Exco Bios 2009

Ellen Irish

Immediate Past-President 2008 – 2009

Ellen teaches French and German at Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia. She was the chair of the 2007 PSMLA Conference in King of Prussia. Ellen is married with two children and three grandchildren. For more on Ellen, see her About Me page at her school district’s website. E-mail: eirish@umasd.org

Maryanne Boettjer

President 2010 - 2011

Maryanne teaches Spanish in both the Lower and Upper Schools of Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, PA. She also serves as the Upper School Department Head for Modern Languages. She is a consultant to PSMLA’s Finance and Nominations Committees. Maryanne will co-chair the 2011 PSMLA Fall Conference at State College. Her husband is an adjunct professor of German at Philadelphia University. They have a 22-year old son who is a senior at the University of Richmond. Maryanne and her family like to ski and love to sail. They have a boat in Rock Hall, MD..
E-mail: Maryanne.Boettjer@germantownacademy.org

Thomasina White

First Vice President 2008 - 2009

Thomasina taught Spanish at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia for 26 years. Her former students include a 2-time NBA champion (Malik Rose) and an Oscar nominee (Will Smith). She is currently the Content Specialist for World Languages for the School District of Philadelphia. Thomasina serves on PSMLA’s Membership Committee and also the chair of PSMLA’s Advocacy Committee.

Email:
twhite@philasd.org

Jan Hostler-Stewart

Second Vice President 2008 - 2009

Jan teaches French and serves as World Language Department Chair at Hempfield Area School District in Greensburg, PA. She has served on the Executive Council on the Membership Committee and is currently the PSMLA Act 48 Representative. Jan and her husband, a high school Math teacher, have 1 daughter, 1 son, and 2 adorable granddaughters. When possible, she enjoys traveling, skiing, walking, and reading.

Email:
stewhos@aol.com
or
jan..stewart@hempfieldarea.k12.pa.us>

Debra Wills

Treasurer 2008 - 2009

Debbie teaches Spanish at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville. As Treasurer, she serves as a consultant to the Finance Committee. Debbie will also co-chair the 2008 PSMLA Conference in Pittsburgh. She loves to travel, work on scrapbooks, and spend time with Babe, her eight-year old beagle.

E-mail: dwills721@comcast.net

Phyllis A. Rzodkiewicz

Secretary 2008 - 2009

Phyllis, a lifetime PSMLA member, teaches Spanish at McDowell High School in the Millcreek School District (Erie, PA). Phyllis serves as a member of PSMLA’s Finance Committee, is a consultant to the Awards Committee and assumes the duties of PSMLA’s Business Manager, including recording membership. Phyllis was the co-chair of the 2002 and 2006 PSMLA Conferences, both in Erie. E-mail: przodkiewicz@roadrunner.com

Dr. Bonnie L. Youngs

Past President

Bonnie teaches French at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and serves as a member of the Publications Committee (co-editor of The PSMLA Forum) and co-chaired the 2008 PSMLA Conference in Pittsburgh. She is married and has two kids (12 and 16 years old), one dog and one cat. Bonnie enjoys watching “B” horror movies, reading fiction and fostering kittens for the local shelter.
E-mail: byoungs@andrew.cmu.edu

Sister Mary Helen Kashuba

Sister is a professor of French and Russian at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. She is the Local Administrator for the National French Contest and is also the Vice-President of the National AATF, and MLAPV boards as well as a past member of NECTFL and ACTFL Boards. She serves as the chair of PSMLA’s Awards Committee, and is a member of our Professional Development Committee. In 2003, Sister was named PSMLA’s Educator of the Year. For more about Sister Mary Helen, click here for her Chestnut Hill information page. E-mail: kashubam@chc.edu

Douglas Wolfe

Doug teaches Spanish at South Western High School in Hanover and is chair of the World Language Department. He is a member of the steering committee for the Governor’s Institute for World Language Teachers and has served as a mentor teacher. Doug has chaired the Nominations Committee and presently is chairperson of the Publications Committee. He is conference chair for the 2009 PSMLA/MU Conference in Gettysburg. Doug enjoys camping, spending time with his wife and sons and searching out lighthouses.

