The Speak! Team

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 Spanish – to name a few. Contact us for more info.

Christina Ball, Ph.D.

Owner/Director and Italianist

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 9-year-old daughter, Mila. She can also be spotted frequently in Umbria,  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 as well as a founding board member of Slow Food Albemarle Piedmont.

Sarah Adams M.A.

Russian and ESL Instructor

Born and raised in a rural area near Charlottesville, Virginia, Sarah always had a love of languages and a strong desire to travel to those countries where English wasn’t spoken. After earning her MA in Russian Language and Literature in 2006 at the University of Virginia, where she worked as a teaching assistant instructing the first-year Russian course, Sarah realized her dream: to pursue a career that combines her love of languages and teaching. This was – and still is – the only thing she wants to do. After spending two eye-opening, glorious years teaching English as a foreign language in Moscow, Russia, Sarah has recently returned to Charlottesville where she puts her passion for and experience with teaching to great use at Speak! as a Russian as well as ESL instructor.

Mary Ann Archer

Italian Opera Instructor Italian

Mary Ann Archer is a flutist and spiritual director who learned to love the Italian language while playing for 26 years in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City. When she took early retirement in 2003 from the MET, she moved to the beautiful campus of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia with her family. There she met and befriended native Italian Patrizia Johnson, who began to teach Mary Ann how to make sentences with the enormous 'bubble' of Italian words she had learned by listening to Italian being sung over her head while in the orchestra pit. With Patrizia, Mary Ann has created Speak!'s Italian Language/Opera Appreciation program and co-leads our annual summer Opera-focused trip to the Veneto in Italy ("Opera in Italia").

AnnaMaria Bakalian

Italian Instructor

AnnaMaria is proud and passionate of her Italian heritage, always ready and enthusiastic to share the culture, food and “la dolce vita” with everyone. AnnaMaria has lived in the United States for 18 years and the last 6 years in Charlottesville. Having made the transition from Italian culture to life in the U.S., AnnaMaria is very knowledgeable about the cultural issues in learning Italian to speak and live as an Italian. Anna Maria worked for 10 years as a corporate travel agent and 5 years in Milano for a Foreign Consulate. This helped her to become meticulous, detail oriented and customer service focused with tact and diplomacy. She enjoys making homemade pasta for her family and the “crostata” for her friends. She is a graduate from Savona, Italy professional school for travel agents and tour guides.

Ruth Bell M.A.

Latin Instructor

A Georgia (USA) native, Ruth has been a resident of Charlottesville for most of her adult life, with periods off and on spent with her family in Italy, mainly in Rome and Sicily. After studying Latin while a graduate student in English at the University of Virginia (from which she has a MA in English and a MEd), she was able to revive and improve her knowledge of the ancient language during four years in Rome in the 1990s. There, she completed the program at the Pontifical Gregorian University, studying under the renowned Latinist Father Reginald Foster. Subsequently, licensed in Latin as well as English, she taught Latin in several schools in Virginia, after beginning part-time at St. Stephen’s School in Rome. Having come to Speak! to learn French, since her adult son is based in Paris, she would like to introduce a Latin curriculum—including a speaking component!--to the school, as well. (Contrary to the common assumption, one can indeed speak Latin, or at least use the spoken version to facilitate and reinforce learning.) Of course, Latin is the mother of Italian, French, and Spanish, and a great deal of English vocabulary and grammatical usage derives from this principal language of ancient and medieval Europe. So, the study of Latin is useful in learning and understanding other languages, as well as fun.

