The Speak! Team
People teaching People
At Speak! Language Centers, our teachers radiate positive energy and enthusiasm. They love language and culture! They teach because it’s FUN for them. They love watching and especially listening to students as they learn to speak a new language. All Speak! instructors are native or near-native speakers of the target language and they understand the unique challenges (and previously frustrated experiences) of adult language learners.
All teachers undergo training in the Speak method of conversational language and culture and, at the same time, they are encouraged to bring their unique talents, interests and cultures to the class. Patient, creative, inspiring and fun, our teachers are able to make even the dullest grammar exercise interactive, and they have a way of subtly guiding the class so that, ideally, the students teach themselves. They are conversation facilitators, not lecturers.
Interested in joining the Speak! Team? We are currently seeking experienced, creative, dynamic instructors of Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Portuguese, and Russian – to name a few. Contact us for more info.
Christina Ball, Ph.D., Owner/Director and Italian Instructor
Christina picked up a Ph.D in Italian Language and Literature at Yale University in 1998 and has been teaching all aspects of Italian — language, literature, culture, film — at Yale, Wake Forest and the University of Virginia for the past 15 years. An educational entrepreneur, she created Speak! Language Center (first as Ecco Italy in 2004) in order to inspire and empower people through language, culture and community.
As the Owner/Director of Speak!, Christina designs and coordinates language courses with a team of enthusiastic and experienced instructors, works with local businesses and organizations in-need of language services, orchestrates and leads study adventures at our sister schools abroad, plans and hosts a variety of cultural events, and nurtures just about any language-culture request that comes her way.
Christina has lived the ‘sweet life’ in Rome, Bologna, Cortona, and Florence doing everything from researching the moon in Italian literature on a Fulbright grant to searching for the perfect gelato to creating an edition of handmade books in a chilly palazzo courtyard. Christina lives in Charlottesville and travels frequently to a second home in Tuscany with her husband, Italian professor Enrico Cesaretti and their 8-year-old daughter, Mila. She can also be spotted in Umbria and – starting in 2010 – in Sicily, where she leads language and culture immersion experiences for small groups of savvy travelers. A certified foodie, she’s a frequent food writer and currently the Dining Editor and a food writer for Virginia Living Magazine
*Read an interview with Christina on the Rome-based blog Eternallycool*
*Read about Christina in The Hook*
Lyn Cooke, Assistant Director and Spanish Instructor
A native of Florida, Lyn Cooke learned to speak Spanish with a childhood friend who had just arrived from Cuba. It was at that time that she fell in love with all things Latin! Growing up in Florida afforded her the opportunity to be immersed in the Latin culture. She studied Spanish for four years in high school and subsequently received a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Latin American Studies from the University of Florida. During college she traveled throughout Central and South America. Lyn moved to Charlottesville and married Todd Cooke in 1988. She loves spreading her passion for “all things Spanish” to the students at Speak!, where she has been teaching a variety of courses – from Spanish for Nurses to Early Morning Spanish – since 2006.
Lisa Harvey, Facility and Events Director
Silvia Dupont, Italian Instructor
A native of Florence, Italy, Silvia Dupont moved to Charlottesville with her family in 2003 – and we wasted no time in discovering her many culinary and pedagogic talents! Silvia excels both in the language classroom and in the kitchen, and is truly in her element teaching cooking classes. Always eager to share her language and culture with others – dispelling stereotypes along the way – she has been teaching Italian language, culture and conversation since 1998, primarily at the University of Notre Dame and University of Virginia and at Speak! since 2005. She also works as a professional translator (mostly English-Italian) and editor. For four years, Silvia, who holds a “laurea” in Economia e Commercio from the Universita’ di Firenze, has worked as a consultant for both the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano and for the Cooperative of producers of Fontina cheese, helping to educate Americans about the superiority of these truly exceptional, historic cheeses (and the inferiority of their imitators!). Well aware of the social and creative powers of food, she looks for any excuse to cook for people and we’ll certainly give her a few more. Silvia looks forward to continuing to share her many passions: cooking, teaching, meeting new people, enjoying life with the Speak! community.
