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 2024
President
Beth Coghlan, Ph.D.
Mississippi State University
Pontotoc County Schools, MS (retired)
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Immediate Past President
Andrea Word, Ed.D.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
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Vice President & 2025 Conference Co-Chair
Mayté Cotton
Alabama State Department of Education
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2025 Conference Co-Chair
Maria Franco
Alabama State Department of Education
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2025 Conference Coordinator
Susan Spezzini, Ph.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Incoming Vice President & 2026 Conference Co-Chair
Stacey Donaldson, Ph.D.
Belhaven University, MS
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2026 Conference Co-Chair
Julie Roberts
Clinton Public Schools, MS
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​Co-Treasurer/On-site Registration Chair/Concurrent Session Agenda Chair
Lynn Fuller, Ed.D.
Madison County Schools, MS
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Co-Treasurer
Amanda Giles, Ph.D.
University of Alabama in Huntsville
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Co-Secretary
Joni Sue Bair, Ed.S.
Decatur City Schools, AL
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Co-Secretary
Jennifer Wright
Pontotoc County Schools, MS
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CEUs for Alabama P-12
Joni Sue Bair, Ed.S.
Decatur City Schools, AL
CEUs for Mississippi P-12
Audrey Reed, Ed.S.
Rankin County Schools, MS
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SETESOL Representative -AL
Lori Edmonds, Ph.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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SETESOL Representative -MS
Lynn Fuller, Ed.D.
Madison County Schools, MS
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Publisher/Exhibitor Liaison
Marty Hatley
Albertville City Schools, AL
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Board Member Emerita
Julia Austin, Ph.D.
Retired - Tuscaloosa, AL
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P-12 AL (north) Member-at-Large
Katie Harrison
Pelham City Schools, AL
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P-12 AL (south) Member-at-Large
Tiffany L. Brown
Mobile County Schools, AL
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P-12 MS (north) Member-at-Large
Stephanie Murley, Ed.S.
Desoto County Schools, MS
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P-12 MS (south) Member-at-Large
Julie Roberts
Clinton Public Schools, MS
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Teacher Education AL Member-at-Large
Theresa M. Johnson, Ph.D.
Troy University, AL
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Teacher Education MS Member-at-Large
Chimène Gecewicz, Ed.D.
University of Southern Mississippi
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Language Institutes AL Member-at-Large
Daniel Fike
Academic English Program, University of North Alabama
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Language Institutes MS Member-at-Large
Stacey Donaldson, Ph.D.
Belhaven University
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Adult Ed/Community Colleges AL Member-at-Large
Sally Anne Perz
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Adult Ed/Community Colleges MS Member-at-Large
Stephanie Rowe
Desoto County Schools, MS
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Community Programs/Advocacy AL Member-at-Large
Nancy Blanco, Ed.S.
Birmingham City Schools, AL
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Community Programs/Advocacy MS Member-at-Large
Shannon Risinger
Rankin County Schools, MS
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Non-native English Speaking Teachers AL Member-at-Large
Maria del Carmen Garcia Lopez
Birmingham City Schools, AL
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Non-native English Speaking Teachers MS Member-at-Large
Tatiana Goupalova
Madison County Schools, MS
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Advocacy Chair
Jamie Harrison, Ed.D.
Auburn University
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Advocacy Co-Chair
Josephine Prado, Ph.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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Social Media
Lori Edmonds, Ph.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
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ALSDE Representative
Maria Franco
Alabama State Department of Education
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MDE Representative
Sandra Elliott
Mississippi Department of Education
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Alabama Leaders Advocating ELs Representative
Leah Dobbs Black, Ed.S.
Shelby County Schools, AL
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Interpreters & Translators Association of Alabama (ITAA) Representative
Vacant position
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Mississippi Professional Association of Interpreters & Translators (PAMIT) Representative
Selene Puga
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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.
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
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