Maria Arce Burke

Ecuador Travel Consultant

Maria was born and raised in Ecuador in the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca, rich in culture, arts, poetry, and biodiversity. She arrived in Charlottesville twelve years ago with an interchange program to learn English (Spanish is her native language, of course!). While becoming fluent both in English and in American culture, she took classes at UVa's International and at Piedmont Virginia Community College. Maria is a graduate of the University of Azuay in Ecuador and is currently working on her thesis for a degree in Business and Tourism. Her passion for travel has taken her to many places like Mexico, Paris, Toulouse, Barcelona, all of Ecuador, Canada, California, New York, Washington DC, Colorado, and Florida to name a few. She has taught Spanish to elementary school and university students for many years. Every year, she travels to Ecuador with her husband and 3 year old son. Maria is passionate about her country and her culture. She is very eager to share with the world the beauty of Ecuador and all the stunning places it has to offer through teaching Spanish and enriching students through travel.

Carol Del Vitto Ph.D

ESL and German Instructor

Carol received her Ph.D. from New York University in Germanic Languages and Literature, followed by a Masters in English Literature and ESL certification. She taught German and English for 10 years in Florida at the university level, while building a successful corporate training business geared towards business executives and expats from around the globe. She is a certified cross-cultural trainer and currently teaches at JMU in the Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Writing department. She also conducts workshops for international students at UVA’s Darden Business School and the University of Richmond.

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.

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.

Adina Galan M.A.

Italian and Romanian Instructor

Born and raised in Romania, Adina studied at the University of Bucharest and earned her B.S. degree. She came to the United States in 1990 and studied Italian at UVA. She then earned her M.A. in Italian Language and Literature. She has taught at UVA in the Spanish and Italian Department and in the School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She has also taught at PVCC and Sweet Briar College, and is excited to now be a part of the Speak! team.

Maryvonne Gasparini

French Instuctor French

Parisian native Maryvonne holds a degree in French literature from the Sorbonne and has taught French in several schools in the Northeast (U.S.), including a special formation to teach autistic children.  She is also an expert in French food and wine (she and her family own the exceptional French restaurant in Gordonsville, Pomme).  Maryvonne enjoys cooking ("noblesse oblige" !!), traveling and spending time during the summer in her second home, located in the Perigord region of France. Maryvonne will be leading our French Travel program, which will include a 2013 trip to her native region, Perigord.

Jeff Gibson

Mandarin Instructor; China Concierge

Jeff Gibson has spent eight of the past twelve years living, studying, and working in Beijing as a corporate trainer (2001-2005), broadcast reporter (2001-2005), and management consultant (2005-2010). After touring Europe, North Africa, and East Asia (1988-1992) and spending three semesters abroad at the Beijing Foreign Language Institute (1999-2000), he contracted two lifelong infections: heredity wanderlust and the China bug.  Once Jeff earned his BA at Franklin & Marshall College in political science, international relations, and Mandarin, he returned to Beijing as a graduate fellow with the Carter Center’s China Village Election Project. While achieving fluency in Mandarin and exploring 25 mainland provinces, he cut his professional teeth by committing journalism. Jeff filed hundreds of radio, TV, and print stories for CBS News, Reuters, the Asian Wall Street Journal, the South China Morning Post, and other global media outlets. Simultaneously, he taught ESL at several schools. Next in 2005, after completing the IUP immersion program at Tsinghua University, Jeff found a mentor in a retired Naval intelligence officer and began to work for his US-China consulting firm, IHS International. There he continued to pursue his passion: bridging the Sino-American deficit of understanding, first as an associate, later as the Beijing office manager, and finally as the director of project development. Serving a select stable of clients, including Martha Stewart, Quincy Jones, Jack DeGioia, and Frank McCourt, he acquired expertise in market entry (inbound and outbound), project management, and strategic advisory.  Jeff  brings energy, enthusiasm, and his unique skill set to the Speak! team..

Pascale Michellier Hapgood Ph.D

French Instuctor French

Born and raised in the southern part of beautiful Brittany, France, Pascale studied English and received both a “Licence” and a “Maitrise d'anglais” from l'Université de Nantes.  Upon meeting and marrying her husband, she moved to Charlottesville in 1988.  Pascale not only received a Masters degree and Ph.D in French Language and Civilization from University of Virginia, but she is currently also a lecturer in their French Department.  She has been teaching her native language for over 15 years - including within the Alliance Française and several local businesses.  In addition to all of her experience, Pascale has a passion for learning other languages … and enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, playing tennis, and sharing exciting cultural experiences with many people!