Patrizia Johnson, Italian Instructor
A native of Nuoro, on the beautiful Italian island of Sardegna, Patrizia Johnson made her way to Virginia and Ecco Italy via a quite interesting international itinerary. She has taught Italian in places as different and as distant as Winchester, England (at Linguarama and Bi-lingua schools, and in a local prison), Bonn, Germany and Farmville, Virginia. A life-long student, Patrizia earned her certificate in English proficiency from the University of Cambridge and studied German and Spanish (languages) and Italian literature at the university in Bonn. As multi-lingual as she is multi-talented, Patrizia speaks Italian, English, German and Spanish fluently, is proficient in French and Sardinian and has studied Latin, ancient and modern Greek, Russian, Romanian, Portuguese and even Esperanto! Her areas of research interest include literature, sociolinguistics and Italian women’s studies. Patrizia currently resides in Farmville with her family but commutes willingly to her grande amore- Charlottesville – each week to share her passion for language and culture with fortunate students of Speak!
Anne Arlet, French Instructor
Meet Anne – watch her video intro
Born and raised in Paris, France, Anne Arlet spent the first 30 years of her life in “la ville des lumières”. She graduated from Paris Dauphine in management, then went to graduate school at the Institut des Sciences Politiques de Paris (“Sciences Po”). Anne started a career in an advertising agency as a marketing researcher, animating focus groups of consumers. After moving to Montreal Canada in her early thirties, she turned her focus to the education of her four children and made it a full time job. She learned to speak French Canadian and soon fell in love with that new culture. In 2004, Anne moved to Charlottesville with her husband and her two youngest daughters. She has been a substitute French teacher at Saint Anne’s Belfield school since 2006. Among her other interests, Anne loves photography, cooking, traveling and reading and is always ready to chat with people about her different cultural experiences, the French way of living and – bien sûr – good food and wine.
Kimber Hawkey, French and Spanish Instructor
Kimber settled in Charlottesville after years of traveling throughout the world with extended years of residence in Kenya, Spain, and France. She holds multiple degrees: a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in French from the University of Massachusetts, a Master of Arts in English Teaching Methodology from Bordeaux II in France, and a Diploma of Hispanic Studies from the University of Granada. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Speak! team. Kimber is an energetic teacher of ESL/English, Spanish, and French, and she loves sharing her passion and knowledge of language, culture, as well as food and wine with her students.
n2. Tianran Liu, Chinese Instructor
Hitomi Green, Japanese Instructor
Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, to a family of restaurateurs, Hitomi’s primary passion is to share the beauty of traditional Japanese culture as well as its unique modern arts and trends (anime/manga!). Interested in travel and education from an early age, Hitomi earned her BA from City University of New York, studying Business as well as Japanese Studies. After moving to Charlottesville with her husband in 2008, Hitomi began working on a second bachelor’s degree in Japanese teaching from a Japanese University, while simultaneously preparing for an M.A.here in the States and teaching Japanese to non-Japanese speakers and Japanese decedents at local schools.
Amanda Evans, Spanish Instructor
“To speak another language is to have another soul.” This quote embodies the experience Amanda had when first studying abroad in Ronda, Spain, La Ciudad Soñada. Although she knew no Spanish when she arrived, her world formed and unfolded around her through language acquisition. Walking through the streets of southern Spain she fell in love with the architecture, food, and the lively spirit of Andalusians. Her original semester abroad turned into four semesters. Afterwards, she began to teach Spanish in America. Her thirst for culture and challenges led her to Japan, where she taught English and Spanish to students of all ages. She sees language as a way to express meaning, make connections, and establish new relationships to the world around us. After Japan she returned to her native state, Virginia, and just recently moved to the Charlottesville region, she is excited about sharing her experiences and love of language with the community.
