Yvonne Williams, a seasoned educator and presenter, serves as the Vice President of Educator Engagement at WCEPS, where she spearheads initiatives to empower educators and foster collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs). Her work is deeply rooted in understanding and aligning with the goals of schools and districts, ensuring impactful outcomes for all learners with an emphasis on multilingual learners.

Yvonne also leads a team of 35 highly skilled coaches who support schools across the country in implementing WCEPS programs, providing tailored guidance and fostering lasting growth. Yvonne’s personal and professional journey is a testament to resilience and passion. Born in Chihuahua, Mexico, she moved to the United States at age 5, her experiences as an English language learner shaped her commitment to a positive impact in the field of education. With over 30 years in the field, Yvonne has worked with diverse student populations across all grade levels, PK to high school, advocating for the success of learners and their families.

Prior to her current role, Yvonne spent three transformative years at WIDA as a Professional Learning Specialist, contributing to educator development on a global scale. She is also the architect of a nationally recognized coaching program at WCEPS, designed to provide ongoing, collaborative support for educators, moving beyond traditional professional development to foster lasting change in classrooms. While guiding the coaching work to include university credit.

A first-generation college graduate, Yvonne holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Angelo State University and a master’s in Bilingual Education from NOVA Southeastern University. Her credentials are further enhanced by endorsements in TESL, Bilingual Education, and Computer Literacy. Her dedication extends beyond her professional life to her family, proudly raising two accomplished sons and living in Washington State with her husband.

As a dynamic presenter, Yvonne combines her rich personal narrative, deep expertise, and practical strategies to inspire and equip educators during her sessions. Her vision is to cultivate a supportive learning environment that celebrates the strengths of k-12 learners and empower educators to drive meaningful change.

Amy King has more than 20 years of experience in the field of English language teaching and learning both in the US and overseas. Before joining WCEPS, Ms. King was a Senior Professional Learning Specialist at WIDA for more than six years. She taught ESL in K–12 public schools, private language schools, and adult education programs. Internationally, she has taught in both Slovakia and South Korea. In Banska Bystrica, she was a visiting lecturer at Mateja Bela University. In Seoul, she worked at Shin–il High School as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant and at the Foreign Language Institute of Yonsei University. She was an English Language Fellow at Hanoi Metropolitan University in Vietnam through a program sponsored by the US State Department. She holds a BS in Speech and an MS in Journalism from Northwestern University near Chicago. She earned a TESOL Certificate from American University in Washington, DC and a Multiple–Subject Teaching Credential from National University in San Diego. In addition to certificates in Blended Learning, Microlearning and E–Learning, she earned a Master of Instructional Design from the Association of Talent Development. She is currently working on a MS in Educational and Instructional Technology also through National University.

Nora has been a Dual Language educator for the past 12 years and is now a Dual Language Instructional Coach and Teaching & Learning Administrator in North Chicago, IL.  She holds a BA in Communication and Latino Studies, a MA in Elementary Education, a MA in Curriculum & Instruction with ESL/Bilingual endorsements, and is finalizing her dissertation for a PhD in Educational Leadership.  Her research centers around building capacity, confidence, and community through leadership and coaching in Dual Language.  She is passionate about elevating the voices of teachers and students to cultivate a love of learning, increase teacher retention, and improve learning outcomes for our multilingual students.

From the vibrant borderland of Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua and El Paso, Texas, Adriana brings a unique personal perspective to her role. As an English learner herself and a mother of bilingual children, she understands the challenges and benefits of bilingualism. With over a decade of experience in bilingual early childhood education, specializing in working with multilingual students across different levels of biliteracy, Adriana offers a wealth of expertise to her position. Holding a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, with a focus on literacy, language, and culture, she emphasizes critical and multicultural perspectives on language and literacy in K-5 education. 
Adriana’s approach to conceptualizing reading, language, and literacy education is centered on culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies for students of diverse ethnolinguistic backgrounds. She is an advocate of social justice and equity within language and literacy curriculum and instruction, drawing on research-based best practices in teaching reading, language acquisition, and assessment. Adriana’s commitment extends beyond the classroom as she has served as the NM Teacher Pipeline director, working to help sustain a diverse and robust teacher pipeline with partnering school districts in collaboration with New Mexico State University across the southwest of New Mexico. Currently pursuing a PhD at New Mexico State University, her research is centered on advancing bilingual early childhood education. In her role as a visiting assistant professor at NMSU, Adriana is poised to leverage her expertise to empower educators and promote excellence in bilingual education.