Kimber Hawkey M.A.

Spanish, French and ESL 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.

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!

Paula Levine

ESL

Born and raised in Texas, where her parents' first language was Yiddish, Paula Levine grew up reading the dictionary for fun.  Her bachelor's and master's degrees are in education. She has been  teaching ESL  for 15 years, deriving deep pleasure from cross-cultural contact, the beauty of grammar and the  remarkable progress motivated adults can make.  A life-long westerner (after the Lone Star state, San Francisco, then Seattle, followed by Columbia, Missouri), she is now enjoying Charlottesville, especially its chocolate baked goods and  the jazz programming on WTJU. Paula is grateful for her husband, formerly an academic, now in private practice, and her two sons, one pursuing a Ph.D. in political science, the other an urban planner.

Mary Ann Lugo

Spanish Instructor and Administrative Assistant

Mary Ann was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up in Lima, Peru and New Delhi, India. Her love for languages started at a young age when she took French, and continued into her college years at the University of Virginia where she majored in comparative literature. She is currently working on completing her master’s degree in Spanish and Spanish-American literatures from the University of Virginia, where she taught Spanish for two years, including beginner and advanced intermediate levels. Mary Ann loves language students, traveling, and conversation. She has lived (and had many conversations) in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and in La Paz, Bolivia. In addition, she has spent time in southern Spain, where she enjoyed basking in the Mediterranean sun with many a tinto de verano.

Esther Poveda M.A.

Spanish Instructor

A native of Spain, Esther has recently relocated to Charlottesville from Madrid and she is enjoying greatly all the natural beauty and the cultural expressions that this area of the United States has to offer. Esther’s love for languages, traveling and meeting people from different cultures started at a young age, when she decided to study languages and literature at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Since then she has lived in Ireland, Spain, the United States and Guatemala, backpacked extensively in Europe and the Americas and taught Spanish language, culture and literature to young people and adults from all over the world. Esther holds several degrees: a Bachelors of Arts in English Philology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, a Master of Arts in Spanish, and a Graduate Certificate in Latin American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Master of Arts in Amerindian Studies from Casa de America and the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. She is very excited to be part of the Speak! team and looking forward to sharing her passion and love for languages and culture with her students.

Felicia Winograd

German Instructor German

Felicia is a dynamic, self motivated individual with more than twenty years of experience in multiple industries and has traveled the world with gusto! Growing up in Munich, Germany she received her B.A. in teaching, business, events, horticulture and floral-design, graduating with a Masters degree from Handelskammer Muenchen. For the past 26 years, Felicia has lived in Aspen, Colorado, where she raised her son at the local Waldorf-School, taught German there (1^st through 6^th grades), became an active Board Member and managed her growing business while educating her overseas students in her graduate program for Floral-Design and Horticulture. As Alumni of the Munich-Waldorf-School, Felicia understood the importance of continuing to be part of the language education while teaching her son as well as student’s fun, creative and motivating classes.  Felicia is very excited to be in Charlottesville as part of the Speak! Language Center team.  She is the director of our German children’s program and will also teach adult lessons and lead our German Travel program and cultural-social events.

Hairuo Yi

Mandarin Instructor

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Hairuo Yi arned a B.A. degree from Beijing Teacher’s College and an M. Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Northeastern University in Boston. She has taught Chinese as a second language since 1993 in a variety of settings to both children and adults. She has offered enrichment programs in Chinese to preschoolers and taught Chinese as a second language to western students in international schools in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. She founded the Chinese language program at St. Anne’s Belfield School in Charlottesville, where she still teaches high school Chinese classes. Hairuo also regularly tutors adult professionals in Chinese. Among here other interests, she is very passionate about ceramics, which she also teaches at St. Anne’s.