Rachel Stauffer, Ph.D, Russian (and Spanish) Instructor
Born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, Rachel Stauffer’s interest in foreign languages and cultures began in high school. After exhausting her small rural high school’s foreign language offerings in Spanish, French, and German, she was selected to attend Virginia’s Summer Governor’s Russian Academy, where she was introduced to the language and culture of Russia for three weeks. She was hooked! She went on to complete a B.A. at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College) in Russian Studies and Spanish, taking time to live and study in Moscow, Russia for one year, (where she worked as a security guard at the American Embassy) and in Guadalajara, Mexico for an entire summer. Rachel has taught Spanish, French, and Russian to students of all ages, from public school and intensive summer programs to the University of Virginia, Randolph College, and the University of Richmond. She holds an M.A. (2004) and Ph.D (2009) in Slavic Languages and Literatures from the University of Virginia, where she studied Russian literature, East Slavic folklore, applied and theoretical linguistics, a handful of Slavic languages, and even Sanskrit. In her free time she also enjoys running, cooking, learning about food and wine, playing piano, listening to music, and attempting to teach tricks to her highly intelligent though infinitely stubborn Boston Terriers, Peg and Donut. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband Eric, who works for the Charlottesville City Schools.
Martha Trujillo, Spanish Instructor; Interpreter
Spanish instructor Martha Trujillo says that she has found her calling helping people connect with community resources through her position as United Way’s new Information and Referral Specialist. A native of Mexico City, Martha earned a Bachelors degree in Administration there. She is putting her organizational skills to work by creating a vibrant outreach program to let area residents, in particular Latino residents, learn about health and human service programs in our community.
In addition to her work at United Way and, now, at Speak!, Martha has also helped lead the Strengthening Families group at the Region Ten Community Services Board and has worked as a trained medical interpreter. Since joining the United Way in July, Martha has participated in several community resource fairs and helped set up cultural awareness trainings for local nonprofits. “I love my job because it is all about helping people,” said Martha. “I help people connect people with solutions and it is a great feeling to know that I’ve had a positive impact on someone’s life.” Martha teaches our hands-on Medical Spanish and – soon – Social and Legal Spanish – classes at Speak! and she will also act as a liaison for our new ESL Program.
Alexandra Osvath, Assistant French Instructor and Youth Outreach Director
Alexandra’s French studies began as a middle school requirement at St. Anne’s-Belfield School in Charlottesville, VA. When her favorite French teacher told her that if she worked hard she could speak fluently by the time she graduated from high school, Alexandra decided to make that happen. She studied independently with a Belgian friend of her parents, read French books, and arranged a summer exchange with a girl her age in the south of France. The following year Alexandra won the Alliance Française essay contest, which enabled her to return to France that summer. While at Albemarle High School, Alexandra studied upper-level French at UVa through the Community Scholar program. Having now completed her lst year at UVa, Alexandra has declared herself a French major and will travel to Paris again this summer to visit friends and learn more about the local culture. Alexandra loves teaching and is delighted to be a part of the Speak! instructional staff. As the youngest instructor, she hopes to encourage other teens to supplement their in-school French language instruction with Speak! classes and workshops.
Tara Ingram, Turkish Instructor
Tara Ingram is an extraordinary professor of the Turkish Language and proponent of Turkish culture. She has excelled in providing the utmost teaching skills (Socratic Method) and learning applications to make her courses enjoyable, coherent, and most of all, easy to learn. She holds both MBA and Bachelor’s of English degrees. With over 8 years of teaching experience, Tara incorporates detailed and meticulous instructional design to all her courses. In the future, Tara hopes to establish a Turkish American Cultural Center in Virginia. In the meantime, she keeps busy teaching Turkish at The University of Virginia and, of course, at Speak!
Elisa Dossena Marcon, Italian Instructor
Elisa Dossena Marcon is a native of Busto Arsizio, near Milano. She graduated in Japanese Studies from the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari. In Tokyo, she taught Italian language and culture for about 5 years at the NHK Cultural Institute and the Italian Cultural Institute. In 2001 she moved to New York City with her husband where, from 2003-2005, she was the teacher and director of an Italian Language program called “Mangiamo in Italiano” at the Italian Culinary Institute in New York.
Elisa is currently completing a Masters in Teaching Italian as Foreign Language from the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari.