Alabama-Mississippi
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
AMTESOL has a new mailing address! AMTESOL PO Box 360122 Hoover, AL 35236
AMTESOL Board 2026
Executive Board
President
Stacey Donaldson, Ph.D.
Belhaven University, MS
Immediate Past President
Mayté Cotton
Alabama State Department of Education
Vice President & 2027 Conference Co-Chair
Leah Dobbs-Black
Shelby County Schools, AL
Co-Secretary - AL
Jhina Snell
Alabama State Department of Education
Co-Secretary - MS
Julie Roberts
Mississippi Department of Education
Co-Treasurer - AL
Amanda Giles, Ph.D.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Co-Treasurer - MS
Lynn Fuller, Ed.D.
Madison County Schools, MS
Advisory Positions
CEUs for Alabama P-12
Vacant position
CEUs for Mississippi P-12
Audrey Reed, Ed.S.
Rankin County Schools, MS
SETESOL Representative - AL
Lori Edmonds, Ph.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
SETESOL Representative - MS
Beth Coghlan, Ph.D.
Mississippi State University
Pontotoc County Schools, MS (retired)
Conference Exhibitor Co-Chair
Joni Sue Bair, Ed.S.
Decatur City Schools, AL
Conference Exhibitor Co-Chair
Katie Harrison
Pelham City Schools, AL
ALSDE Representative
Maria Franco
Alabama State Department of Education
MDE Representative
Sandra Elliott
Mississippi Department of Education
Interpreters & Translators Association of Alabama (ITAA) Representative
Vacant position
Mississippi Professional Association of Interpreters & Translators (PAMIT) Representative
Selene Puga
At AMTESOL's 2024 conference in Tupelo, Mississippi, Dr. Susan Spezzini was awarded AMTESOL's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for her significant efforts for AMTESOL over many years. Dr. Josephine Prado presented the award to Dr. Spezzini and announced that an annual conference scholarship will be created in Dr. Spezzini's honor.
Lynn Fuller, AMTESOL 2022 President, presented with a group of her students during the AMTESOL 2022 Conference in Jackson, Mississippi.
Heidi Goertzen, AMTESOL 2020-21 President, at the AMTESOL General Business Meeting during the AMTESOL 2020 Conference in Auburn, Alabama.
Members at Large
P-12 AL (north) Member-at-Large
Jess Nelson
St. Clair County Schools, AL
P-12 AL (south) Member-at-Large
Stephanie Montiel
Baldwin County Schools, AL
P-12 MS (north) Member-at-Large
Nancy McCurdy
Oxford City School District, MS
P-12 MS (south) Member-at-Large
Kristina Bailey
Hinds County School District, MS
Teacher Education AL Member-at-Large
Theresa M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Troy University, AL
Teacher Education MS Member-at-Large
Chimène Gecewicz, Ed.D.
University of Southern Mississippi
Language Institutes AL Member-at-Large
Lance Noe
Troy University, AL
Language Institutes MS Member-at-Large
Adrian Peromingo Duarte
The University of Southern Mississippi
Adult Ed/Community Colleges AL Member-at-Large
Gina Thomas
Maxwell Air Force Base, International Officers' School
Adult Ed/Community Colleges MS Member-at-Large
Shannon Risinger
Rankin County Schools, MS
Community Programs/Advocacy AL Member-at-Large
Nancy Blanco, Ed.S.
Alabama State Department of Education
Community Programs/Advocacy MS Member-at-Large
Alexa Caro
Biloxi Public Schools, MS
Non-native English Speaking Teachers AL Member-at-Large
Abdulmalik Salman
University of Alabama (Ph.D. student)
Non-native English Speaking Teachers MS Member-at-Large
Yu Shi
Madison County Schools, MS
AMTESOL Board Members at the January 24-25, 2020 AMTESOL Conference in Auburn, Alabama
AMTESOL Board Members at the AMTESOL 2018 Advocacy Conference. Back row, L to R: Amy Taylor, Alison Stamps, Susan Spezzini, Jamie Harrison, Josie Prado, Ann Marie Batista, Tracey Koslowski; Front row, L to R: Mary Diamond, Dinorah Sapp, Ann Morris
Member Engagement
Social Media
Edmund Martinez
Russellville City Schools, AL
Members of the AMTESOL Board planning the AMTESOL 2018 Advocacy Conference, which took take place October 12-13, 2018 in Oxford, MS. Left to right: Elizabeth House, Susan Spezzini, Amy Taylor, Ann Morris, Josie Prado, Peg Lawrence, Finch and Jamie Harrison, Elise Harbin, and Lynn Fuller
Committees
Advocacy Chair
Nancy Blanco, Ed.S.
Alabama State Department of Education
Advocacy Co-Chair
Beth Coghlan
Retired
Awards Committee
Sandra Elliott
Mississippi Department of Education
Theresa Johnson
Troy University, AL
Audrey Reed
Rankin County Schools, MS
Katie Harrison
Pelham City Schools, AL
Proposal Committee Co-Chairs
Chimène Gecewicz, Ed.D.
University of Southern Mississippi
Andrea Word, Ed.D.
University of Alabama in Huntsville