I have 32 years of teaching experience, including 25 years in English as a second language (ESL) and bilingual classrooms. I have taught students from kindergarten through middle school. For 12 years, I led two-way immersion classes in kindergarten and second grade, teaching both Spanish and English. I taught ESL and Spanish as a second language in middle school. I am originally from Puerto Rico, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in School Leadership from the University of Puerto Rico. Additionally, I hold ESL and bilingual endorsements and am TEFL certified.

With over 25 years of experience in both private and public education as an English, ELL and Bilingual instructor, Laura Chávez-Dávalos is currently the director of the Office of Learning Services at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). In this role she oversees the provision of the college’s Bridge Program, academic strategies courses, peer tutoring, peer mentoring, academic coaching, study tables and disability services. 
A former high school ELL department chair, she has taught all levels of high school ELL and team-taught content courses to multilingual learners at the high school level. At the college level, she has taught ELL Composition and Bilingual Methods to aspiring educators.  
Chávez-Dávalos is a native of El Paso, Texas, who obtained a BA in English and MA in Curriculum and Instruction from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Cross-cultural and bilingual, Chávez-Dávalos is dedicated to removing barriers to student success at all levels.

Dr. Silvia Romero-Johnson is an educational leader in the field of K-12 education. She started her career as a paraprofessional working as liaison, interpreter and translator for Spanish-speaking students and families. She became a bilingual mathematics teacher in bilingual programs. Later, she became a principal for a whole school dual language education community school. She has been serving in cabinet level administrative positions in urban and suburban districts. She is the co-author for the book “Advancing Equity in Dual Language Education: A Guide for Leaders” by Velazquez Press. Her passion is to provide leadership for continuous improvement for leadership teams to sustain culturally and linguistically sustaining and inclusive instruction.

Dr. Angelica Kalat is an experienced Bilingual Reading Specialist with over 25 years of teaching expertise in Special Education, English Language Learners and historically underserved populations. She has taught students at the elementary and secondary levels.  Dr. Kalat is known for her commitment to fostering inclusive learning environments, nurturing critical thinking skills and empowering students to reach their potential. Currently, Dr. Kalat teaches literacy and provides academic support for high school students in the western suburbs of Chicago. 
Dr. Kalat holds a BS in Special Education, MA in School Administration, M.Ed in Reading and Literacy, Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with ESL/Bilingual endorsements and is a National Board Certified teacher in English as a New Language. She is passionate about being involved in promoting literacy at the secondary level and connecting with educators to share in discourse and advocate for literacy-based instruction that is accessible to all learners. 

Dr. Claudia Martinez is an ESOL leader at North Tattnall Middle School. She was the 2020 GATESOL Teacher of the Year. Dr. Martinez received the Best Example of Teacher & Student Wellbeing Programs award at the 2022 Georgia Tech and Learning Summit. 
Her personal story proves that students can accomplish anything under the right conditions. Dr. Martinez is a first-generation immigrant and high school graduate. She is a product of public education in a southern rural district. She is passionate about educating others and believes in the importance of critical and culturally sustaining pedagogy. She became an ESOL teacher because she knew firsthand the struggles of EL and Migrant students. “I became an ESOL teacher to help create better learning experiences and opportunities for other minorities,” she said. “I want to show other minority students they can attend college and make a difference. I want them to see me and think, “If she could do it, I can do it too.”

Ivonne Perez has been a Special education teacher for more than 20 years in rural middle and high schools.  She got a masters in Bilingual Special Education from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Masters in Education with a focus on Autism from the New Mexico State University.  She has worked with verbal and nonverbal students. Ivonne has worked in different areas such as mathematics and reading with students with learning disabilities.  Prior to this she worked teaching ESL to maquiladora workers in Ciudad Juarez.

Dr. Yesenia Rodriguez has over 18 years of experience in both K-12 public schools and higher education. As a first-generation Latina from a single-parent migrant-seasonal farmworker family, Yesenia brings a unique perspective to her work. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Administrative Office Management from Central Washington State University, followed by a Master’s in Educational Administration from Heritage University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Washington State University. Additionally, she holds a Society for Human Resource Management certificate from Seattle Colleges. 
Currently, Dr. Rodriguez serves as the Assistant Director for Federal Programs at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Her administrative leadership is characterized by a multidimensional approach that includes Adaptive and Servant leadership styles. Her expertise extends to understanding and applying federal and state laws, regulations, and policies that impact student learning, access, retention, and completion. Dr. Rodriguez has taught Workforce Education and Basic Skills courses at a Hispanic Serving Institution. She is deeply committed to supporting staff, educators, administrators, families, and community members within school districts and Local Education Agencies.