E-mail: wolfee55@hotmail.com doug_wolfe@swsd.k12.pa.us

Katie Lumley-Pohl

Katie Lumley-Pohl has been teaching Spanish for fourteen years now. The last ten have been at Collegiate Academy in Erie. Katie received National Board Certification in 2009 and plans to continue promoting the teaching of world languages. Katie is married to Bill Pohl and has two young sons - Liam who is seven and Abram who is two.
E-mail: klumley-pohl@eriesd.org

Adam Bailey

Adam teaches Spanish at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School and is also the Department Head for World Languages for the Colonial School District. He also teaches a Methods in Teaching World Languages at Chestnut Hill College. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and a former Fulbright Teacher who taught English at a middle school in Mexico. Every year he sponsors an exchange program between his high school and a school in Alcobendas, Spain. Adam enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two kids.

E-mail: abailey@colonialsd.org

Colette Ballew

Colette teaches French and Spanish at Honesdale High School, where she also serves as the World Language Department Chair. She has been a presenter at the Latin American Symposium of Edinboro University, a negotiations team leader for school union-education association, acting department chair, mentor for colleagues in school, as well as Department Chair of the International Club, host of Foreign Language Film Festival, creator and co-chaperone of Service Learning trip to Costa Rica and coordinator of field trips for the department.

E-mail: ccballew@yahoo.com

Mina T. Levenson

Teacher at Allderdice High School. NBCT (National Board Certification) 2005. ITL (Department Chair) of World Languages at Allderdice since 2005. Reviewer for Foreign Language Annals. Governor’s Institute for World Language Educators. Presenter at AATSP Annual Meeting in Salamanca, Spain. Presenter at PSMLA. Sponsor and 1 of the teachers of the Overall Trophy winner at the Slippery Rock World Languages Competition. Translator for published article in Preventive Medicine (a second article is currently pending). Allderdice H.S. recipient of Silver Globe and Gold Globe awards.
E-mail: mlevenson1@pghboe.net

Andrew Richards

Drew is a German Teacher and is the World Language Department Chair in the Fox Chapel Area School District. During the 2005-06 school year Drew was a participant in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, teaching in Berlin. He has been on the Executive Council since 2005 and is currently serving on the Professional Development Committee, the Publications Committee, the Conference ’08 Committee and is the PSMLA Historian. He lives in Oakmont with his wife Colleen (also a German teacher!) and their cats Tristan and Isolde. In his spare time, he enjoys mountain biking and nordic walking.

E-mail: drew_richards@fcasd.edu

Dr. Thekla Fall: Past President

In 2007 Thekla retired as the Curriculum Specialist of the Pittsburgh Public Schools World Languages Department. Thekla, who is also a Lifetime Member, serves as consultant for the PSMLA’s Advocacy Committee, and is Chair of the PSMLA Exemplary Program (PEP). E-mail: thekla.fall@gmail.com or thekla@live.com.

Frank Mulhern: Past President

In his K-12 career, Frank worked for the Wissahickon and Wallingford-Swarthmore School Districts where he taught Spanish and ESL and served as District Supervisor of Foreign Languages. Currently he teaches Spanish at Chestnut Hill College and teaches FL Methods at St. Joseph’s University and LaSalle University where he also supervises student teachers.
He is also a Past President of PSMLA and Past Chair of the Northeast Conference. Frank, a lifetime PSMLA member, also serves as consultant for PSMLA’s Professional Development Committee, as our representative to ACTFL, and as our Parliamentarian.

E-mail: fjmulhern@erols.com

Pamela M. Kolega: PA Department of Education World Language Advisor

Pam is the World Language Advisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Education, working hard to assist PSMLA in our efforts to convince the PDE that World Languages, like other academic areas, need standards. She serves on PSMLA’s Advocacy Committee. Pam is also a technical assistant and facilitator for any Pennsylvania public, private or charter school and is willing to present at any In-Service events, School Board meetings and /or administrative or teacher professional education workshops. Pam will be at your service for any world/foreign language issues in addition to international education programs. E-mail: pkolega@state.pa.us

Robert Hall: Advertising Manager

Bob teaches French at Fairview High School, just outside of Erie. He has been PSMLA's Ad Manager since 2003. His job includes coordinating the exhibitors you see at our conferences, as well as soliciting ads for the PSMLA Forum, and the conference brochure. Bob also serves on PSMLA's Publications Committee, and Finance Committee. Bob is married to Denise and has two children; a daughter, Courtney, 17, and a son, Brandon, 15.

E-mail: fhsmonsieur@roadrunner.com

Ron DelPorto: Webmaster

Ron teaches Visual Basic, C++ and Computer Networking in the Computer Science Department at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. He manages the PSMLA website. Ron’s interests in addition to programming are Spanish, physical fitness, reading, science, cryptograms, crosswords, word jumbles and Sudoku. Ron and his wife, Carole, have three grown children and one granddaughter.

E-mail: rwdelporto@roadrunner.com