M.Ed. TESOL program and has the pleasure of working with teachers in Missouri and around the world. Dr. Ashcraft has held various leadership roles within TESOL International Association, including Chair of the Teacher Educator Interest Section and inaugural Chair of the Membership Professional Council. She holds a continuing education certificate in Nonprofit Management from Collin College and recently published an article in English Teaching Forum on managing volunteers in language teacher associations. Her passion lies in providing teacher training for community volunteers in adult literacy programs to develop their pedagogical skills and enhance their teaching effectiveness.

Member-At-Large: Iowa

Brianne Arnold, Iowa

Brianne Arnold is an Iowa native and in her 7th year of teaching middle school ELL. She received her BA in English literature and a minor in linguistics in 2013 from The University of Iowa. She then went on to join Buena Vista University where she received her 5-12 ELA teaching license in 2014. In 2017, she was named Buena Vista’s Honor Graduate for the Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction program and received her ELL Endorsement. For the past 4 years, she has been dedicated to providing targeted, hands-on professional development to her district’s teachers and advocating for her student’s needs. She is currently an ELL teacher in the Linn-Mar School District. She is an avid reader of YA literature and loves to recommend contemporary books to students and staff. Outside of school, her passions include digital art, bird photography, and rabbit rescue.

Member-At-Large: Kansas

Diana Mendoza, Kansas

Diana Mendoza is the Director of ESOL & Diversity at Dodge City Public Schools – USD 443 and is a member of the Kansas Board of Regents.  Ms. Mendoza attended Kansas State University where she earned a B.S. in Elementary Education and a M.S. in Educational Leadership. She has continued her education at Kansas State University where she is currently seeking an Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction. Ms. Mendoza began her career with USD 443 over twenty years ago, first as an ESOL Data Specialist, then as a classroom teacher, ESOL instructional coach, and now as director. In her role, she works with teachers to develop best practices for working with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students and is an advocate for the diverse population of students and families in her community as well as across the State of Kansas. She has served on key educational state committees such as the KSDE ESOL Educator’s Professional Learning Cohort, the English Learner Assessment Writers Committee, the Migrant Education Comprehensive Needs Assessment Committee, and the Migrant Education State Delivery Plan Committee.

Member-At-Large: Missouri

TBD

Member-At-Large: Nebraska

Dr. Madina Djuraeva, Nebraska

Dr. Madina Djuraeva is an Assistant Professor of ESL, Bilingual and Biliteracy Education. Her research focuses on sociocultural, educational, economic, and politico-historical discourses of becoming and being multilingual, with implications for multilingual learner education and teacher preparation. Her work has been published in Applied Linguistics, World Englishes, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, International Multilingual Research Journal, and Language Policy. She earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and her M.A. from the English Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. A polyglot (Uzbek, Tajik, Russian, Kazakh, Korean, and Spanish) and a former Fulbright recipient, she is originally from Bukhara, Uzbekistan.