Dr. Ryan Rumpf is an educational leader whose work focuses on comprehensive and effective structures, systems and strategies for multilingual learners. He currently serves as the principal of an elementary newcomer program in the Midwest and as an adjunct professor for Missouri Western State University where he teaches courses on laws, policies and programs for multilingual learners.
Dr. Rumpf has 20 years of experience working in K-12 schools as an EL specialist and coordinator both in the United States and Vietnam. He also served as the Director of English Language Development for the Missouri Department of Elementary Education during the development and implementation of Missouri’s ESSA plan and led the state’s Seal of Biliteracy initiative. Dr. Rumpf earned his Ed.D in educational leadership in 2023 from William Woods University.

Marisa Silva is a native of the New Mexico borderlands and was born and raised in Las Cruces. She grew up immersed in the vibrant English-Spanish environment of the sister cities of Las Cruces, El Paso, and Ciudad Juarez. Marisa received a master’s degree from New Mexico State University in Curriculum & Instruction with a minor in bilingual education in 2005, and returned again to graduate school as a James Madison Memorial Foundation fellow to the University of New Mexico, where she graduated with a master’s in United States history in 2013.
Marisa began her career in Albuquerque as a bilingual program coordinator and bilingual social studies teacher at Valley High School, where she also served as director of Ballet Folklórico del Sol, as well as on the first APS district-wide committee to craft and execute a uniform exit exam for the Bilingual Seal Program. In 2013, she moved to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area to work as an English Language Learner teacher at Alexandria City Public Schools, where she also served as ELL Department Co-Chair for eight years; she also completed a two-year foreign teaching leave in China and Indonesia. Over her fifteen-year teaching career, Marisa has taught bilingual U.S. history and world history; International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and Middle Years Programme English language and literature, and English language B. She has also supported STEM program multilingual learners in the English for Academic Purposes Biology I and World Civ. I courses and is a veteran co-teacher of World Civilization I, Biology I, and U.S./Virginia history. 

Fernando Ricardo Valenzuela (they/he/el) is an interdisciplinary educator, researcher, political organizer, and social worker with over eight years of teaching experience across various multicultural and international settings. Their educational praxis is rooted in Freirean approaches of critical consciousness that promote understanding and considerations of power, privilege, and oppression through non-hierarchical knowledge sharing and dialogues.

Their international teaching experience began in Madrid, Spain, where they taught English at a bilingual elementary school from 2016 – 2019. As part of Spain’s national bilingual initiative, they collaborated with teachers to create comprehensive English-language lesson plans, prepared students for their yearly English comprehension exams, and supported cross-cultural understanding of topics in racial, economic, and environmental disparities. After moving back to the United States, they continued working in primary public education as a long-term substitute teacher and paraprofessional through 2021 in Nevada and Connecticut, which included supporting primary school students during the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown.

Throughout their graduate program at the University of Connecticut, Fernando refined their international interests and experience by focusing on international social work. From 2022- 2023, they were the graduate intern for the Center for International Social Work Studies where they promoted knowledge and research of international social work, human rights, and geopolitics. In 2022, they were invited to attend World Social Work Day at the United Nations with a group of graduate students. Fernando was also selected to participate in the 2023 Puerto Rican and Latino Studies’ Travel Study in Puerto Rico, where they took courses focusing on colonization, imperialism, and neoliberalism at the University of Puerto Rico. The travel study also included making several site visits across Puerto Rico and Vieques to learn about Latin American social work theory and praxis in areas like mental health, domestic violence, mutual aid, and political organizing.

With a wide range of interdisciplinary and international experiences, Fernando utilizes holistic and ecological social work frameworks alongside concepts of popular education to promote positive and systemic change through various educational settings, workshops, and presentations. 

Katie is a dual language educator from Woodstock, Illinois. She began her career as a primary Spanish-English dual language teacher and has spent nearly 15 years as a dual language facilitator, working to help grow and strengthen the dual language program which spans PreK-12th grade. 

Katie enjoys working with teachers to expand their capacity to help language learners thrive. She has undertaken various professional development initiatives in the areas of language acquisition and literacy and has led the development of units of instruction for biliteracy. She teaches in a local university’s ESL endorsement program, preparing educators to meet the needs of their diverse learners. Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education with a minor in Spanish and she holds a masters degree in educational leadership with an endorsement in bilingual and ESL education. Katie is passionate about additive language acquisition. She and her husband are raising their young children bilingually and Katie marvels at the language and literacy development of her two young children.